THINK (-OUTSIDE) WITHOUT THAT FREAKIN’ BOX
“Discovery consists of seeing what everyone else has seen and
thinking what nobody has
thought.”
—Albert
Szent-Gyorgyi (1893-1986)
Hungarian physiologist
Here's a post that focuses on
the value of thinking outside without the freakin' box: List all the ways that these words
relate: Sand, Hand, And, Wand, Land
Yes, there is the
obvious—all the word contain the word ‘and.’ What else? Here’s a hint: Stack the
words differently.
Sand
Hand
And
Wand
Land
Notice anything? No? Here’s another
hint: Your grandma wears one. Get it yet? No? Okay then, let’s copy the first letter of each word and see what we have.
S – H – A – W – L
Since
childhood, you’ve been taught to recognize patterns. Our brains look for
patterns. You’ve been programmed to think in patterns. It’s therefore
understandable that when you looked at the words above, you immediately
recognized the apparent relationships
among them. The ‘and’ word stood out and eclipsed all else. The solution was
solved, your brain was happy that it didn’t have to work hard to distinguish
the relationship and then it shut down.
When I was a child, my parents advised: "Don’t believe everything you read." Today, with
the advances of science, software technology, and Quantum theory, we must now say to our children: "Don’t believe everything
you read, hear, or see."
Quantum,
along with software, has changed the way we perceive our existence, and
as the science and technology develops, the paradigms of life change, not
only in this country, but around the globe. Nearly everything you were taught in
grammar school will one day be irrelevant.
So, where does this leave you? How does the advancement of scientific
theory and technology fit into your world? Twenty years ago, life was like a game of chess. It was played on a flat checker board and you moved your pieces backward and forward, from
side to side, and diagonally. You tried hard to move without opposition, but
sometimes battles ensued—some you won; some you lost.
Today, the rules to the game of life have been altered. Your
life-pieces no longer remain on the board. They float in the air in a playing
field that’s undefined. Like before, the checkerboard runs horizontal and vertical, but it now also has layers of depth. Your deep-rooted thought
patterns, once the backbone of your existence, are no longer practical in this
new environment. You need a broader approach to how you live your life and
how you solve problems. The old rule book is obsolete, and in order to be
successful in business and in life, you must think in new ways. Life no longer travels in a straight line. Change your paradigms or you will be trampled by those who follow the bends in the road of life.
This week, begin a new path. Challenge yourself and invite new ideas. Search for new ways to solve old problems. Resolve with flexibility, and think collectively, meaning without prejudice and narrow-mindedness. Enjoy each new challenge and rejoice in knowing that you are now living in a way that will allow you to reach new heights both in business and in life.
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