Does this blog post title sound strange to you? First imitate, then innovate! Shouldn’t we always try to come up with new ideas, create new things, and build new stuff? The answer to that is yes and no.

Let me explain.

First, I will answer yes. We should all strive to create new stuff and use our creative thinking to come up with new ideas and solutions. If we did not do that, there would not be any progress. Humanity would not evolve and we would still be living in trees eating insects.

Most probably, if we had not used our brains to think and be innovative, we as a human race would have been extinct for a very long time. Without thinking and innovation, there would be no science, technology, and other advancements that make our life comfortable.

So, why did I say first imitate, then innovate? Let me answer no to the first question and things will become clearer.

To think creatively, be innovative, come up with new ideas, build new stuff, you first need to learn all that is currently known about the topic of interest. Only then can you push the envelope and be innovative. To become proficient in any subject, skill, profession, or sport, you need to be determined and disciplined.

In other words, you first need to master yourself, your core skills. You need to learn how to become more efficient, effective, disciplined, determined, and focused.

Basically, you first need to get your foundations on solid ground (core skills), and always move to a higher level. Learn a new subject, skill, profession. Then master it and move to a new level by being innovative.

When you reach the innovation level, you will come up with new ideas and build new stuff. You will contribute your ideas to make the life of someone else, your community, the human race, better. You would have turned your time into fruitful time.

Therefore, I would answer no to innovation at first, because initially you need to learn your core skills, and there is no better way to learn than by imitating.

We all used imitation as babies to learn from our parents and the people around us. When you hear babies making funny sounds, apart from being cute, they are trying to replicate the sounds they hear coming out from someone close to them. By imitating they are learning, and once they master that skill when they grow up they can innovate, just as Shakespeare did.

We still imitate when we grow up. You might not notice it, but here is an easy exercise you can do on yourself or by noticing other people, that will make you aware about this innate skill.

If you spend a certain amount of time with a person, a friend, a colleague, you will notice that as time goes by you start to mimic that person’s movements slightly, or utter words that your friend is accustomed to say. Of course, this works both ways, i.e. your friend or colleague will start imitating your moves and your ways of speaking as well. That is why it is very important to choose your friends wisely.

So, am I suggesting that you do not use your mind and imitate other people? Not at all. What I am suggesting is outlined in the following points:

• Choose your friends wisely. Surround yourself with people of good character, from whom you can learn. For example, if you are disorganized, make friends with people who are very organized. You will thus learn a new core skill from your organized friends. Since nobody is perfect, your friends will most probably learn something from you as well. Therefore, it is a win-win situation.

• At school or at work, make friends with the people that know what they are talking about. As a student, you should socialize with the students that get straight-As, for instance. Do not fall in the trap of avoiding these people because you consider them geeks or nerds, or because your current friends label these people so. If you are afraid your current friends would label you a nerd or geek as well since you are hanging out with straight-As students, it is better to switch friends, since they are not really your friends. Real friends accept the new friend of their friend as their own friend.

• Read biographies of great people of past and present. This will teach you a lot about how they lived their life, how they overcame problems, and how they finally succeeded. Choose some of these great people to be your role models, imitate them, inspire yourself from them, and aspire to be as good as them, if not better.

• Continue reading this blog so that you learn how to master your core skills, to become more efficient, effective, disciplined, and determined. These core skills are very important, since when you master them you can set your mind to accomplish something and you will succeed.

Ultimately, you will become more productive and innovative. You will make every second count.