CLOSED AND OPEN THINKING
Published by the S A Creativity Foundation (1996)
All rights reserved.
This is a 22-day anti-negativity guide and nothing more. My belief has always been that negativity, like creativity, is by choice and not by chance. We are not born negative - we are made negative.
Many factors influence us all the time and we are required to respond to these factors, eg
· a weak support system as a child (and as an adult)
· being downed by others
· not achieving at school (or in a particular job)
· entering into badly chosen relationships
· crises
· exclusion
· change
· poverty
· environment and culture
These and many other factors can start to convince you wrongly that you cannot get what you want. You start to undermine your own dreams and aspirations and eventually also the desires of your family and your organisation.
You start to
· judge
· gossip
· moan
· make sarcastic remarks
· nit-pick
· rebel
· pity yourself
· procrastinate
· look for wrongs
· be intolerant
· be spiteful
· live yesterday over and over again
You become a servant of your own irrational thinking - you process only from your conditioned thinking, becoming predictable and very often redundant.
You start to make excuses for everything -you have chosen to close your mind AND IN
A CLOSED MIND THERE IS NO ROOM FOR CREATIVITY. You cannot allow your mind to close every time there is a conflict or a problem or a dejection.
Then that feeling of "it's not for me" and "I can't do it" will take over and eventually rip you apart.
MAKE A DELIBERATE DECISION NOW TO OPEN YOUR MIND - THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS THINKING WHICH IS SO PERMANENTLY CLOSED THAT IT CANNOT OPEN AGAIN.
Make the choice now to reject negative think. mg. The joy, the energy, the peace, the freedom and the creativity that comes with this state of mind is more rewarding than anyone can ever wish for. You can never be a free person with a closed mind.
THE 22-DAY PROGRAMME
In my work with organisations all over the world I have seen how creativity and innovation programmes fail dismally, not because of the nature of the programmes, but because of the resistance of people with closed minds.
Our research has indicated clearly that deliberate attempts to rid individuals and organisations of negativity have a far greater success rate than unstructured and "hope for the best" grammes. Over a b year period we have seen how this 22-day programme if followed meticulously. can eventually transform organisations and individuals. can lead to new breakthrough thinking and success.
RULES OF THE PROGRAMME
1. For the next 22 days carry this diary with you at all times.
2. Every time a negative thought enters your mind. attack it immediately and transform it into something positive eg It won't work - into: Let's try it.
3. Write that negative thought in column 1.
4. Write your positive transformations in column 2. (You can write as many positive ideas as you wish for every negative thought that comes to mind - the more the better) You do not have to write long sentences; write short words and phrases which make sense to you.
5. In the feeling block at the bottom of the page. write down how you felt (in brief) every time you transformed your closed thinking into openness and creativity.
It is recommended that your family members and colleagues Join in so that there can be ongoing support for one another in the group. Declare war on negativity so that your permanent state becomes solution thinking and not problem thinking.
Make pages like this for 22 days:
DAY 1
NEGATIVE THOUHGTS |
POSITIVE IDEAS |
FEELING
|