I have been cleaning out files and notebooks the last few days. I’ve found little bits of wisdom here and there scribbled on pieces of paper, in the margins of articles I’ve ripped out of magazines or journals, on a post it note or two. Some of the phrases make sense on their own, some only in the context of what was happening at the time, where I was, who I was.

Take for instance a few pages I saved from notes I took at a conference on creativity at St. Thomas University a few summers ago. At the top of the page I must have written down what the leader had said:"To make creativity happen, you must search for the value in new ideas." At first glance it seems a no-brainer. Creativity…new ideas…a lovely little duet. But then the word ‘value’ jumps out. Most of the time we want to be creative as long as it doesn’t rock the boat, as long as things don’t change too much, as long as it is not too much work, doesn’t take too much energy. But when we really search for what can be valued in a new idea, things can get really exciting.

My notes went on to say that with any new idea, to avoid killing it and to be open to the value that lives within it, we should praise first and then look for the good in it. That seems a very different approach than ones I’ve taken, or have seen taken, in supposed visioning or future planning meetings. My notes also reflect the thought that ‘new ideas often look weird or ridiculous.’ That is probably what is known as an understatement.

When have you had a new idea that filled you with excitement? Maybe you are having one right now. When have you been in a work, family or church meeting when someone offered an idea that seemed weird or ridiculous. How might it all have played out if the idea had been offered praise first and then the group would have galloped off looking for the good in it?

In a book I return to often and probably have mentioned here before, Gently Lead:How to Teach Your Children About God While Finding Out For Yourself, by Polly Berrien Berends, the author recounts helping her children solve problems or look for creative solutions. She would always tell them, "Remember, God is the Source of all your good ideas."

What do you think? Does that sound like an idea to praise and then look for the good in? I believe it is worth a try.