IDEA THINKING AND DEVELOPMENT

DEFINITIONS:

According to online Dictionary of English Language, THINKING is:

* The ability to communicate to oneself in one's mind, by trying to find solutions to problems.

* The process of considering or reasoning about something.

* Using thought or rational judgement intelligently.

* To use one's mind actively to form connected ideas.

* The process of deliberately engaging one's mind (brains) to solve problems - Agbo Elias Ameh.

Idea thinking and development, therefore, means engaging the mind (brains) creatively and deliberately
intelligently, to generate and implement ideas, in order to solve problems - Agbo Elias Ameh.

While thinking is very productive, it is very difficult and challenging to engage in. It is indeed one of the
hardest things to do. And it cannot be done by proxy. It is now an established fact that the quality of
your thoughts reflect your entire being because thoughts are things we see today. If you cannot
generate positive thoughts you cannot produce positive results. Thinking, I dare say, is exclusive to
human beings. This is what distinguishes man from animals, which depend on their instinct. The thought
that birth things comes in a flash. This is the reason inventors and starters go about with writing
materials to capture their thoughts before they vanish into thin air.

A study revealed that:

* Eighty five percent (85%) of people do not think

* Ten percent (10%) think they are thinking

* Only five percent (5%) actually thinks

From the above, a large chunk of the society do not think, and only a small insignificant portion thinks.
And the study further reveals that it is this five percent (5%) that makes things happen.

At this point, pause and ponder, and ask yourself: 'where do I belong?'

A sincere answer will help you identify the category you belong.

In an editorial, I wrote for a magazine, I agreed with the assertion that there are three categories of
people in the world. And they include:

* Those that watch things happen

* Those who hear of things happening

* Those that make things happen

Those that watch things happen and those who hear of things happening belong to the eighty five
percent (85%) and ten percent (10%) respectively. Those that make things happen belong to the minute
five percent (5%). These are the captains of industries, the trail blazers, thermostats, inventors, history
makers, world changers, impact makers, great achievers, wheel spinners, pace setters, role models,
world greats, authors, to mention just these. Whether by choice or unconsciously, everyone belongs to
one of these groups. The truth is that everybody has the capacity to be among the five percent (5%) if
they are willing to pay the requisite price.

To be an idea generator and developer, here are some things you must know:

1. Gather information:

Find out what others have said or done about what you want to consider. This way you have a
foundation to stand on to reflect and review, by accepting, expanding or differing. You can create a
more thorough and successful solution this way.

2. Brainstorming:

Here, list every possible solution that you think may work. Analyze and test them to know whether they
will work. Afterwards, you can make a list of the strongest ideas. Brainstorming equally entails rubbing
minds with others on a particular idea.

3. Be open to suggestions:

Due to congestion of users, an organization needed to build an extra lift. But after brainstorming by the
engineer, architect and the CEO they seemed stuck due to lack of space. In the process, the cleaner
came closer and said to them, "if I were you, I will build another elevator (lift) outside the building".
After looking at one another in agreement they followed the cleaner's suggestion. That was the origin of
having elevators outside of the building. They would have been grounded had they not considered the
suggestion of the "lay" man (the cleaner).

4. Question the norm:

A woman usually cut the base of her fish off before frying, and one day her daughter asked why she
does that. She told her that that was how her mother does it. When the girl's grandmother was
questioned she told her that she saw it from her great grandmother. Her great grandmother finally
revealed that her frying pan was smaller than the fish and since she likes frying her fish whole she will
cutt off the tail along with some chunk so that her frying pan can contain it. The mother of the girl and
the grandmother were surprised. From the above, they could have done the following to avoid waste:

(i) cut the fish into smaller bits.

(ii) buy a bigger size of frying pan.

You can prepare noodles, (for example indomie) by boiling or frying. In the same way you can prepare
eba (cassava granules meal) by pouring garri (cassava granules) into water or by pouring water into the
granules (garri), respectively. So don't be stuck. Question the norm.

5. Ask the right questions:

The quality of questions you ask will help you to get solutions to lingering problems. John Foppe; a man
born without hands found answers to how he can eat, have his bath, drive and do other things in his
legs. Today, he does the above mentioned and many others with his legs. Nick Vujicic equally born
without hands nor legs conquered by leveraging on the only two fingers he possesses. When they asked
the necessary questions they got help and mastered their challenges. In the Science of getting rich,
Rebecca Fine says: "when the student is ready the teacher suddenly emerges". You will get help if you
seek help rather than lay back and complain.

6. Create a thinking room or spot

Natural laws follows that when you plan for something you tend to do better than when you leave
things to chance.

7. Implement your ideas

"Some things will not work unless you try", says John Mason.

Every Idea thinker and developer needs to:

(a) have a desire to provide solutions

(b) be determined to arrive at positive conclusions

(c) be disciplined

(d) be be dedicated to seeking for answers

(e) make the needed sacrifices.

In conclusion, if we seek for the right ideas and implement them we will be extremely successful
because "ideas rule the world"!

© August, 2020.

Agbo Elias Ameh is an inspirational and motivational speaker an author, editor, marketer and and an
entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Skye Aimers Visions. He holds a B.A English ( Literature), from Ahmadu
Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State.

Note: If you must use or share all or part of this presentation you must duly acknowledge the sources.