The answers to new, complex problems cannot be solved by simply applying previous solutions to them. For there is no imagination, creativity, or innovation in applying an old solution to a unique, difficult, and confusing situation.
It is in our human nature to rely on what we know to help us understand what we don’t. Unfortunately, what we know limits our ability to learn or discover from something that confounds us. As the world evolves, so must we.
Devising an innovative outcome to a complex problem requires that we explore and examine both the problem and the solution from a place that introduces new thoughts, concepts, ideas, and possibilities.
This arena exists outside our comfort zone, our belief system, our safety net, and our core knowledge base. This is an uncomfortable, scary place for many. It challenges all that we know and believe as valid up to this point. Yet, this is where all innovation exists — discovering what can be uncovered in places never before explored, examined or tested.
As you ponder the challenges and opportunities in your life remember the answers to many of the complex and frustrating ones exist in a place of imaginative and creative discovery, not in your mental, experiential library. Innovation begins with imagination first. Be creative, be flexible, be open, be receptive, and be willing to go beyond your known frontier to uncover new and undiscovered horizons. You will find some amazing insights and ideas there — most likely a very innovative idea!
