1. Breaking Mental Barriers With Positive Attitude: Boosting Creativity

    October 29, 2013

    Breaking Mental Barriers With Positive Attitude: Boosting Creativity

    by Edward Lakatis

    Human beings are naturally creative. If we didn’t have that creative spark within us, we would probably still be living in caves, crawling on the ground and fighting with wild animals for our food. New invention ideas have made it possible for human kind to lit up the first fire, build shelter, develop electricity and reach a more or less civilized state.

    Being creative is a human characteristic that we take for granted. In fact, almost every daily activity we do _whether professional or not_ demands our constantly coming up with innovative ideas: what we prepare for dinner, what we give us a birthday present, the slogan for a new product, and so on. In fact, in some professional niches such as in advertising or art, people are expected to be constantly creative.

    Inventors also belong to this group and they tend to feel disappointed  or useless when they fail to think about new invention ideas. Have they lost that special spark? Won’t they be able to surprise us with their innovations any longer? Not at all, many a time they find themselves deprived of new invention ideas because they are trapped in mental barriers that prevent them from connecting themselves with the more playful and open-minded aspect of their personality.

    That being said, it seems quite obvious then that the best way of being able once again to find inspiration and develop new invention ideas is by breaking those mental barriers. But, how do you do it? The answer is quite simple: with positive attitude.

    Why Is Having A Positive Attitude So Important in Breaking Mental Barriers?

    Mental barriers constrain us. They limit our ability to think out of the box. Therefore, we are trapped in a vicious circle that prevents us from generating new solutions and ideas.  And, as we don’t think out of the box, we end up finding the same solutions to the same problem over and over again.

    However, when we face this issue with a positive attitude we are able to look at the bright side of things. We get rid of that specific or obsessive thinking and our mind opens up and can come up with new invention ideas, a new menu for tonight’s supper or a nice message to add to a birthday card. Having a positive attitude makes mental barriers disappear or, at least, it helps us not to look at them as so heavy.

    As a result, mental barriers turn challenges we need to overcome and our positive attitude just gives us the impulse we need to do it.

    Blocked New Invention Ideas?: How to Break Ordinary Mental Barriers With Positive Attitude

    You are too practical

    Being practical is definitely an advantage when you need to put your new invention ideas into practice. However, when practicality appears during the creative process it prevents your own creativity to blossom. And you may discard a crazy idea that is totally doable just because your inner Mr Practical is raising his voice.

    When you leave practicality aside and look at things with a positive mind you start discovering all the different shades of grey that your idea has. A positive mind allows you to ask yourself “What if…?” and find new sources of inspiration.

    Stuck in Finding the “Right” Answer

    We are trained to find the correct answer and discard all other possible alternatives. Our new invention ideas need to be THE most creative, THE most original, THE most innovative or they are not worthy.

    When this happens, only a positive attitude invites us to appreciate what we have thought of, reframing the issue in multiple ways.

    My Creativity Is Lost

    As it has already been said, everybody can come up with new invention ideas. Creativity is in our DNA and, therefore, it cannot be lost. We may have some more or less creative moments in our life but we can’t stop being creative.

    This is probably the mental barrier that is most difficult to break and the one that demands a conscious positive attitude. When you have a positive mind you are able to discover different alternatives and are more receptive to suggestions that may lead you to a total innovative answer.

    Image Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/orofacial/8219604435


  2. How to Break the Mental Barriers Caused by Hopelessness and Anxiety

    September 18, 2013

    break mental barriers

    by Sue Chehrenegar

    Unlike a brick wall, a mental barrier is not something that is easy to see. Sometimes, friends and family members fail to note the telltale signs of hopelessness and helplessness. They fail to recognize the mental barrier that has resulted in a lack of positive thinking. The person who lacks such thinking often seems to expect that any experience will have a negative outcome.

    Some people fail to note the positive aspect to any situation. Some men and women even refuse to seek out the “silver lining” around any cloud. If such feelings of hopelessness and helplessness are carried to the extreme, the affected individual may find it impossible to see a reason for living. In other words, such a person has failed to recognize the meaning of life.

    Obviously, such feelings could cause someone to consider committing suicide. That is especially true if someone has refused to search for meaning. The people who answer calls to a suicide hot line must be ready to banish a caller’s anxious feelings and to instill renewed hope into the caller’s mind. The caller must show a caring attitude, so that there can be no question that the caller’s perception of failed hope must be re-examined.

    Mankind has been seeking help with problems for centuries. It could not have advanced to the point where it is today, if every potential inventor/innovator chose to give-up, when the going got tough. He or she gained the motivation to continue by recognizing the care and understanding in a friend or relative.  Even if you are not ready to recognize the love of your creator, you can learn to seek out and to find love in the world in which you live.

    That world is full of amazing gifts. As you come across more and more of the gifts that have been bestowed on the people of this world, you should understand better why you ought to be happy and hopeful. Ideally, you will feel less agitated. You will start to feel at ease in your heart and soul.

    Sometimes a person focuses on trying to have a normal life. In that case, he or she may get depressed, after suffering an illness. The person who must live with a medical condition may not have what others view as a normal life. However, once that condition has been treated properly, he or she can enjoy a full and useful life.

    Another behavior that can invite feels of despair is backstabbing. You are not going to have many friends, if you make a habit of backbiting about them constantly. No friend is perfect; still that fact should not be used as an excuse for being disloyal. Friends should help each other to strengthen their talents and skills and to eliminate any big weakness in their character.

    Recently, I learned about the death of a friend’s husband. Soon after I had been informed about that sad news, I discovered that a gentleman who was one of my Facebook friends had been the college roommate of the recently-deceased husband. He even posted on FB the picture of he and his roommate on the day of their graduation.

    At that time, both appeared full of hope. Both appeared to have a very positive attitude, although I do not think that either of them had a job at that time. Eventually both went to graduate school and became college professors. Each discovered how to confront challenges by finding a way to empower the spirit and strengthen exhausted nerves.

    A willingness to open the eyes can be used as a way to empower the spirit and strengthen the nerves. It can aid with recognition of the beauty and love that is in the world; it can facilitate a search for meaning. Those men and women who are ready to acknowledge the presence of that love and beauty are not apt to have disturbing thoughts. Each of them can look forward to a life that is full of meaning and hope.

    Image Credit: Mark Sebastian at http://www.flickr.com/photos/markjsebastian/2820214199