If you’re trying to train your mind to be creative, you might try to purposely practice. It can be fun to think about random things and come up with random ideas around those things.  It’s also actually pretty easy to come up with something to target when you are trying to force yourself to think creatively. You look for that really big problem that exists in your life or that impacts the world in general and simply start to think.

“Let’s try to find a creative solution for:

• the economy,
• world hunger,
• predicting earthquakes,
• selling more of this,
• servicing more of that.”

You get the picture.

But what about those things that seem below you? They just seem too easy. How could you actually improve on a thing that is so simple and ubiquitous in the first place?

That sounds like the lizard brain trying to divert your attention away from something that might actually have a real solution upon which someone might expect you to execute. That’s why thinking about the BIG things is easy.  They are so big that no one really expects you to have to work on it. Do they? But something within your grasp. Something you might have control over. Something that could be so straight forward to improve. Well if you figure out a creative solution regarding these basic needs, the next questions beckons, “why not just fix it?”

Here’s the thing: I don’t actually care if you fix it or not. At least not to begin with. The first level of risk that individuals need to overcome is the simple act of expression. Say something. Present an idea. Don’t evaluate it, just say it. The worst thing that can happen is a minor level of embarrassment (think high school) but come on: verbalizing an idea will not generate a life or death situation simply on its own.

All of this became really clear to me today when I watched a short TED video of Gary Lauder talking about traffic signs.

TRAFFIC SIGNS!?!?!

How many stop signs have you encountered in your life? How many yield signs have you encountered? Traffic circles? Have you ever stopped to think about them at all? Maybe as a simply waste of time when your in a rush, but seriously, what could any improvement in traffic signs actually accomplish? I truly hope you take the time to watch the video a consider what I’ve discussed. The most mundane parts of life need creativity too and we need to not be scared to think about them.