How Do Genius's Think?

Interestingly, though you may not be Einstein, and though you may not have college degrees, you can think like a genius... Yes, you and I can. Actually genius is more about making connections that nobody else has made previously... out of your own experiences. And, even if someone did think about the unique possibility, that person just didn't follow through with that insight to market a product. So why not target genius...

Picture Problems and Possibilities Einstein often used his spatial intelligence to see ideas in new ways. Here's just one example...

The wireless telegraph is not difficult to understand. The ordinary telegraph is like a very long cat. You pull the tail in New York and it meows in Los Angeles. The wireless is the same, only without the cat.

"Make a picture of the problem you are trying to solve, or even better, three pictures," advises Scott Thorpe, author of How to Think Like Einstein. Why not try viewing problems from multiple angles? Perhaps you're missing something because you've narrowed your focus too much. Scott suggests that pictures can be in your head, on paper, or built with blocks, but they must be "vivid images."

Trust Intuitions and Insights Jump on your flashes of brilliance. Art Fry, inventor off the Post-It note, simply wanted a bookmark for his church hymnal that wouldn't fall out. Since a colleague, Dr. Spencer Silver, developed an adhesive that left no gummy residue, Fry put some on a small strip of paper and tested it out. Voila, he had what he wanted. And, in his workplace he wanted to stick a temporary note to a work file, so he used the sticky squares of paper at work, too. Coworkers were very interested in this "invention." He understood that he invented a new way of organizing information.

Think about it. Fry didn't invent either the paper or the adhesive. He solved a problem uniquely by combining two ideas... an invention.

Suggestions to transform your thought processes to think more like a genius...

See problems as the flip side of opportunity. Problems can be a gateway to success.

Play with ideas Einstein did. Others might call it daydreaming. "Exploring new areas of thought can seem unproductive in a goal oriented world," according to Michael Powell, author of Mind Games. He notes that a genius spends more time exploring the process rather than trying to find a result. "Lose yourself in an idea. Become so engrossed that you lose track of time. That's the only way to truly create and be instinctive." Seems to go against the grain of today's workplace. But, maybe that's why we see so many folks taking an entrepreneurial path.

Prime your curiosity Simply develop a deep curiosity and wonder at the mystery of life. People can't really explore without curiosity.

Roll out your humor "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka' but 'That's funny...'" Isaac Asimov

When a tough problem stumps you, a good sense of humor can turn it around. Why? Humor releases a brain hormone, serotonin, that brings about well-being and allows the mind to think clearly. While stressors can shut down the ability to think clearly, a good belly laugh can change that!

Connect two ideas Perceive new connections between two ideas and explore where it might lead. As you think about these comparisons picture similarities and comparisons. Scott Thorpe offers many novel ways to do this as, "Seed Ideas."

See the big picture Look at specifics and think of generalizations as you analyze the structures that lie underneath.

If you're like me, you might not think of yourself as a genius, but it's high time you and I give it our best shot! We are as we think... Thoughts?