Feeling Stuck? Try this process from the Inc.com article “How to Come Up With a Breakthrough Idea.” Whether you’ve encountered a problem that you need to solve, or you just feel like you’ve reached a roadblock, you probably feel like you just need once big idea to take your business to the next level. If you’re struggling to find it, embrace creativity and start here: 

1. Believe that a breakthrough is always possible. I sounds simple, but this is the one that holds most people back. If you don’t believe that you’re capable of coming up with an idea that will change your business for the better, it’s never going to happen.
2. Release the “what” and “how.” What goal are you seeking, and how have you attempted to reach that goal in the past? Recognize it, then forget it! That “how” isn’t getting you to your “what,” so the more you dwell on both, the harder it’s going to be to find new ideas.
3. Vividly imagine the “why.” You don’t really want the new idea or solution in itself, you want the results and satisfaction that will come from them. So, to inspire your brain, try to “imagine yourself experiencing the emotional state that you’ll feel when you’re on the other side, after having a breakthrough,” the article explains.
4. Embrace the unfamiliar. You’re not going to magically come up with a new idea by doing things the same way. Your brain associates your surroundings with the thoughts you’ve previously had, so get yourself out of your normal physical location to think. Similarly, when you are in your normal location, try different tools — for instance, put down your tablet and go back to paper and pen.
5. Jot down everything. Like brainstorming but by yourself, reimagine your “why,” then start writing everything that comes to mind.
6. Select the best breakthrough. The previous steps should leave you with a list of ideas, some of which are probably way different than what you had expected. You might not find the big one the first time around, but if you teach yourself to think in this way, you should be on the right track toward it.

Click here to read the article from Inc.com.