CHANGE YOUR THINKING, CHANGE YOUR LIFE ~ Part One

 

“Let God transform you by changing the way you think.” Romans 12:2 (NLT)

When you think creatively, you’re thinking like God your creator. But not everybody will welcome your creative ideas.

Jesus wasn’t crucified because He worked miracles; He was loved and applauded for those. He was crucified for having ideas that challenged the status quo.

God is the giver of great concepts, truths, and ideas. So when He gives you one, don’t let anybody talk you out of it. Don’t let the fear of rejection or failure kill your idea either. After all, you can’t do something new and exciting if you force yourself to stay in the same old rut.

Don’t just work harder at the same old thing; make a change. And the first thing you will have to change is how you think, what you listen to and believe.

Take a look at the following phrases:

I’m not a creative person.

Follow the rules.

Don’t ask questions.

Don’t be different.

Stay within the lines.

There is only one way to do it.

Don’t be foolish.

Think of your image.

That’s not logical.

It’s not practical.

It’s never been done.

It can’t be done.

It didn’t work for them.

We tried that before.

It’s too much work.

We can’t afford to make a mistake.

It will be too hard to administer.

We don’t have the time.

We don’t have the money.

Yes, but… Paul writes, “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (v. 2 NLT). The word for you today is—change your thinking, change your life.

CHANGE YOUR THINKING, CHANGE YOUR LIFE

~ Part Two

“He who walks with wise men will be wise.” Proverbs 13:20 NKJV

If you’re surrounded by negativity, look for a better environment.

Charlie Brower said, “A new idea is delicate. It can be killed by a sneer or a yawn; it can be stabbed to death by a quip and worried to death by a frown on the right man’s brow.”

Negative environments kill great ideas every minute. A creative environment, on the other hand, becomes like a greenhouse where ideas are seeded, then sprout and thrive.

In order to grow, you must seek out people who are committed to personal growth. Such people:

ENCOURAGE CREATIVITY 

David Hills says: “Studies of creativity suggest that the biggest single variable of whether or not employees will be creative is whether they perceive they have permission.” When innovation and good thinking are openly encouraged and rewarded, people see they have permission to be creative.

ARE WILLING TO RISK FAILURE

Even when you have studied and prepared yourself thoroughly, you will have to try several times before you succeed. So, you need to be in an environment where mistakes are viewed as part of the creative process.

BELIEVE IN THE POTENTIAL OF A DREAM

A creative environment encourages the use of a blank sheet of paper and the question, “If you could draw a picture of what you want to accomplish, what would it look like?” A creative environment allowed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to speak with passion and declare, “I HAVE A DREAM,” not “I HAVE A GOAL.”

Goals may give focus, but dreams have power. Dreams expand your world. And God is the giver of dreams and visions (See Joel 2:28).

CHANGE YOUR THINKING, CHANGE YOUR LIFE

~ Part Three

“Let those with understanding receive guidance.” Proverbs 1:5 NLT

The book of Proverbs begins: “These are the proverbs of Solomon…Their purpose is to teach people wisdom…to help them understand the insights of the wise…to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will give insight to the simple, knowledge and discernment to the young. Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser. Let those with understanding receive guidance” (Pr 1:1-5 NLT).

Creative thinking is simply disciplined thinking. If you think you know all there is to know, then you already know everything you’re ever going to know.

In order to break out of the box, you must begin by asking the right questions. Sir Antony Jay said, “The uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a creative mind to spot wrong questions.” 

Wrong questions halt the process of creative thinking. They send you down the same old path. In order to change your life, you must change your thinking.

That means you must be willing to ask these two questions:

Why must it always be done this way?

Is there a better way?

Whether your goal is to build a better life, or a better family, or a better business, or a better church, or a better career, or a better “anything,” all change and progress must begin by honestly asking those two questions.

The saying is true: “If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door.”

So, do you want to succeed? You must be willing to change your thinking in order to accomplish it.