The Struggle for Originality

All of us, at some point, had a blank moment. When nothing new, original or useful came to mind. Isn't that terrible?
In areas like Sales and Marketing, Branding and Communication originality is the key. No one will pay attention if you are talking about the gunpowder discovery. But they will listen if you point out a completely different use for it, even if it sounds crazy at first. Crazy will draw attention to you.

There are some ways of avoiding those blank moments and be able to create useful and original content for whatever your strategy is:

1. Be curious. Even Einstein needed to be curious in order to pursue his biggest achievements.
2. Let your mind wander. Daydreamers are synonym of an active and well equipped-brain. And, like J.R.R. Tolkien wrote:

Not all those who wander are lost.

    3. Pay attention to coincidences. But don't forget that if it's too much of a coincidence, it's because it's not. And, you will make surprising connections.
    4. Look closely at contradictions. Whereas curiosity makes us wonder, contradiction causes us to doubt, and this can lead to powerful insights because we spent some time thinking about it.
    5. Act on your insights. Look at things that you would otherwise ignore. Ignoring the knowledge that you somehow have achieved, is not a smart move.

And no more blank moments will occur.