الوضع الليلي
0
How to Stimulate Creative Thinking via Comparisons
5:29:42 2024-08-26 2687

You may recall lessons in elementary school in which you were asked to note the differences between two items. For example, what is the difference between a horse and a car? Or, which one of the following doesn’t belong: triangle/square/surface/oval? A lot of our early education was focused on the differences between certain facts. There’s nothing wrong with that, except that when we look for differences, the focus is typically on logical thinking. On the other hand, when we look for similarities, the focus shifts to creative thinking.

Here's an example: What are the similarities between a brick and a rubber band? At first glance, that seems to be an impossible task. “There’s nothing similar between those two items,” you might exclaim. But, dig a little deeper and you will begin to see possibilities. Here are a few similarities for your consideration:

  • Both are made from organic materials.
  • Both have right angles.
  • Both can be used to hold things down.
  • Both are inexpensive.
  • Both can be obtained in a hardware store.
  • Both need the letter “b” to make sense.
  • Both come in a variety of colors.

By looking for connections between two very dissimilar objects, you are exercising your creative potential. Instead of looking for the obvious (as you were asked to do in school), with this re-framing you are looking for the less obvious, the less certain, and the less recognizable. This is creativity at its finest.

Try some of the following exercises. What are three similarities between:

  1. An apple and a bulldozer.
  2. A slipper and a pencil.
  3. A window pane and a shovel.
  4. An oak tree and a fan.
  5. A computer keyboard and a rice patty.
  6. A driveway and a lighthouse.
  7. A piece of coal and an email.
  8. A stapler and a motorcycle.
  9. A billboard and a diamond ring.
  10. A fire hydrant and grilled cheese sandwich.

 

Reality Of Islam

The Event of Closing the Doors

1:2:14   2026-10-13  

The Event of Mubahala

3:12:1   2026-10-11  

Proclamation of Surah al-Barāa

12:16:26   2026-10-05  

HadIth al-Manzila

1:15:53   2026-10-01  

MOST VIEWS

Importance of Media

9:3:43   2018-11-05

Illuminations

friendship

2:42:26   2023-02-02

allah timing

6:14:3   2023-01-18

bahlool & the khalifa`s food

8:19:41   2018-06-21

true friendship

11:2:27   2022-10-06

their choice

11:11:59   2023-02-01

people types

1:34:8   2022-02-01

be yourself

4:2:19   2022-10-10



IMmORTAL Words
LATEST Unstable Blood Pressure Linked to Higher Risk of Death and Stroke NASAs SpaceX Crew 12 Splashes Down After 237 Days and 100 million Miles in Orbit Something Strange Is Happening Beneath Masaya Volcano in Nicaragua The Event of Closing the Doors No one other than you shall perform my ritual washing and shrouding The Integrated Personality Sleeping Less Than 5 Hours Was Linked to Higher Risk of 37 Diseases Scientists Uncover Two Hidden Forms of Disorder in Next-Generation Semiconductors A Giant Insect on the Brink of Extinction Is Making an Extraordinary Comeback The Event of Mubahala Preparing the Prophet (PBUH) for Burial and His Burial Paternal Friendship: The Key to Influencing Adolescents