The "What If" Revolution: How Sara Blakely's Simple Questions Can Transform Your Thinking

Insights from our latest Pop and Circumstance episode

Sometimes the most powerful innovations come from the simplest questions. Sara Blakely didn't set out to revolutionize the undergarment industry – she just asked "what if" and "why not" about something that frustrated her daily. The result? Spanx became a billion-dollar company that solved a problem millions of people didn't even realize could be solved.

The Psychology Behind Divergent Thinking

Recent psychological research has revealed something fascinating about how our brains approach problems. When we activate what psychologists call "divergent thinking," we move away from seeking the single "right" answer and instead generate multiple creative solutions.

Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi conducted a decade-long study of creative individuals and discovered that those who consistently asked "what if" and "why not" developed more innovative solutions across all areas of their lives. It turns out that curiosity isn't just a personality trait – it's a trainable cognitive tool.

The Spanx Story: Creativity in Action

Sara Blakely's journey perfectly illustrates divergent thinking in action. She was getting ready for a party and wanted to wear white pants, but she couldn't find the right undergarment that would give her the smoothing effect of pantyhose on both her legs and her butt. Traditional pantyhose had feet, which wouldn't work with her open-toed shoes, but she loved how pantyhose smoothed and shaped her entire lower body under fitted clothing.

Instead of accepting that she couldn't achieve the look she wanted, she asked two simple questions:

• "Why can't I get this smoothing effect without the feet?"

• "What if I just cut the feet off?"

So she took scissors to a pair of pantyhose, cut off the feet, and discovered she'd created exactly what she needed. These questions and her willingness to experiment led to innovation that changed an entire industry. Blakely didn't have fashion design experience or textile manufacturing knowledge – she just had curiosity and the willingness to experiment.

Training Your Brain for Creative Solutions

The beautiful thing about divergent thinking is that it can be developed. Here are practical ways to strengthen this cognitive muscle:

Start Small with Daily Annoyances: What minor frustrations do you accept as "just the way things are"? Apply the Blakely method: Why does this have to be this way? What if it weren't?

Practice the "What If" Game: When facing any problem, force yourself to generate at least five different solutions before settling on one. Even if four of them are terrible, the exercise trains your brain to think beyond the obvious.

Embrace Creative Acts: Taking small creative actions throughout the day – doodling, trying a new route to work, experimenting with recipes – literally rewires your brain for more flexible thinking.

Question Assumptions: Every industry, relationship, and system is built on assumptions. Many of those assumptions were valid when they were created but may no longer serve us. What assumptions are you operating under that might be worth questioning?

The Experimentation Mindset

What sets successful innovators apart isn't that they have better ideas – it's that they're willing to experiment with their ideas. Sara Blakely didn't just think about solving the underwear line problem; she actually cut the feet off pantyhose and tried it.

This willingness to move from idea to experiment is crucial. Most people stop at the "what if" stage because experimentation feels risky or silly. But as Blakely proved, even simple experiments – like cutting the feet off pantyhose to solve a wardrobe challenge – can lead to breakthrough discoveries.

Overcoming the "Single Right Answer" Trap

Our education system trains us to seek the one correct answer, but real life rarely works that way. Most problems have multiple valid solutions, and the best solution often combines elements from several approaches.

When you find yourself stuck on a problem, try this exercise:

1. Write down the "obvious" solution

2. Force yourself to generate three completely different approaches

3. Look for ways to combine elements from different solutions

4. Ask "what would happen if I tried the opposite approach?"

   
   

The Curiosity-Creativity Connection

Research shows that curiosity and creativity feed each other. When you approach problems with genuine curiosity about why things work the way they do, you naturally become more creative about how they could work differently.

This is why asking "what if" and "why not" is so powerful – these questions open up mental space for new possibilities. They shift your brain from accepting current reality to imagining alternative realities.

Applying This to Your Own Life

You don't need to start a billion-dollar company to benefit from divergent thinking. Consider these applications:

Career Development: Instead of following the traditional career path in your field, ask "what if I combined my skills in an unexpected way?" or "why not create a role that doesn't currently exist?"

Relationship Challenges: Rather than accepting recurring conflicts as unfixable, ask "what if we approached this completely differently?" or "why not try the opposite of what we usually do?"

Personal Growth: When you feel stuck in patterns, ask "what if I did one thing completely differently this week?" or "why not experiment with a new approach for 30 days?"

Daily Frustrations: Like Sara Blakely with undergarments, identify your daily annoyances and ask how they could be different.

The Courage to Look Silly

One barrier to experimentation is the fear of looking foolish. Sara Blakely cutting the feet off pantyhose probably looked pretty silly to anyone watching. Most innovative experiments do look ridiculous at first.

But here's the thing: the willingness to look silly in service of solving a real problem is exactly what separates innovators from everyone else. The question isn't whether your experiments will look silly – they probably will. The question is whether you care more about looking smart or about finding solutions.

Starting Your Own "What If" Revolution

This week, try the Sara Blakely method:

1. Identify one recurring frustration in your life

2. Ask "why does this have to be this way?"

3. Ask "what if it weren't?"

4. Generate at least three possible solutions

5. Pick the most interesting one and run a small experiment

Remember: you're not trying to create the perfect solution immediately. You're training your brain to think divergently and building your willingness to experiment.

The next breakthrough innovation might not come from a tech lab or research facility – it might come from someone asking simple questions about everyday problems. Why not you? What if you started today?

For more discussions about creativity, psychology, and turning everyday insights into personal breakthroughs, tune into Pop and Circumstance – where we explore the science behind living your best life.