Most people believe they don’t have much imagination. They are wrong. Everyone has imagination, but most of us, once we become adults, forget how to access it. Creativity isn’t always connected with great works of art or ideas. People at work and in their free time routinely think of creative ways to solve problems. Maybe you have a goal to achieve, a tricky question to answer, or just want to expand your mind! Here are three techniques to help you become more creative.

MAKING CONNECTIONS

This technique involves taking unrelated ideas and trying ton find links between them. First, think about the problem you need to solve. Then think of any random image, word, idea, or object. Next, brainstorm a list of words that you associate with this object, writing as many as you can. Finally, relate the words you listed to the problem. 

NO LIMITS!

Imagine that normal limitations don’t exist. You have as much time, space, and money as you want. Think about you goal and the new possibilities.

BE SOMEONE ELSE!

Look at a situation from different point of view. Good negotiators use this technique in business, and so do writers. Fiction writers often imagine they are the characters in their books. They ask questions: What does this character want? What does she dream about? If your goal involves other people, put yourself “in their shoes”.