The Four Stages of Great Thinking

“Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably why so few engage in it.” — Henry Ford

A while ago I finished reading Thinking for a Living: Creating Ideas That Revitalize Your Business, Career, and Life, by Joey Reiman (Longstreet Publishing, 1998). In this short memoir turned futuristic business guide, Reiman tells how he rose up through the ranks in the world of advertising, made millions for his clients, then went on to build his own company called BrightHouse, known for its work “in the areas of ideation, purpose-inspired leadership, innovation and marketing.” In other words, the man is big on ideas.

Which got me to thinking, well, who isn’t? I mean really, who doesn’t put high value on thinking and coming up with a good idea once in a while? Whether it concerns matters of business or pleasure, workplace or home, a good idea goes a long way toward bringing out the best in life. But how do we get them? Where do they come from? Can there possibly be a formula or process to it? Or does it all come down to some sort of spontaneous combustion of neurons firing off in our brain at the right time? And while we’re at it, why does it seem like some people have more ideas than others?

No easy answers there unfortunately.

The major premise of this book is that ‘ideas’ are going to be the truest currency of the future. Following that thread, the author gives his take on the concept of creativity and ideas — what it takes to get them and make them happen. According to Reiman there are four stages of creativity — what he calls the four I’s:

1) Investigation
 “Do your research. Learn as much as you can about what interests you.”

2) Incubation
 “The best way to create a high-quality idea is to create a high quantity of ideas. And the best way to do this is to think. Thinking takes time, so the longest stage of the idea process is incubation.”

3) Illumination
 “Illuminations are the Aha’s! Nothing [else] feels like them, but you can’t have a full illumination until you’ve taken the time to investigate and incubate…that is why the greatest repository of ideas are graveyards. Here ideas remain buried with the people who had them but did nothing with them.”

4) Illustration
 “Take action. Make it happen.”

Whatever is involved, consciously or sub-consciously, thinking does take time and it does take effort. It’s a skill. As demanding and in demand as any other, if not more so. It’s a commodity. More valuable than gold, if used effectively. 
 It might be a good idea to start treating it as such.

“Big ideas don’t appear, they evolve.”