Most people would agree that to get an idea you must first gather all the necessary information; second, work at finding an idea; and third, forget about it and wait for inspiration to hit. The third part’s easy, but hardly anybody tells you how to do the first two. Worse, nobody tells you how to condition your mind before you set out on your journey. And if your mind isn’t idea-conditioned it doesn’t make any difference if you know the steps; you’ll never reach the ideas you’re capable of creating. For, telling a person who isn’t idea-conditioned how to generate ideas is like telling a person with weak legs how to high jump. How to Get Ideas starts by defining an idea as “nothing more nor less than a new combination of old elements.” Then it uses that definition as a springboard to discuss how to get them. The first seven chapters deal with the things you must do to condition your mind to be ripe and ready for idea creation. These fun but effective methods range from “Be