First, creative people generally have a deep knowledge of the problem area they are working on. That means, for example, that a well-trained chemist is far more likely to come up with a novel discovery than is a person who simply dabbles in chemistry. A base of knowledge is a foundation for self-awareness that can stimulate creativity. Simply having deep knowledge about an area is not sufficient to guarantee creative ideas, however. A second requirement is creativity-relevant skills. These skills-such as not leaping to premature conclusions, being able to see situations in new ways, and being comfortable with ambiguity-facilitate the creative process because they free the decision maker from old ways of doing things. Creativity-relevant skills are like the skills of "living intentionally" we described; both require discipline.