CHOOSE WHEN TO PLAY POKER;
WHEN TO PLAY CHESS
One of the keys to being a creative thinker is having what is known as a 'sense of place.' This is one of those concepts that is easy to explain but hard to internalize. But if there is any one thing all creative thinkers have in common, it is a good sense of place.
As an example, suppose your sister told you she had a chance to pose nude for a magazine. Regardless of what you may want to say, there are a lot of factors that are going to go into your answer before you open you mouth. Some of these might be as follows:
How old is your sister?
Where are the photographs going to be taken?
Is you sister really asking for your advice or just hoping you'll tell her what she wants to hear?
Is she going to follow your advice if you give it?
Is she going to do what she wants to do whether you like it or not?
What is mother going to say?
What is father going to say?
What will your friends and neighbors think?
Has she considered the downside to nude photographs?
The answer to any one of these question will change the impact of all others. If you sister is 18, your answer is going to different that if she were 70. If she was a legal age and your parents were both alive and strict Baptists, Jews or Mormons, the answer would be different if Dad and Mom were only 'sort of' religious. Your answer would also be different if you lived in a small community and had investments in that town as opposed to living in Los Angeles or New York where you don't even know who your neighbors are.