奇速英语

Creativity is hard to describe. On the one hand, we know people make creative breakthroughs when they have persistence(坚持). On the other hand, most of us give up when we get stuck on a problem, believing that our creativity gets weaker over time.

In fact, research shows that the longer we stick to a single problem or task, the more creative we get. One key reason for this is the “series order effect(效应).” That is to say, each later creative idea is always better than the previous(之前的) one.

Some business companies fail to understand this point. Silicon Valley(硅谷) prizes youth over experience, believing that “people under 35 are those who make changes happen” while “people over 45 cannot create new ideas.” But many businessmen succeed in their 40s and beyond because they have repeatedly failed. The creators of the top highest-growth new companies are, in fact, around 45 years old.

Scientific talents show a similar feature. Scientists usually do their best work near age 40. Nobel Prize winners and inventors also do much of their best work from their late 30s to mid-40s. Early success is great because it’s unusual, but the best way to achieve a breakthrough is to get stuck and get unstuck over and over again.

The “series order effect” works not just at the personal level but also at the level of companies and markets. Different from the belief in business that you have to be first, many of the most successful companies are those that have gone through early failures. For example, Google succeeded after twenty-two failures. Success can come when you have tried two, three, or even twenty-two times. Novelty(原创能力) is overvalued.

Persistence, however, is undervalued(低估). So, the next time you’re stuck, remember: “You’re more creative than you think you are.”