Thinking is made up of 28 thinking skills which we use for almost every activity. Naturally we all have stronger ones and weak ones, but those weaker ones make it challenging for us to do what we want to do.

The main thinking skill required for creative thinking is hypothetical thinking, yup, the skill you learned a lot about in school.
If I know this… Then I know….

Think about it for a moment, there is no completely “new” thing or idea. Whenever you create something, you get the idea based on what you know or have already.

Let’s use going to Mars as an extreme example.
Where do we get the idea of going to Mars?
Because of going to the moon.
Where did we get the idea of going to the moon?
Because of planes?
Where did we get the idea of planes?
Because of birds....

In business it’s the same thing.
Where does a new product idea come from?
Something that you already have and making it better or something you know you need based on what you have.

Marketing is the same way.
Nothing is starting from scratch.
If… I already know this type of marketing works… Then…
Got the idea? Good.

Let’s discuss 4 ways you can get better at hypothetical thinking and coming up with creative, out of the box ideas:

1. Start a If…Then… Fun list. Create a made up (or real) challenging situation in your business that starts with “If"
If my funnel isn’t working
If my podcast isn’t growing
If my sales calls aren’t converting

Then for every "IF" write at least 10 "Thens….."
This will allow you to come up with many creative ideas as you wouldn’t feel like you have to get the “perfect one.”
When we put too much pressure on ourselves to find the answer, are brain can’t think of more ideas.
Let the ideas flow out, doesn’t make a difference if they are crazy or weird they eventually you’ll get one that is a real good solution.

2. Imagine yourself as your hero. If X would be doing this, then they would say or do…

3. Gather your team or a group of friends and have everyone write down creative solutions with zero criticism or feedback. This will allow ideas to flow and once again, you’ll be able to use hypothetical thinking of If and Then from these ideas to come up with a good solution.

4. Although this wouldn’t help you directly come up with a creative solution, it will help you improve your cognitive function of hypothetical thinking - play games that require hypothetical thinking.
Here’s a few of board games to try: (some of them are for children, but they’re a real challenge for adults too!) mastermind, gravity maze, cat crimes, chocolate fix, Othello, chess, and Worst-Case Scenario Survival Game.