“An absolute thought slams the door on creativity.” –Troy P. Roache
Sometimes Taking the Middle Approach is the Less Stressful and the Most Creative.
For years I believed moderate thinking equaled a weak stance or being just a bit too wishy-washy. I thought in terms of “right or wrong”, “yes or no”, “white or black” and “all-or-nothing”. It was like I had been programed in binary code.
My studies in personal development and spirituality has since softened my personality, however. And happily! Now, I get more done and in a healthier way.
Those with an absolute mindset (I call them Absoluters) tend to be far too hard on themselves—and those around them. They see the world through the limited lens of extreme attitudes and opinions that excludes a near infinite range of possibilities, solutions and viewpoints. Its pure creative suicide, plain and simple.
Still, there are many people who actually believe that this way of thinking is useful and healthy. They argue that such thinking promotes decisiveness, speed, success and even self-esteem. “Make a decision, defend it at all costs and don’t let anyone change your mind.” These Absoluters see it as punching through all the useless stuff, getting them right to the meat of an issue—kind of like trimming the proverbial fat. The problem is that a lot more than fat gets cut away in the process—namely creativity.
Creativity basically ends for the Absoluter with the initial idea or decision. It has nowhere to grow because it is never given the opportunity to do so.
Absoluters tend to be stubborn and rigid. They may even look down upon and criticize those who use a moderate approach.
Just because you are among those who tend to take the middle road, (we’ll call them Middlewayers) you shouldn’t be labeled as a pushover; somebody whose mind can be changed by the faintest breeze. Just the opposite, in fact.
Middlewayers understand the creative process is just that—a process. It evolves and changes as new information is collected and assessed. They are open to exciting new possibilities, even if those revelations contradict the ideas that came before it. Here, creativity is allowed to thrive and grow in unexpected ways.
There is little resistance or stress in this way of thinking because a Middlewayer feels no need to defend anything. They have faith in the creative process. They allow intuition, inspiration and brainstorming to shape the work.
Here are five ways how absolute thinking negatively impacts us:
Absolute Thinking Sets Us Up for Failure
1) It opens us up to defeat.
An Absoluter has a difficult time seeing anything in degrees. When something goes wrong he is quick to toss the whole project out, seeing it as flawed. “This doesn’t work!” “It’s stupid!” “What a terrible idea.” When in reality it may be a perfectly good idea that is merely in the early stages of development.
2) It opens us up to self-criticism.
If something isn’t working, an Absoluter will often turn inward, blaming herself for the failure. “I’m stupid.” “I’m not smart enough.” “What was I thinking? I can’t do this.” This most certainly ends the project as she surrenders to her imagined limitations and shortcomings.
3) It causes pain.
Absolute thinking causes pain and suffering for those people who engage in an all-or-nothing attitudes because the person is often confronted with ideas and concepts that counter his beliefs, which threatens his view and imagined security.
Absolute Thinking Causes Us to Misdirect Blame
4) It causes us to misdirect blame.
The Absoluter not only blames the project and himself, but also everybody around him. It’s like he has backed himself into a corner by his own rigidity and when something doesn’t work out, he is threatened comes out swinging.
5) It narrows and limits us.
If we only see one (absolute) solution to a creative problem, we close the doors to all the amazing possibilities just waiting to be discovered. Had Thomas Edison taken an absolute approach and quit after his first failed attempt to invent the light bulb you might be reading this article by candlelight. In fact, it is said that it took Edison 1000 attempts to create a working light bulb. When asked by a reporter how he felt about failing 1000 times before getting it right, Edison allegedly said, “I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb.”
6) It makes us inflexible.
Absolute thinking is inflexible thinking—inflexible things break at the first sign of problems or resistance. The ancient Tao says: “The soft shall overcome the hard.” The palm tree bends with the wind. It does not try to stand against it in a show of strength, but bows—as if in subjection. As a result it weathers the storm. Likewise, any creative endeavor can’t survive the creative process if it is too rigid.
So if I’ve convinced you that absolute thinking is one big creative block, waiting to happen, what can you do if this is how you think?
Do what I did—change.
Start becoming more aware of your thinking. Is it inflexible? Limited? Does it include or exclude? What is the tone? Does it take an all-or-nothing kind of approach? Is it blaming or critical? Is it extreme in anyway?
Then make small changes to bring your thinking more to the middle road.
Try taking somebody else’s opinion. Instead of deciding “this or that”, try “this”, “that” and “the other thing”.
Don’t see failure as a negative. It is simply part of the ongoing creative process which you are a part of.
Don’t immediately criticize yourself, others or the idea when something doesn’t work.
And lastly: be open.
Try it. Every small change you make will open the door to happiness and creativity a little wider.
Thanks for visiting. Why not come up with three ways to take a more flexible and creative approach to life? Try them out tomorrow. Let me know how it works out for you.