The world is full of people who say ‘despite…’ Yet, I am so deeply ingrained now to switch a ‘because of…’ into the sentence, it is all I hear… In each of the examples above, you can see how it is a more liberating, openness-oriented approach. In each of these examples, you feel differently about the protagonist.

The despite/ because of switch is an asymmetry trick - if you force yourself to swap the two, you force yourself to see challenge as an opportunity - you create a different perspective.

‘Despite being second to market…’, ‘despite not working in all-comers’, ‘despite not being available as an oral…’ A ‘because of’ in each of those statements creates the start of an ideation - an essential thought experiment.

Swapping “because of” for “despite” in ideation can significantly shift the focus and tone of a statement, often encouraging a more positive or constructive approach to problem-solving and creativity. Here are a few examples:

1. Overcoming Challenges in a Project:

• Original (using “despite”): “We achieved our project goals despite the lack of resources.”

• Revised (using “because of”): “We achieved our project goals because of our innovative use of limited resources.”

This shift highlights the team’s resourcefulness as a key factor in their success, rather than framing the lack of resources as merely an obstacle.

2. Team Morale:

• Original (using “despite”): “The team remained motivated despite the setbacks.”

• Revised (using “because of”): “The team remained motivated because of their commitment to overcoming setbacks.”

This emphasizes the team’s resilience and commitment as the driving force behind their continued motivation.

3. Learning from Failure:

• Original (using “despite”): “The idea was successful despite initial failures.”

• Revised (using “because of”): “The idea was successful because of what we learned from the initial failures.”

This reframes failure as a valuable learning experience that contributed to eventual success.

4. Innovation:

• Original (using “despite”): “We innovated despite the rigid constraints.”

• Revised (using “because of”): “We innovated because of the rigid constraints, which forced us to think creatively.”

This positions constraints not as a hindrance, but as a catalyst for creative thinking.

5. Customer Feedback:

• Original (using “despite”): “The product improved despite critical customer feedback.”

• Revised (using “because of”): “The product improved because of the critical customer feedback we received.”

Here, feedback is acknowledged as a valuable input that directly contributed to product improvements.

In each of these examples, the use of “because of” instead of “despite” shifts the focus from simply overcoming difficulties to actively leveraging challenges as opportunities for growth and innovation. This can be particularly powerful in ideation, where a positive mindset often leads to more creative and effective solutions.