If you ever wanted to become a creative genius, here's the secret.
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Key Idea/Objective: To bring about more life changing epiphanies
Why? Because epiphanies are like stars within the mind. They are the specks of brilliance that sheds new light and warmth into your life, transforming the world around you for the better.
The Genius Factor
What do Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and Archimedes all have in common?
Well apart from all being prominent scientists, it was their revolutionary ideas that shifted the way we think about the world around us. More specifically, it was their ‘super ideas’ that were birthed from epiphanies that lead to the fundamental principles we use to understand the laws of the universe.
Epiphanies likes the ones Einstein, Newton and Archimedes had, can change the world. They are the source of deep understanding, insight, and the magnificent inspiration that can breathe new life into our purpose and shine light onto possibilities that were previously non-existent.
Now what if we could have our own epiphanies?
The truth is you don’t have to be a “genius” to have epiphanies, in fact you’ve probably had many throughout the course of your life.
Epiphanies are the revolutionary ideas, moments of clarity, and manifestations of truth that we all experience from time to time. They are the cathartic experiences that happen suddenly and abruptly, radically shifting our paradigms of thought and behavior for the better. They are the necessary moments of genius that solve the problems we’ve been dwelling on for so long.
If you’ve ever wanted a positive change in life (i.e. altering negative behaviors, solving problems etc.) then the answer lies in birthing epiphanies.
The nature of epiphanies suggests that it is a rare occurrence, implying that they are serendipitous instead of systematic, that they just happen suddenly without any conscious priming. Interestingly enough epiphanies follow a set of predictable universal laws.
Based on this revelation, imagine what you could achieve if you were able to have epiphanies more often instead of just once in a blue moon?
Before we explore these laws of the universe pertaining to epiphanies we must first understand its nature.
The Nature of Epiphanies
Having Epiphanies are very much like the process of birthing stars. In the beginning, there is nothing but a vast nebulous of matter (i.e. dust particles, gases etc.). Over time the particles of matter begin to swirl around and coalesce due to gravitational forces that pull them together. The sheer density at which these particles are compressed begins to generate extreme heat energy. At a certain temperature the particles begin to fuse with one another in a process called nuclear fusion. Finally, the forces of nuclear fusion and gravity balance and the star bursts into life with tremendous light and heat energy.
So how does this relate to epiphanies?
Let’s assume that the particles represent knowledge or information that coalesces to create the star which represents the ‘super idea’. When these particles of knowledge are focused on for long enough, they will give birth to a new concept or idea. The resulting epiphany is marked by a cataclysmic explosion of inspiration signifying the birth of a star.
From a neurological point of view this epiphany process is very similar, where the neurons (brain cells) are the particles of matter and the process of coalescing is forming neural pathways (connections) that join these neurons together. In the end, when enough neurons are joined they create a new cluster or network of neurons that form a revolutionary idea or concept (often a new neuron is created to represent this super idea).
Simply put, an epiphany is the coalescing or coming together of information to create something radically new.
The Universal Laws of Epiphanies
Epiphanies are bound by immutable universal laws that govern their nature. Satisfying these laws will undoubtedly lead to more incidences of epiphanies. These are:
• Law of Relaxation: Clarity of mind can only be achieved when you are in a state of relaxation and free from stress.
Most great discoveries happen during a state of relaxation. For instance, Archimedes discovered the law of buoyancy whilst taking a bath and Newton discovered the universal law of gravity whilst resting under an apple tree.
• Law of Focus: Time and energy must be channeled consistently to produce anything meaningful
Einstein was known to be a man of focus. As a part of his pondering over the mysteries of the universe he would lock himself in a room for days to weeks to focus solely on finding solutions.
• Law of Substance: You can only build with what you have
New knowledge is drawn from the foundations of old knowledge, meaning that you require a fundamental depth of understanding of a concept before you create new concepts.
Creativity is just connecting things. ~ Steve Jobs
What does this mean practically?
• Reducing the stress in your life that interferes with your thought processes. A large part of this process is letting go of the intention or outcome to have an epiphany or solution (counter-intuitive indeed) since expectation creates stress.
• Questions direct focus. Have one overarching question in mind and ask relevant and specific questions that narrow down the focus. The key is to consistently dedicate time and energy to finding a solution.
• Always seek to draw from as many sources to get a variety of perspectives. Be genuinely curious, open-minded and insatiable in devouring knowledge that can empower you to have an epiphany.
The Birth of Epiphanies
Epiphanies are like a beautiful cataclysmic birth of stars within the mind. These stars are the giver of life and light and provide some of the most magnificent and revolutionary ideas that transforms worlds.
It first begins with a single question that pulls together a vast cloud of knowledge and information, forging an expansive network of neural highways together to form a super cluster that yields a speck of brilliance that explodes with inspiration. This is the cinema of epiphany, the manifestation of an idea that can shift your viewing glass of the universe and birth new life.
A moment of pure genius.