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November 13, 2007

Don't Go with the flow - or the status quo

I love Einstein -- not because of what he accomplished -- but because he really and truly believed that he was right and the status quo was wrong. No exceptions.

I like when people go against the status quo and most inventors are successful when they go left while everyone else is going right.

The Creative Creativity Blog provides us with some great quotes from Albert Einstein on creativity and imagination. Notice how a lot of the quotes focus on the importance of the imagination (an inventor's best friend, MN). My favorite is "Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."

Enjoy the quotes and let your imagination help you invent the next big thing!!

If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.

We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.

Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.

The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.

The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education.

Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.

The mere formulation of a problem is far more essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skills. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle requires creative imagination and marks real advances in science.

Questions or comments, please email me

A lot more information, data, links and resources can be found on my mirror Doctor of Invention Blog. Please check it out.


November 07, 2007

The One Skill Every Inventor Must Have

Today's Post deals with the one skill each and every successful inventor must have in order to succeed.

You do not have to be highly intelligent to develop this skill. You do not need specialized training or higher education. You do not need years of experience or any kind of track record.

All you need is to do is to LISTEN.

That’s right. Just listen. Most people are not good listeners. They do not pay attention to what others are telling them and are too busy compiling their counter-points to what someone is saying – that they simply do not listen to the points being made. Many others believe that they know everything and do not even give others a chance to tell them anything. They talk and talk and do not let anyone else get a word in edgewise.

The following are a few basic situations where Doctor Inventors should be listening very carefully to what others are telling. By listening very carefully you will be able to learn about various problems -- and then you can invent solutions to them.

Listen to your patients and their families.

Listen to other doctors at seminars and conferences.

Listen to nurses, technicians, and all your co-workers.

Mark Twain said it best – “If you are talking, you aren’t learning.”

The corollary is if you are listening you are on your way to inventing.

Questions or comments, please email me

A lot more information, data, links and resources can be found on my mirror Doctor of Invention Blog. Please check it out.