According to author Jen Fraser, geniuses aren’t what we often assume. Instead of the rare few who have intellect far above the rest of us, they are the people who are capable of giving the world fresh, new concepts and ideas. Beyond developing and improving on what already exists, geniuses bring wellsprings of innovation and groundbreaking thoughts.
Fraser’s book, Everyone’s a Genius: Simple Tips to Boost Your Brilliance Now, delves into what she calls ideation — the process of creating what is novel and expanding the world around us. She teaches us how to be adept at the exercise of ideation, and most importantly, shows that anyone can succeed at it.
Jen teaches readers what it takes to give birth new ideas, or what she calls the action of geniuses. She also lays out what can hamper this process, and our ability to see beyond what we perceive as possible. This includes understanding what she calls the “half life of facts;” many facts don’t stand the test of time, but believing they still are facts can get in the way of what we think is true or possible.
To assist you in opening your mind and thinking like a genius, Jen provides exercises which can boost brilliance. She shares a few of her favorite activities, which are surprisingly simple. For example, when Jen is under pressure and feeling blocked for new ideas, she loves to explore the thesaurus and use keywords on Google Images. Jen says that whenever she feels stuck for inspiration, these things help her mind open to new words and ideas which generate ideation.
Jen also goes into ways to apply the ideation process in the workplace. She discusses a way to overcome performance anxiety when working on new ideas and solutions, especially in a group, with what she calls the “Solve World Poverty in Five Minutes” exercise. It involves taking the goal of the brainstorming session to levels of ridiculousness, which removes the seriousness and the pressure of the creative process.
If you are involved in a project, business or organization in need of innovation, Everyone’s a Genius can serve as a useful tool to take the problem or issue at hand and utilize the techniques it teaches to look at it from new angles. This book also inspires and motivates for personal purposes as well. It reinforces how we can always find ways to plug more genius into our lives!
Review by LiveTrue Book reviewer, Melanie Davis. Thanks, Melanie!
