Two Words
Ying Yang Black White Up Down Right Left East West North South Open Close Right Wrong Learn Unlearn
An Idea So Bad It’s Good
Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert cartoon, recently had a brilliant article in the Wall Street Journal in which he explained how he sometimes jump starts his creative process by employing "the bad version." Here's how he explains the idea: I spent some time working in the television industry, and I learned a technique [...]
You Can Embrace Ambiguity: True or False?
In philosophy and logic there is something know as the liar's paradox. Consider the following statement: "This statement is false." If "This statement is false" is true, then it is false, which in turn would mean that it is actually true, but this would mean it is false ... and so on ad infinitum. If [...]
Unlearn the Difference Between Learning and Being Taught
"Personally, I'm always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught." This is one of my favorite Winston Churchill quotes and I thought of it when I stumbled across the ambigram above. Do you see the word "teach" or "learn"? Can you see both? I like to think of unlearning as just [...]
Which is More Dangerous: The Tiger or the Jungle?
Take a look at the photo to the right. What do you see? It's a tiger, right? To be more specific, it's a tiger in a the jungle. Not so fast. Perhaps, it's a jungle with a tiger. Over the past few years, a handful of studies have been conducted using photos similar to the one displayed. [...]
Zone Out to Zone In
“We must unlearn the constellation to see the stars.” – Jack Gilbert Question: Consider these three words: eye, gown, basket. Can you think of another word that relates to all three? If not, don’t fret. Zone out. That’s right, don’t focus, concentrate, “zone in” or even try get “in the zone.” Just allow your mind [...]
Cat Got Your Tongue?
Click on the cat figure to the right and tell me which way the cat is spinning--clockwise or counter-clockwise? The truth is that you can train yourself to see it spin both ways. (In fact, if you're really open-minded, you can even train your brain to see it a third way--the cat will just go [...]
Your View is Distorted: Unlearn
Take a look at the picture to the right. What color are the two birds? As hard as it may be to believe, they are actually the same color. (See the second picture directly below with the surrounding colors removed.) I think this optical illusion is a wonderful metaphor for how all of us--myself included--see [...]
Underschedule to Overdeliver
It sounds paradoxical. How can you over-deliver on results by under-scheduling your day? It's easy, really. First, by underscheduling your day you will give yourself some time to think and reflect. And, by taking this time you will, counter-intuitively, come to focus on those things which are truly important. You will drop the clutter from [...]
The Essential Element of Creativity
IBM recently released a survey of 1500 CEO's across the globe and they said that creativity was the most important leadership quality for guaranteeing future success. How does one become creative, though? Part of the answer, I 'd argue begins with the ability to unlearn. It is now generally understood that today's more successful companies have figured [...]