Continuing on in my discussion of the practices found in Imagination First by Eric Liu and Scott Noppe-Brandon, we come to practice #3. Practice #3 is entitled "Flip What's Foolish. Make it wise to be foolish, and every fool will generate wisdom."
This is a challenging idea for those of us who tend to be driven, self-evaluative and a little on the perfectionistic side. Fear of appearing foolish to others, or being judged as foolish by our own evaluation must rank up pretty high on the list of common fears. Nobody wants to appear to be foolish and this is exactly why this practice is needed. Unless you can risk having a potentially "foolish" thought or risk that others might think your idea to be silly or foolish, you unnecessarily cap your capacity for imagination and from this creativity and innovation. How many great ideas that we now see as highly innovative and even world-changing were thought to be foolish when they were first introduced? Probably most. We know that the great ideas are not those that are necessarily the most obvious or the most consistent with "common wisdom" or your current thought frame. The great ideas are stretch ideas. So, risking to appear foolish to ourselves (at least) is the starting point to unleashing the full scope and power of your imagination.
So, tell that little (or big) self-critical guy or gal to take a break for awhile. Schedule sometime in your life to think foolishly...and see where your imagination takes you. You may just discover the power of possibility. Maybe even revel in the foolishness of your new ideas...sort of like jumping in a leaf pile as a kid. Be a kid. Play. Have fun. Generate all sorts of crazy and foolish ideas. You'll know the ones that stick with you. Develop those.
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