Ideate without limit

The best way to figure out your goals is to ideate without limits.

Imagine you’re an artist sitting in front of an easel. Before you is a blank canvas and, to your right, is a collection of paints and brushes. In this moment, there are no rules: you can paint whatever you like. It’s this freedom – the boundless potential of that blank canvas – that enables artists to be creative.

Like artists, future shapers seeking creative solutions also need freedom. In fact, when figuring out what your vision is for the future, it’s best to let your imagination run wild – and to set aside your concerns for how you will implement it.

This approach has generated many breakthrough ideas. Take the example of self-driving cars. The idea that an automobile could drive itself without a person behind the wheel was, at first, just a desirable outcome. Now, driverless cars are on the verge of becoming a widespread reality.

We can also look to artificial intelligence for examples. Robots were once nothing more than a fanciful idea – but, today, humanoid robots are functioning as customer-service terminals in airports and even serving as TV news anchors in China.

This goes to show that when you imagine what your destination is – and you temporarily shelve your concerns about how to get there – you give yourself the freedom to imagine the wildest possibilities.

Imaginative freedom is crucial. But it won’t take you far unless you also fuel your imagination. And this requires getting out of your own “echo chamber” and embracing new points of view.

You can do this by finding ways to meet people from different cultures, industries, and professional backgrounds, and then listening carefully to their ideas and experiences.

Next up: take note of the zeitgeist. Consider what patterns and trends are emerging worldwide, and keep a close eye on what consumers want. Also, keep up to date with the latest innovations in technology. Tapping into new ideas as soon as they emerge will help you stay ahead of the curve.

As a final tip, carve out some time in your day to declutter your mind and allow yourself to daydream. With a clear mind and a blank canvas, and the freedom to simply create, you might just come up with your best idea yet.