Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Thinking, writing, business ideas … You're only a stranger once.

August 30, 2011

Train Your Brain to Generate Ideas When You Need Them!

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 7:28 am

Stop Stopping the Ideas from Coming

insideout logo

Walking, pacing, staring at a blank page, tearing at your hair, and wishing you could be just about anywhere that isn’t this place … the place where you need an idea and your mind is a blank.

The adrenalin is pumping. Mental sweat is dripping. You hear the sound of your own breathing and the irritating tick, tick, ticking of a clock — though every timepiece you own is digital.

Your mind is working overtime to find irrelevant attractions and less than useful distractions keep interrupting any chance of a reasonable thought that appears. One unanswered question — How will I ever get this done? — is from every direction neutralizing any chance of a new thought.

It’s not that you’re out of ideas.

It’s that you need to stop stopping them.

The RAS — Our Brain’s Stimulus Management System

Ever noticed that the best ideas come when you’re least trying to have them? Great ideas show up when we’re falling asleep, taking a walk or a shower, unpacking boxes and boxes, or sitting outside watching people and clouds go by.

Times like those, ideas seem to be everywhere.
But when we need one, we can seem to see one anywhere.

The problem isn’t that we don’t have anything to stimulate ideas! The problem is that we have too many things! Really.

Everyone has plenty of what they need to get ideas growing. The key is knowing how to work mindfully rather than on adrenalin.

The stimuli that get ideas growing are continuously and constantly bombarding our brains, specifically our subconscious. They come at such a rate that, if our brains let them all in, we wouldn’t be able to pay attention to anything — we’d be distracted by blinking, how it feels to be walking. the sound of our breathing, or the feedback of the chair where we’re sitting.

To keep our brains efficient, we come equipped –- at no extra charge –- with a stimulus management unit called the Reticular Activating System (RAS). The RAS is a valve-like screening device at the base of our brains that filters out most of the unwanted stimuli. Think of it as closed door gateway that allows only useful information into our conscious brains.

Unfortunately that same RAS gateway can close access to the great ideas that we’ve been reaching for. The more adrenalin we have flowing the more it’s likely to be closing.

The good news is that the RAS can be trained.

Train Your Brain to Generate Ideas When You Need Them!

Anyone can increase the number of useful ideas they have. The art is in training our minds to see the ideas and pull them in before our thoughts edit, deflect, or vaporize them.

The best way to stop stopping the ideas from coming is to teach yourself how to keep the RAS open. Here’s how to how to practice using the filter the way you want.

Still yourself — mentally and physically. Spend a few minutes a day in stillness. Practice stillness so that you get good at it. Use that still time to develop these three process models. These ways of thinking keep the filter focused on finding the opportunity in a problem or a new idea from an old one.

If you get in the practice of thinking during stillness, you’ll find that when you need ideas in a hurry, you can stop, be still and get them.

And

None of your decisions will be reactions to a crisis.

Have you ever tried anything like this?

Be irresistible.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Buy the Insider’s Guide to Online Conversation.




Filed under Motivation/Inspiration, Successful Blog | 14 Comments »




C'mon. Let's talk!

14 Comments to “Train Your Brain to Generate Ideas When You Need Them!”

  1. August 30th, 2011 at 7:44 am
    Mark Dykeman said

    I learned something new today Liz. Thanks!

  2. August 30th, 2011 at 12:36 pm
    Valencia Ray MD said

    Love this and this is my area of expertise and passion as retraining my brain to reclaim my true personal power has made and is making, all the difference in the quality of my life!

    Daily stillness/mindfulness not only helps me to focus, feel calm and stay in great health, it is the source of much of my creative inspiration to your point.

  3. August 31st, 2011 at 12:56 am
    Good Social Morning News » Sighede´s Social Media Newsroom said

    [...] Management Breakthrough socialmediatoday.com Train Your Brain to Generate Ideas When You Need Them! successful-blog.com The Prostitution Approach to Social Media Marketing socialmediatoday.com Share this: Posted [...]

  4. August 31st, 2011 at 9:38 am
    Andy @ FirstFound said

    Changing your scenery helps too. I find just finding somewhere new can lead to all sorts of new ideas.

  5. September 1st, 2011 at 1:03 am
    Traci Bell said

    These are some excellent tips. Thank you, I needed this today. I write about a specific niche and it can get frustrating.

  6. September 1st, 2011 at 11:13 am
    Elise Adams said

    Love this concept–and the outline of how to get around our own ‘helpful’ brain functions. It’s so empowering to know we can focus our minds ‘peripheral vision’, so to speak, and turn on our idea center more predictably. This is where the most driven entrepreneur must pay close attention to quality of life and balance in order to truly experience success! Thanks again!

    ~Elise from http://adamsorganizing.com

  7. September 2nd, 2011 at 10:46 am
    JudyAnn Lorenz said

    Is this connected to the dreams/nightmares I have of doing computer things that I do not know how to do and which have nothing to do with my current or past projects. Upon waking can’t figure out where the scenario came from. Makes me crazy thinking I’ve left something out.

  8. September 2nd, 2011 at 10:46 am
    Cheryl Dolan said

    Great post! Would love to add that another quick and dirty tool to activate the RAS (among the many other very useful things is does) is to sit and bounce on a large exercise ball for 10 – 15 minutes. I use this regularly myself and with all my clients. It’s especially useful for ADD.
    Thanks! Cheryl

  9. September 12th, 2011 at 12:24 pm
    Produtividade 24/7 | ResultsON said

    [...] é que existem algumas maneiras de treinarmos nosso cérebro para mantermos nosso RAS sempre ativo. Neste artigo publicado pelo Successful Blog, a autora sugere três práticas interessantes de como evitar que nosso cérebro nos deixe na mão [...]

  10. September 17th, 2011 at 6:56 pm
    Make Sound Decisions « Jeff Oakes said

    [...] Train Your Brain to Generate Ideas When You Need Them! (successful-blog.com) Eco World Content From Across The Internet. Featured on EcoPressed Barefoot math professor runs for environment Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. [...]

  11. October 8th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
    The Magic 1/4 Second To Success said

    [...] to keep you healthy and satisfied20 Ways To Train Your Brain For Peak PerformanceTrain your brainTrain Your Brain to Generate Ideas When You Need Them! .recentcomments a{display:inline !important;padding:0 !important;margin:0 [...]

  12. October 15th, 2011 at 8:47 pm
    lmbaral said

    What a nice idea. I agree 100% with your thoughts. I am always having problem to remember new ideas after some time later on. Whenever I have a chance to note them, the ideas really work, but most of time, I forget them even after several attempts to recall them. I know, best way to remember new ideas is to write them immediately but it is not always possible. What could be the best way to remember new ideas before they disapper from your brain?

  13. October 16th, 2011 at 10:26 am
    ME Liz Strauss said

    HI Imaral,
    What I often to is touch my hand while I’m thinking of the idea. ;)

  14. January 3rd, 2012 at 1:05 am
    RAS Lesson 1 Mind Over Matter « Mental Health Food said

    [...] Train Your Brain to Generate Ideas When You Need Them! (successful-blog.com) [...]

Name (required)

Email (required)

Website

C'mon Let's Talk!