Butterfly Mind: Unbridled Creativity, But Not Very Useful

As rational beings, we all think. However, do our thoughts take us where we really want to? Sometimes we go from one idea to another without arriving at anything in particular. There are even times when the brain is like a garden in which a thousand projects, plans and goals do not stop flourishing. The butterfly mind is the culprit that many times we fail to conquer what we set out to do.

Most of us have heard of the “monkey mind.” This concept, which has its roots in Buddhism, reminds us that our attention span is very weak and that we often get lost in the forest of our own thoughts, falling into states of negativity and unproductiveness. Now, the idea of ​​the butterfly mind goes much further and traces another type of cognitive movement.

They are those moments in which we feel enlightened by the most original and even beautiful ideas. We let ourselves be enveloped by them for a while, but sooner or later, all those figures vanish. We lose interest, but far from falling into a state of negativity, as happens with the metaphor of the jumping monkey, other ideas, other perspectives suddenly arrive …

Butterfly mind: what does it consist of?

The musical group Pearl Jam had a song called “Even Flow” in which they described how thoughts sometimes come to us like beautiful butterflies. That description could not be more beautiful as well as accurate to define what creativity itself is like. You are immersed in your things when ideas suddenly come out of nowhere, hovering around you and grabbing your attention.

David Lynch, the famous film director, explained in his book Catch the goldfish  that to achieve the most innovative and original idea, one must put will and that practices such as transcendental meditation can help. However, there are people with a butterfly mind who show a natural ability to always be in “creation mode” or even more wandering.

On the other hand, studies such as those carried out at the University of British Columbia (Canada) indicate something interesting on this subject. In a way, we all ramble and do it to a greater degree during two very specific moments of our days: at noon and at night. However, there are those who have a very particular trait: high creativity and persistent rambling. We analyze it.

Dispersion and low commitment: useless creativity

When we talk about creative and innovative people like Steve Jobs, Bill Gates or Jeff Bezos, we may forget one factor. Of the commitment they showed to make their projects come true. This is something that anyone who has reached a goal in life knows. It is not enough to dream of a goal, to invent it and shape it: you have to work on it constantly.

However, butterfly-minded personalities have no habits or commitments. They are restless minds that are trapped by a multitude of ideas, but never materialize.

We could define this behavior as “useless creativity” because despite showing a high capacity to produce innovative ideas, none of them mature. What’s more, sometimes when they start working on one of them they end up leaving it because it no longer motivates or excites them. They have had another revelation and they see it more interesting.

This can lead these people to situations of continued stagnation. Also, if they are part of work teams, they can cause problems and tension with their colleagues.

How to educate the butterfly mind

Anyone who identifies with the butterfly mind will know how contradictory this approach is. One is constantly guided by a multitude of ideas. And every idea is exciting. However, like any butterfly, this one flies from here to there, never stopping, going from one garden to another and from one splendid flower to another equally striking.

Now, not getting to consolidate any project, goal or objective ends up frustrating. Therefore, it is advisable to take into account some guidelines:

• First of all, you must be aware of where it has led you not to compromise with any of your ideas. It is useless to be creative if you do not materialize anything. Change will come as long as you assume that you cannot continue to reinforce the same patterns as in the past. Committing to yourself implies improving your ability to achieve.
• The butterfly mind should be your ally, but you must tame and control it. To do this, it is good to record each idea that he proposes, write them all down and then choose the most valid, clear and feasible to make them come true.
• On the other hand, it is crucial to have work habits and routines. Something like this requires developing attention to the task and that focus on the objective without the mind wandering, wandering or losing interest.

It should be noted that yes, that controlling, dominating and putting at our service that stubborn mind flitting from one fantasy to another takes time . However, if done well, it can be an extraordinary ally.