As children our imagination knew no boundaries, but as we grew older our imagination was gradually reigned in and our thinking eventually settled within the accepted boundaries of conventionality.

It seems that our intellectual comfort zone has shifted from that of continuous exploration and inquisitiveness to that of conformity with accepted norms of adult perception. So in order to re-engage our childhood creativity not only do we need the right framework, but we must let go of self-limiting beliefs. A recent article summarizes four of the top misbeliefs affecting creativity today.

What happens when we begin to identify consumer ‘pain points’ that everyone takes for granted?

How many memorable experiences and interactions did you have on your last commercial flight? Chances are most of them were negative rather than positive. So why not use that to your advantage, by identifying customer pain points and turning them points of infatuation? At times, your customers themselves will tell you just how to do that.

As children, our imagination knew no boundaries. But as we grew older, our imagination was gradually reigned in, and our thinking eventually settled within the accepted boundaries of conventionality.

It seems that our intellectual comfort zone has shifted from that of continuous exploration and inquisitiveness to that of conformity with accepted norms of adult perception. See how one former Disney scientist is bucking that trend by re-imagining our relationship with ordinary objects, alongside other creative projects.

Are you content with reaping the benefits of some past innovation, or are you continuously re-thinking your business?

See how an entire country as massive as China is working swiftly to change its reputation from a technology copycat to a driver of global innovation.

All businesses are subject to the unpredictable evolution of the market place. The danger you face is of misjudging or ignoring trends that can make your business become obsolete.

To demonstrate this I’ve previously used the anecdotal example of the ancient city of Pompeii as it was overtaken by volcanic ash. In my latest example I look towards the future of communications as recent reports show that instant messaging apps like WhatsApp and Skype continue to overtake the more traditional standard of mobile messaging, SMS. And although SMS continues to remain widely-used, especially amongst those without smartphones, the continued rising trend of mobile messaging apps poses a danger for industry titans that fail to innovate.