Why the BA Cards Work

When faced with a problem in life, your state of mind will determine your ability to come up with a solution.

Single train of thought

I’m sure we’ve all sat there ‘stuck’ in a single train of thought which we can’t seem to shake or we’ve been in important business meeting where new ideas are scarce and those offered seem tired. Although most in the meeting are aware of this, no-one can say anything because no-one can come up with anything better. The same tired thoughts go round and round.

What’s needed is something that gets you thinking outside the box, enables new ideas to be brought to light or a new view point to be considered.

That’s Adept Business Cards.

Elsewhere we describe what they can do for you. This is why they work.

Six Key Principles

Business Adept Cards work by applying six key principles:

The power of intent
Introducing randomness
The power of images
Providing a focus
Sharing the experience
Making it fun and relieving stress

The power of intent

This is crucial and its success is down to You. [I do so love to pass the buck!]

All you need to do to make it effective is to keep an open mind, frame your question to avoid any ambiguity and have a firm intent to gain a helpful insight. Unless you consciously block the energy, your subconscious mind will perform its magic.

The power of intent is a real force and available to those who draw on it.

Introducing randomness

It has been proved that our brainwaves follow the root of least resistance. In negotiating the brain, they will choose a motorway over a highway, a B road over a track. If you are suffering from stress this is even more the case – thinking is restricted to very familiar patterns, making new ideas almost impossible.

It is easy for our thoughts to become stuck in a rut. If we start our deliberations of an issue always from the same point (“A” in the diagram below), then our thought processes will always follow the same route with the same outcome - in this case a loop that goes nowhere.

To arrive at a new outcome, we need to start at another point – “B”.

Once our thinking is entrenched it can be difficult to find a new starting point. Business Adept solves this problem by selecting cards at random. Even if the image and narrative seem irrelevant, by considering the possible implications a new perspective can be found. The brain can break out of its paralysis.

The power of images

Images are a major component of Business Adept Cards and a key to stimulating intuitive, creative thinking. “A picture paints 10,000 words” is true on many different levels. In particular, images have a crucial role in the fight or flight reaction. They resonate quickly with our subconscious mind and all our memories, including those gathered out of awareness. Because we process sensory input at least 50,000 times faster than our conscious mind works, huge amounts of information are absorbed without our conscious knowledge. Because we are unaware of it, it is difficult to access. A gut hunch or ‘feeling’ may at times bubble to the surface but not with any reliability. Also it comes in cryptic form that cannot be shared. Images trigger access to such knowledge, adding new perspectives to nagging problems. Images can be shared.

While we provide some ideas for the interpretation of the cards, it is your interpretation that counts.

Providing a focus

Sometimes we find it difficult to face certain problems, maybe because they are emotive issues or we are in denial about them (to us they don’t exist regardless of proof to the contrary) or we have a blind spot (like maths, finances or technology). In these cases, referring to the cards provides a focus that seems to bypass our hang-ups and enables us to think or talk about whatever we were blocking before.

The explanation for this may be that the cards add objectivity and distance us from the distress of the issue. They may make us forget that we can’t handle finances and prove that we can. Whatever the cause – it works.

Sharing the experience

Gut hunches are very personal, their underlying rationale is unclear, and they can’t be shared or properly communicated. Unless you are the ultimate decision-maker, your gut hunches go to waste. When the Business Adept Cards are used with one or more others, the images aid mutual communication – all parties can see and talk about them, they depersonalise emotive issues – thus avoiding finger-pointing and accusations, and they reduce the impact of peer pressure – giving all parties a voice to talk about the cards.

The result is that gut hunches and intuitive thinking can be shared. There is a focus by which group synergy is experienced to best advantage and all participants are party to the conclusions. No creative thinking need be wasted.

Making it fun and relieving stress

Most of us are familiar with the negative impact that dis-stress has on creative thinking. The more we worry about something, the less we are likely to experience that ‘eureka!’ moment that solves the problem. Sleeping on a problem often relaxes our mind and allows it to present a solution. But how often do we have time for that? Another way is to find a distraction – to disrupt the thinking rut and the downward stress spiral.

The Business Adept Cards are ideal for this purpose. As discussed above, they introduce randomness and new perceptions. They relieve dis-stress by diversionary tactics and by being fun to use. Especially in a group, the most useful cards may be the ones that seem least relevant – they result in the most amusing debates that end in the most insightful and beneficial new ideas.

Another factor that relieves stress is the speed at which new ideas can be generated when using images as a prompt. More creativity can be achieved in minutes than traditional brainstorming achieves in hours.

A final thought

This has been an outline of the six key principles that are at work when using the Business Adept Cards either online or the physical deck. Although I am constantly amazed at how well the cards work, it should always be remembered that it is not always wise to rely on intuitive methods alone. Do the sums, list the pros and cons, ask the experts. Intellect and intuition together is the secret to success.

Also, remember, that to work well, the cards need the support of your positive power of intent.

Laura Dziaszyk, BA Cards, Co-creator