Directed Imagination: What-iffing Technique

Imagination is everything you have ever experienced. Looking at clouds in the sky, reading a novel, day dreaming, traveling, all these things contribute to your imagination. The ability to let your mind wonder and ask the questions we often hear kids ask; "Why is the sky blue and the grass green?" "What if Spot had two tails Mommy?"
Remember those questions you used to ask as a child? Do you still ask them or think about what would happen if this or that were different?
Imagination becomes so innate that most people feel they have no imagination. Imagination does need to be fed and nourished so it can grow.

When problem solving, it is helpful to direct our imagination, to keep it focused.
What-iffing is a great way to learn how to focus and direct your imagination toward a desired goal. The playfulness of the ideas this technique generates allows your ego to relax. A relaxed ego eliminates the worry of saying something "stupid" or non-related to the problem. What-iffing pushes you to produce something new. Innovative solutions to a problem, require the mind to be directed in a different direction. To avoid the old, easy traps to solve a problem. Challenge yourself by asking What if?.

You take imaginative chances by asking imaginative questions.

Examples of how What If questions helped solve a problem.

Spencer Silver developed a sticky substance and went around 3M for five years asking, "What if we used it for this or this...?"
Arthur Fry at 3M finally saw the light and behold the Post-it note was born!

Percy Spencer in 1943 was standing in front of a microwave guide at Raytheon and a candy bar in his pocket melted. He experimented and asked "what if...?" and found that microwaves could pop popcorn.....the microwave oven was born!

The president of a Swiss pharmaceutical company one day asked,
"What if our customers were dogs, would we be better off?"
Months passed and he noticed that some of his clients were veterinarians. He discovered that some vets were using human antibiotics for animals. The other companies refused to supply the veterinarians with the human drugs. Most felt that it was a misuse of medication and were embarrassed to sell to veterinarians. The Swiss company approached other drug companies and obtained licenses to sell these drugs to veterinarians. Veterinary drugs is the most profitable segment of the pharmaceutical industry.
This Swiss company is now the world leader in veterinary medication, although it never developed a single drug.

Some people look at the sun and see a yellow spot, while others can look at a mustard spot and see the sun.