Being Too "Serious"

That’s a self-imposed and self-limiting belief. Stop that.

Creativity is a requirement for problem-solving and we all problem-solve. Acknowledge that you're inherently creative, and then start tearing down the other barriers in your mind.

We hate being wrong, but mistakes often teach us the most and allow us to innovate.

Think of the pros and cons of trying something and then free yourself to do it. If it doesn't work, take what you learn, and try something else. 

The persona of the fool allows the truth to be told, without the usual ramifications that might come with speaking against social conventions. Give yourself permission to be a fool and see things for what they really are.

Classing complex situations into black and white boxes is tempting but can lead to disaster. It's the creative thinker who rejects the false comfort of clarity when it's not really appropriate.

Ambiguity is your friend if you're looking to innovate. The fact that most people are uncomfortable exploring uncertainty gives an advantage to those who embrace it.

Exploring unrelated areas of life and knowledge lets you see that everything is related.

You must specialize in your field but view yourself as an explorer rather than a highly-specialized cog in the machine, so you can go further than those who do.

Playing is an effective way to stimulate creative thinking, and creative thinkers are some of the most well-paid employees nowadays.

You've heard the expression "work hard and play hard. " Realize that they're the same thing to a creative thinker.

Practicality is important to execution but may stifle innovation.

Avoid evaluating the feasibility of an approach until you've allowed it to exist on its own for a bit. Always ask "what if" and let your imagination go where it wants to find unthought-of of ideas.

Creative thinking often involves challenging established rules to and finding the reasoning behind things. And that is often met with internal and external resistance.

Critical thinking skills based on logic are one of our main strengths in evaluating the feasibility of a creative idea, but it can get in the way of innovative thoughts.

Escape the constraints of the logical mind by thinking metaphorically. Metaphors work because they help you see that "truth" is often symbolic.

Real-life issues are ambiguous. There's often more than one "correct" answer, and the first you find may not be the best.

Try reframing the issue in several different ways in order to prompt different answers, and embrace answering inherently ambiguous questions in several different ways.