24 January 2017

Brainstorming


CURIOUS SELF: “What is brainstorming? How to have a good brainstorming session? What is the importance of brainstorming in our lives? How often should I brainstorm?”

Many a times new ideas will arise in our mind. Imagination and creativity will operate at its peak levels. Inner callings will speak to us. We may get some signs from the universe. New unexpected doors will open up randomly. We may meet someone by serendipity. Many of these moments are low energy intensity and its effects might probably go away the next day. We may never ponder over it again or give it a second thought. The hustle and bustle of life will get us busy and the opportunity of exploration of something new and exciting will be lost forever. Maybe a few months later we might re-visit it again. Probably let it go or pass by again. What happened here? The unknown had power over us. The uncertainty and risk associated with exploration of something new made us to ignore something vital. The feelings of possible failures or rejections become an unseen barrier.

During my undergraduate study one of the professors taught us how to brainstorm. He took a black-board duster and asked all the students to come up with ideas for which we could put this duster to use. In the first couple of minutes we came up with about 5 or 10 simple ideas, however at the end of the class we had brainstormed about 100 practical applications for the duster. The process for us was not to evaluate any of the ideas and not to refute any other ideas. Just keep building on the ideas without evaluation, analysis or speculating possible outcomes of failure. It was a different experience and a new way of exploring things uninhibitedly. Because normally the moment we get an idea or something new arrives into our lives we naturally tend to evaluate its feasibility of success. That’s how we have been trained from childhood. The analytical thinking of the mind takes over very quickly even before a through brainstorm has been accomplished. 

Let’s distinguish between brainstorming and being stuck with something that has gone into an infinite loop inside our mind. If we are struggling with something, trying to fix something, trying to avoid a situation, trying to plot against someone, trying to escape our responsibilities, trying to take a short-cut in life, trying to impress someone, trying to get ahead before our time, then it’s not brainstorming. Also, if we are casually discussing something with our friends or thinking out loud it’s probably not brainstorming either. Needless to say, if we blindly accept or get influenced by what the media, society, speakers, gurus, experts, groups, organizations and religions tell us then it’s not brainstorming. Criticizing someone else’s ideas is also counter-productive to our own brainstorming skills. We may disagree with someone and communicate our disagreement to them gently. However, refraining ourselves from being critical is wise. Another thing we have to keep in mind is to not use brainstorming or over-analyzing a particular situation as an excuse for not taking appropriate action. Sometimes taking action is a form of brainstorming in itself and acts as a building block in the process. It’s always good to write down our ideas or voice record our thoughts, so that we can keep a log for future references. In groups settings, we can set aside time for brainstorming with no prior defined agenda, just a half hour slot to brainstorm. If our group is getting too off-course then we can create a high level intention for the brainstorming session.

Finally, the most important thing is to accept and embrace the output of our brainstorm. If it takes us to new and beautiful destinations then we give ourselves credit for it. If it makes us worse off than we were before, then we have to learn to forgive ourselves for taking the risk. If we realize that we need more time then we allow ourselves to be patient, relaxed and give ourselves a break and get to it tomorrow. In life, all we have is our mind, our intentions and our ability to put our mind and intentions to good use. And of course we should keep doing the things we love to do. The process of Meditation is like brainstorming with our Higher Self. When we relax our minds we get many many great ideas and solutions occur to us very easily. The more we practice our Meditation Routine, the more we are willing to understand other peoples perspectives and we can create win-win situations in our lives.

HIGHER SELF: “I love brainstorming with my team at work on different solutions to be more effective. We build on each others ideas and our creativity is at it's best during our brainstorming sessions. We start with 15 min Silent Meditation before our brainstorming session, so that our minds are relaxed and centered. I also brainstorm with one of my very good friends on health and wellness. We encourage each other to maintain a balanced healthy diet and exercise regularly. We support each other and hold each other accountable towards are Physical Well-being. I love brainstorming with my parents on Social Work initiatives and we create many projects that benefit orphan children and help the underprivileged. Meditation and Brainstorming are complimentary and regular practice helps with creating balance with Physical Well-Being, Emotional Well-Being, Financial Well-Being and Spiritual Well-Being. We Love Meditation.”


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