Albert Einstein said, "This Is The Essential Ingredient To Productive Thinking"
Albert Einstein, arguably one of the greatest minds, if not the greatest scientific mind in history attributed his problem solving genius to a technique he fondly referred to as "Combinatory Play". He said, "we think in patterns", mental channels he would call it. And when he was looking for inspiration while in one mental channel, he would dabble in another totally random and unrelated mental channel
As it turns out, this technique has been widely used (in one form or another) by ALL great thinkers throughout history. Sir Isaac Newton was inspired by a falling apple and a new field of science in motion and gravitational theory was born. Leonardo da Vinci stared at shadows and clouds to find inspiration while working on one of his many projects. The list is long.
I would bet dollars to donuts you also have had an epiphany or two while using combinatory play ...you just didn't recognize it!
Anthony (Tony) Robbins you may know, is the world's highest paid motivational speaker and personal growth coach on the planet. His events draw thousands of participants and has made him 100's of millions. He helps people break through self limiting beliefs by demonstrating and proving they are capable of far more than you believe. His most impactful proof is the famous Fire Walk. At the beginning of each event he takes the crowd through a mental process of trust, confidence and overcoming fears. When he feels the crowd is ready he has everyone, one at a time, walk across a bed of hot coals. I was amazed at not only how easy and painless it was, even more amazed that my very safe, conservative wife, Anna, a very logical person walked the coals without hesitation, pain or injury.
Life changing moment for us both!
Dr Edward de Bono is world famous for his "Six Hats" Technique. This technique seeks to combine the strengths of a range of different mental "channels" which you instinctively tend towards. From rational and positive perspectives to emotional, intuitive, optimistic and pessimistic perspectives. By prompting you to consider the same problem through a full spectrum of different perspectives you can inspire new ideas to solve problems and make a decisions.
Albert Einstein, Tony Robbins, Dr. Edward de Bono, in fact, every great thinker I have researched uses the Genius Factor in one form or another to stimulate new ideas. It is essential thinking to finding innovative solutions and solving complex problems.
Interrupting A Mental Channel by Inserting Another Random "Mental Channel" While Working Through A Problem Resets Your Mind Allowing A New Perspective To Emerge and Stimulate New Ideas.
This Is The "Genius Factor".
In the 1970's a man named Savo Bojicic, a world respected architect, invented a device he called ThinkTank. ThinkTank was this strange looking round sphere, about the size of a bowling ball, with knobs on each side that looked like ears and a clear round window to view the contents inside. The ThinkTank was filled with over 15000 words, individually written on small pieces of plastic. The user would turn the knobs, (attached to long metal rods that worked like fingers) and mixed up the slew of words inside. The user would randomly select a few of the words that appeared to instantly insert another mental channel to stimulate new ideas when looking for inspiration.
Savo referred to ThinkTank as his "idea machine" ...and sold thousands!
Dr. Edward de Bono was so impressed with THINKTANK, he wrote the users manual for it. This 90 page manual details the Random External Stimulus Technique, REST and how to use the THINKTANK to be a better problem solver.
Here's what Dr. Edward de Bono had to say in his forward:
"There are many ways of carrying out logical thinking, mathematics is one of them. But there are very few practical ways of carrying out creativity which is, of course, the purpose of lateral thinking. The THINKTANK provides just such a practical way. Moreover, it is so very simple to use that within a few minutes a person can actually start to generate ideas for themselves."
How the THINKTANK works, What the THINKTANK is used for. And why the THINKTANK works will be described in the booklet.
Very few people can solve this problem fast. If you are one of the few than, congratulations! Reach out to me, I would like to interview you for a future podcast. Here's what happened to me and most the people I show this problem too: I looked for a sequence/formula in the numbers to calculate the parking spot number. First, I looked for the relationship between sixteen and six. Maybe minus 10? But minus 10 doesn't help when I go to the next number from sixty eight? So then I looked for something a little more complex. I tried minus ten from sixteen to get six and then slide the six left one multiple and add two to six to replace the spot left blank with an eight to come up with sixty eight. But then how to go from sixty eight to eighty eight with that formula? It doesn't work. After several frustrating mins I just wanted to give up. That's when I used the genius factor! It took me six minutes to solve this problem. The first five and a half minutes ended in frustration looking for that formula and one minute using REST to see the solution. The Random External Stimulus given to me to solve this problem was the word, "Lion".
I know this sounds weird, how can the a random word like Lion help solve this problem? I can only assure you it did by swearing on both my parents graves and all the people I love and hold dear, cross my heart and hope to die, I swear this example is true.
Using only the word, "Lion I started the first stage of using REST. I interrupted my logical pattern of thought to solve this problem by randomly visualizing a pride of Lions on the vast flat plains of the Serengeti. A single tree, just off to the right and in the background and a mountain range far back on the horizon. It was a beautiful scene. The sky was ablaze as the sun rose from behind mountains. The dominate Lion stood tall with a watchful eye, while the pride laid about, resting around him.
This visualization took less than a minute. Then I looked back at this image and instantly felt it looked different and seen the solution! Total time from start to finish was maybe 6 minutes, tops! Five minutes using "monkey brain logic" and one minute using REST.
The first number sixteen now looked oddly like another number, only is seemed backwards. 16 when flipped around is 91. I then immediately saw that 06 was 90 flipped around. That was it, all the numbers were in sequence, only upside down and backwards. I turned my screen around and easily revealed the parking spot was 87.
Most no ALL ingenious solutions are obvious once they are found. It is our reliance on common sense, logical thinking that takes us down one mental channel where you can no longer see outside that channel... at least not until you insert a new random channel.
REST works like magic, every time!
The speed at which REST works depends on how comfortable you are using it. It was not that my visualization of the lion pride on the Serengeti that revealed the solution, it was the pattern interrupt to one mental channel that "was taking me down a rabbit hole" where no solution could possible be found and randomly inserting another mental channel that released my mind from it's logical "trap" and gain a new perspective.
...and voila, inspiration struck, solution found!
I course I have trained my mind extensively using this technique, it now comes easily and fast to me. My mind has embraced the technique. Your mind will too with practice!
(I could have called it anything but I wanted to honour Albert Einstein)
COMBINATARY® develops your creative thinking skills by combining the essential ingredients of Albert Einstein's Combinatory Play, Tony Robbins Pattern Interrupt and Dr. Edward de Bono's Lateral Thinking
Using COMBINATARY®, teaches your logical thinking how to incorporate the Random External Stimulus Technique, the Genius Factor, naturally. Before you know it, you will be the smartest person in the room! Solutions will come to you quicker and easier. COMBINATARY® is an "outside the box" thought provoking exercise machine. Build your mind muscle, increase your IQ and ...reach your true genius!
If you are a fan of Dr. Edward de Bono's teachings, this is a rare find!
Also You Will Get A Digital Copy Of My Book, Lateral Thinking-The Definitive Guide To Solving The Impossible
If you Do Not Think COMBINATARY® IS Not Worth 10 Times More Than You Paid, I'll Give You Your Money Back- No Questions Asked (Although any suggestions on how to improve COMBINATARY® Are Always Welcomed!)
If You Do Ask For A Refund, Please Keep A Copy Of Dr. Edward de Bono's User Manual and My Definitive Guide to solving The Impossible As My Way Of Saying thank You For Giving COMBINATARY® A Try!