N4L 088: "Big Ideas" by Craig Case & Jennifer Beckstrand

SUMMARY Trainer Craig Case and author Jennifer Beckstrand collect best practices for generating inspiration in their book, Big Ideas: How to Unleash Your Creative Self and Have More Aha! Moments. Drawing deeply on brain science theory, they share thinking models proven to unleash solutions and spawn profound, focused, life-changing ideas. And, as a bonus, the book is peppered with anecdotes of famous and not-so-famous people who’ve come upon fascinating discoveries and big ideas. KEY POINTS Inspiration, epiphanies, and aha! moments are synonymous. History shows monumental changes in thinking come from people who’ve felt perplexed. Identifying the right problem is the first critical step. When you’re truly inspired, you don’t have to push yourself. Instead, you’re consistently energized to act. Sleeping enough, eating well, and relaxing makes your mind fertile for inspiration. “Mental downshifting” = allowing the brain to slow down enough to gather information and “consolidate” (learn) Every two hours, you should take about ten minutes to stop the inflow of sensory input. Daydreaming can be very productive! Overworking our brains makes us anxious and depressed. Einstein, Mozart, and Beethoven all took breaks, which gave them all the ability to be innovative and creative. The best way to identify a problem is to handwrite (not type) in a journal. Creativity = new connections Anxiety = the natural response from the brain pushing back from not being treated right At night, the brain cleanses itself and prepares itself for generating big ideas.  QUOTES FROM CASE “Problems are a foundation of all creativity and all insight.” “Motivation is about push, and inspiration is about pull.” “The brain is an energy hog!” “In North America…we’ve become corporate athletes. We wake up in the morning early; we go all day; we stay up late; we pull all-nighters. And we think we are doing…our employers a favor when the brain says, ‘I don’t work this way!’” “We don’t even know what it’s like to have a brain work at one hundred percent because we’ve habitualized getting six instead of eight hours a night.” “Writing allows wisdom to flow into the consciousness.” BUY Big Ideas: How to Unleash Your Creative Self and Have More Aha! Moments RECOMMENDATION BUY Big Ideas: How to Unleash Your Creative Self and Have More Aha! Moments BUY Aqua Notes Water Proof Note Pad Connect with Nonfiction4Life! Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube Website Special thanks… Music Credit Sound Editing Credit