By Michael Michalko
Sometimes ideas do not appear when you
are concentrating your attention and mysteriously appear when you are not.
Modern science recognizes this as a
result of incubating the problem in your subconscious yet can't account for why
it occurs.
A majority of scientists, artists, and
writers report that they get their best ideas and insights when not thinking
about the problem. Ideas come while walking, recreating, or working on some
other unrelated problem. This suggests how the creative act came to be
associated with divine inspiration for the illumination appears to be
involuntary.
The more problems, ideas and thoughts
that you think about from time to time, the more complex becomes the network of
information in your mind. The more work you put into thinking about a problem,
the more thoughts and bits of information you put into random motion.
When you quit thinking about the
subject and decide to forget it, your subconscious mind doesn't quit working.
Your thoughts keep colliding, combining and making associations. This is why
you've experienced suddenly remembering names, getting solutions to problems
you've forgotten about, and ideas out of the blue when you are relaxing and not
thinking about any particular thing.
THOUGHT
EXPERIMENT
Work on a problem until you have
mulled over all the relevant pieces of information. Talk with others about the
problem, ask questions, and do as much research as you can until you are
satisfied that you have pushed your conscious mind to its limit.
Write a letter to your unconscious
mind about the problem.
Make the letter as detailed and
specific as possible. Describe the problem definition, the attributes, what
steps you have taken, the problems, the gaps, what is needed, what you want,
what the obstacles are, and so on. Just writing the letter will help better
define a problem, clarify issues, point out where more information is needed,
and prepare your unconscious to work on a solution. The letter should read just
like a letter you would send to a real person. Imagine that your unconscious is
all-knowing and can solve any problem that is properly stated.
Instruct your unconscious to find the
solution. Write "Your mission is to find the solution to the problem. I
would like the solution in two days." Seal the letter and put it away. You
may even want to mail it to yourself.
Let go of the problem. Don't work on
it. Forget it. Do something else. This is the incubation stage when much of
what goes on occurs outside your focused awareness, in your unconscious. Open
the letter in two days. If the problem still has not been solved, write on the
bottom of the letter "Let me know the minute you solve this" and put
it away. Sooner or later, when you are most relaxed and removed from the
problem, the answer will magically pop into your mind.
ADS
ON EGGS
An advertising agency was under
pressure to come up with an innovative marketing campaign to introduce a
television networks new shows. Stymied, Bert, the creative director, wrote the
following letter which he addressed to his subconscious mind. He called his
subconscious mind "Secret Expert."
How are you Secret Expert?
I haven't heard from you in some time,
so I thought I would write you a letter. I need your help with a problem. I
need to come up with an exciting new marketing program to introduce a new
season of television shows. The shows include programs about criminal
forensics, contests for prizes, lawyer shows and comedies. I'm interested in
coming up with some kind of campaign that will capture the audiences attention
more than one time. The approach of the campaign should be unique, fresh and
unexpected.
What do people need and keep? Is there
something they need that we can advertise on? What kind of goods, products,
foods and services should we investigate? What producers, distributors and
retailers should we study? Can we combine our services with another company? Do
we need to share revenue? I need a fresh approach to advertising. Your mission
is to give me a new idea on how to advertise television shows. I need the idea
in two days. Help!!!
Thanks, Bert"
Bert mailed the letter to himself and
two days later received it. When he read what he had written, he got his
brainstorm, which was to advertise on "eggs." Somehow an association
between "foods," "need," "producers," and
"fresh approach," inspired the thought of using "fresh egg to
advertise?"
He arranged to place laser imprints of
the networks logos, as well as some of its shows on eggs-some thirty million.
Some of the slogans that will be imprinted on the eggs are "Crack the Case
on CSI," "Scramble to win the great race," "Hard-boiled
drama," "Leave the Yolks to us," and "Funny Side UP."
The consumers look at a single egg at
least a few times. When they open the carton at the store, when they transfer
them to the refrigerator, and when they crack them open. It's unlike any other
ad medium in the world, because you're looking at it while you are using it.
Try the experiment yourself.
Source: Psychology Today
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