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Thinking-Out-of-The-Box
THINK
Outside the Box!
There is ONE THING that distinguishes human beings from the so-called lower animal forms. No, not skateboarding. Not stock options. Not the invention of the disco ball.
Thinking
Like the opposable thumb, it comes with the territory of being human.
Creative Thinking
Its what Einstein did. Its what Picasso did. And its what YOU do
THE BOX!
That much talked about, habitforming, mind-crunching, optionlimiting, six-sided, culturally repressive thing that keeps the genius within you imprisoned.
Boxes protect.
Boxes contain.
Boxes convey.
True
But they also confine, constrain, separate, and limit.
Think the closed mind of the person at work who is almost always shut down to your new ideas
QUESTION
(one you will need to answer if you ever expect to get out.)
And so, to get the conversation rolling, well suggest 6 things we think it is made of four for the sides and one each for the top and bottom.)
(If you dont agree, youll get your chance to name the sides in a moment.)
#1
Limiting Assumptions
False conclusions Questionable hypotheses Misinterpretation of data
#2
Conventionality
Playing it safe Defaulting to the way its always been.
If you always do what youve always done, youll always get what you always got.
#3
Hyper-Rationality
Over-dependence on the left brain
Analysis paralysis
Excessive use of logic and linearity Premature evaluation
Not everything that counts can be counted; and not everything that can be counted counts. - Albert Einstein
#4
Tunnel Vision
Narrow mindedness Inability to see new connections Mental isolationism Silo-itis
Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and seeing something different. Albert Szent Gyorgi
#5
Excessive need for certainty Impatience with process Discomfort with transition and chaos
Now that we have met with paradox, we have some hope of making progress. Niels Bohr
#6
No Intrinsic Motivation
Out of touch with your own fascination
Lack of inspiration Inertia and lethargy
Good soldier-itus
OK.
Now you know the names of the six sides of the box.
But maybe you see them differently. If you do, how would you name them?
Of course,
no matter how you describe the box, the challenge remains: getting out.
And so, to get you going, choose the one side that bugs you the most and commit to one thing you will do to go beyond it.
1. Limiting assumptions 2. Addiction to the status quo 3. Hyper-rationality 4. Tunnel vision 5. Intolerance for ambiguity 6. No intrinsic motivation
To make this even more real, apply your out of the box insight to your hottest, new project.
Next, take a cue from the following six creative thinkers who, by hook or by crook, succeeded in finding their way out of the box.
What is your intuition telling you about next steps with your hottest new project?
Money never started an idea. Its the idea that starts the money. William Cameron
What can you do this week to communicate your hottest new idea to your most likely money source?
If you have always done it that way, it is probably wrong. Charles Kettering
In what ways can you proceed differently than you normally would with your hottest new project?
What is your biggest fear about your biggest creative pursuit? And what can you do to go beyond it?
The new idea either finds a champion or it dies. No ordinary involvement with a new idea provides the energy required to cope with the indifference and resistance that change provokes.
Tom Peters
What is it going to take in order for you to really champion your most inspired new idea?
If you do not express your own original ideas, if you do not listen to your own being, you will have betrayed yourself. Also, you will have betrayed your community in failing to make your contribution to the whole.
Rollo May
Which original idea of yours do you need to honor and express with more boldness and commitment?