Chapter 3 New Tools for Dealing with Decisions after 50

“The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes
but in having new eyes.”
- Marcel Proust
Once uncovered, mental models often need to be reframed or even replaced. Because mental models can interfere with creative decision making after 50, you need different tools from those that have worked for you before. New tools can help you reexamine and reframe mental models, see choices from different angles, identify issues that are holding you back, and take risks to get out of your comfort zone.
Our interviews and research identified three approaches that can help you in your decision-making after 50. They are 1) Tapping your creative talents; 2) Using a creative problem solving approach for making decisions; and 3) Finding a decision-making pattern that works for you.
Tapping your Creative Talents [chapter 3a]
A crucial set of tools for shifting your thinking patterns and moving past old mental models is actually found within, through getting in touch with your own creativity. By identifying, exploring and further developing your creative talents, you will find the power, courage, and self-esteem to handle ambiguity and confusion as you reframe and replace old mental models and to address the challenges and obstacles that midlife throws your way as you take on new directions.
The creativity we’re talking about is more than artistic endeavors and “thinking out of the box,” producing original works of art, or coming up with revolutionary new inventions. Instead, this creativity is the innate ability that everyone possesses to produce different and valuable results and solutions. It is not isolated to certain individuals, like Michelangelo or Einstein. Instead, the creative talents we are talking about are found within each of us although they come in many different forms.
The range of creative talents is endless and they can be found in many fields. Creativity can be expressed by selling a product or idea, fashioning an inspirational message, or inventing a rewarding life in the midst of wanted or unwanted changes, illness or loss. Creativity comes as new ways to parent a difficult child, whip up a recipe, envision a jewelry design, or sketch a blueprint for a garden or a deck. Creative talents are needed to manage multiple tasks at home, figure out how to survive on less income, and to adjust to being single or newly married, dealing with unexpected injuries, or moving to a new location. The business world has thrived on creativity not only through entrepreneurs but also through application of new ways to grow a business, do a deal, find funding, make a presentation, search a database, organize work, help customers, resolve conflict, or sell a product.
Your creativity may come out in the use of skillful ways to get around obstacles, using whatever is on hand to resolve a crisis quickly or improvise a response. You might be creative in the way you conduct research and build on the work of others to find a different solution for an old problem. You may access a sixth sense to brainstorm a myriad of possibilities resulting in crazy, ingenious off-the-wall ideas. You may get inspired by visions – futuristic or prophetic - that come to you out of the blue. You may be creative in the way you strategize to get things done, introduce new ideas, or work with a team to draw on their energies to build a safe place for testing new behaviors. You may be creative in finding ways you can enjoy your family yet at the same time learn to be a jazz pianist.
Your creative talents can serve as very useful and invaluable tools for making better midlife decisions. They can help you address problems differently, uncover new options after 50, figure out how to downsize in order to afford going back to school, or to start a new business despite the lack of experience.
Midlife is the time to tap into and expand your creative talents and use them to make creative decisions. In the process of creative exploration, you can use different connections, find unusual solutions, and make new discoveries that would never have occurred to you without taking the time to draw on your talents. There are a variety of ways to figure out your own creative talents.
Oneresource is the book Breakthrough Creativity: Achieving Top Performance Using the Eight Creative Talents http://breakthroughcreativity.com/book.html which provides an in-depth descriptions of eight different creative talents. You can ask others for their perceptions about your best, most creative moments to see if any themes emerge. You can also explore your creative talents by taking the quick self-survey and following the exercise on creativity to be found at www.breakthroughcreativity.com/reinventingyourlifeatmidlife. [What do you think about this discussion about your creative talents? Are there any insights that you would like to share?]