The origins of creative insight and why you need grit (The 99%)

Insights really are a genuine mental event, says Jonah Lehrer, author of “Imagine: How Creativity Works.” There are two defining features to moments of insight. The first is when the answer comes out of the blue, when we least expect it, says Lehrer. The second is as soon as the answer arrives we know this is the solution. Despite how counterintuitive it sounds, when you want to have an epiphany, you have to stop focusing on the problem. “The answer will only arrive after we stop looking for it,” Lehrer said. Genius is said to be 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration. That perspiration is referred to as grit, which is the stubborn refusal to quit. Grit is said to be the single best predictor of success.