Thomas Edison changed the world of technology.

Albert Einstein changed the world of physics.

Charles Darwin changed the world of biology.

Not many of us will ever achieve that level of brilliance, but we're all looking for creative thinking, better ideas, and more innovative solutions.

To get there, you have to let go of your everyday thinking and embrace your inner genius by generating as many ideas and taking as many risks as possible.

Here's how to generate ideas like a genius.


Generate as many ideas, alternatives, and conjectures as possible--don't worry about the quality of your ideas but how many you can come up with. There will be time to assess them later, and even if you end up tossing out nearly all of them, all you really need is one great idea.

Withhold judgment.

No matter how wild or unlikely your ideas are, keep them coming. To look at old subjects with new eyes, it's critical to try out different perspectives until you find the one that will serve you best. The object is to let your mind run free, not to judge.

Make a list.

Write down or otherwise record every idea, even the ones that don't seem worth bothering with. Even the worst idea may include an element you can use, and you don't want to be in the frustrating position of thinking, Wait, what was it? Later you can use your list to connect the dots.

Elaborate and improve.

Come up with variations of your ideas by incorporating random or unrelated factors. Look for alternative ways to think about a subject even if the old ways are working well.

Simmer and incubate.

Allocate time to simmer your thoughts and allow them to incubate--creativity takes time. So work on a problem, generate ideas, then walk away and do something completely different. Don't think about the problem for some time but leave it on the back burner. You may be surprised at what your subconscious can do when you leave things alone.

We all want to bring our best qualities and best ideas to the things we do. To improve the way we think, the way we lead, and the way we manage our time, the first step is to improve the way we think. Who knows? You might truly be the smartest person in the room someday.