Thought Swapping - Would This Revolutionize Innovation in a Group?

The title says it all; Thought Swapping could Revolutionize Innovation in a Very Profound Way. I'm a huge believer that we must be open to new and creative thinking in order to get the most out of our lives. Our minds are constantly growing. We learn new things everyday. We grow old with our wisdom. Thought Swapping might be the key to getting more done with less work.


It's a simple concept actually. You give someone else what you think they might want. They give you what they think you might want. Then, you have two choices: To either agree or dispute their thought. If you do the right thing, both of you reap the rewards.

For instance, let's say you like watching basketball. You might go to a store and purchase some basketball jerseys. That might be your thought. However, if you heard a few experts on the economics of sports, you might swap ideas with them and purchase some cheaper basketball jerseys. You'd be doing the same thing as them, except you'd be buying from a much lower price.

Thought swapping could be applied to many areas like diets, exercise, creativity, and so on. You just have to look for it. If you like movies, you could go to a movie aisle and purchase a copy of a new release. Your neighbor might be interested in the newest releases and offer to buy them from you.

This works best when you're alone or with others. However, if you find yourself surrounded by people, this technique won't work very well at all. Why? Because everyone is thinking the same thing.

Think of it this way. When two teams are making a tackle, one player might pivot and move to the opposite side to try and take a shot. The other player might also do the same. They both have similar thoughts as they both want the ball in the hole.

But what if they had opposite thoughts? They would both try to take the ball over the top. Their minds will clash as their minds compare what they think to each other. And you can imagine the game would be completely uninteresting. It's like when you have a teacher and a student.

The bottom line is that both teams have similar thoughts but they are not thinking the same things. And that is how thought swapping could improve your life. We live in a world where we are bombarded with many ideas. So why not add a little thought swapping to it and enjoy some of the great ideas that come our way?

So what would a new Thought Swapping ritual look like? It would probably start out with a few team members jotting down their thoughts as they come up. As you go through the day, the new thought you come up with would be the one you should adopt.

And what about a new way to spend your time. Do you like spending it with friends or doing team projects? If so, swap your leisure activities to spend more time with friends. If you like working alone, do a project with a friend. You get a chance to think and explore together.

I've found that my best creative periods and my most creative ideas occur when I'm not thinking at all. I find that I am constantly thinking about something when I'm not engaged with any activity. So I try to keep myself away from stimulating activity or thoughts unless I have a very good idea to bring up. When I do come up with an idea, I usually have a hard time finishing it because I'm thinking about it. So if you're like me, you might find this kind of ritual helpful.

Finally, don't worry too much about whether or not Thought Swapping would be better than face-to-face brainstorming. I've been using Thought Swapping for years and it works great for me. But if you feel more comfortable, then go for it! Face-to-face brainstorming can be even more invigorating. Just remember that a thought swapping ritual would be like any other ritual you do. Keep it fun and it would be highly effective.