Outside the Box

 

“Thinking outside of the box” is an overused phrase, but what does it really mean?  Did you know that sticker burrs (yes, like you find in a field of weeds) were the inspiration for the fastener we now know as Velcro?  That is outside of the box thinking!  It makes sense, but I sure would not have thought of it.  When we look at the familiar with fresh eyes, we really open our minds to creativity. It is not easy to do. I am not the most creative guy around, but I try to look at business problems with an open mind.  It is very easy to get caught in a rut, to live with blinders on.  We tend to only see things within the parameters we are accustomed.  But wild ideas are often really very creative solutions.

“Thinking outside the box” might be overused, but it is an absolutely necessary way of thinking.  It does not come naturally. It requires intentionality. We must consciously force ourselves to see with fresh eyes and think outside of the box.

How will you see things this week? 

Vision

My son grew up playing in-line roller hockey.  When he was young, and I was helping coach his team, it was hard to get kids to understand that by the time they got to the puck it will have moved.  The key is to skate to where the puck is going to be!

Have Vision.  Anticipate!  Vision is a key to leadership.  Good leaders can see and anticipate where the puck is headed.  Having vision means seeing the big picture, anticipating the future, planning ahead.  Vision is not easy; consider some of these failures to anticipate the future….

 “Groups with Guitars are on their way out.”

                    Decca Records, turning down the Beatles, 1962

“There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.”

                    Ken Olson, President Digital Corporation 1977

“I don’t need bodyguards.”

                    Jimmy Hoffa – One month before his disappearance

We may not miss out on foresight of such magnitude as these examples, but we need to try and see around the corner.  On a daily basis try to anticipate problems, foresee the implication of choices, and think ahead about the impact of changes in the world around you. 

 Have vision…Skate to where the puck is going to be.

Perspective

Business is better than it should be at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the parking garages and waiting rooms are packed.  I spent some time there last week for a routine cancer follow up¹.  Simply being in that hospital, no matter the reason, offers a true sense of perspective.  It caused me to reconsider the magnitude of my own life problems.  Seriously ill people, who are fighting for their lives, come from around the world to be treated there.  Those of us in Houston or even Texas are blessed this facility is so accessible.  The people you see there run the gamut of stages of a cancer battle.  They are both young and old.  Some are newly diagnosed, others in remission.  Many are in the midst of rough treatments, some are just having a follow up, and others are holding the hands of their ill loved ones.  The common thread is cancer. 

When you think things are going really badly consider what others are dealing with.  We all deal with challenges, but a little dose of perspective, like the waiting room at M.D. Anderson, can shed a new light on the severity of our problems.  Even for those there as patients, the perspective gained might be one of community and not being alone.  Life is hard, we were never promised it would not be.  I have lost family and friends to cancer and have friends battling it now.  My wife and I have spent more time at M.D. Anderson with family, friends and loved ones, than anyone should have to.  The perspective gained by a few hours in a busy waiting room is powerful.  Perspective…

Be Blessed…

¹ I am a 15 year Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma survivor and I received a clean checkup report last week.  My wife and I have also both lost parents to cancer.  Please help our family raise funds for blood cancer research at The Blanton Bunch.

Impatience

In this day and age we have become very impatient people.  I should know because patience is a serious weakness of mine.  We are impatient in lines at the grocery store and in traffic (Traffic is the most difficult for me.)  We are impatient with doctors healing our illnesses and lawyers solving our problems.  On a bigger picture level, we are impatient to achieve, to achieve our goals and achieve our definitions of success.  We are focused on the destination and the outcome, not the journey or preparation.  Consider this quote…

“Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation”

Robert H. Schuller

The problem is that we do not want to spend the time it takes in preparation to achieve.  It does not matter what you want to achieve, it will require preparation.  Whether it is financial success, good grades or athletic prowess, you have to be willing to devote not so glamorous hours and hours of preparation.  Preparation may not be fun, but the rewards of achievement can be spectacular!  Try not to be so impatient. 

Attitude & Perspective

Many a MMM have dealt with the power of one’s attitude and perspective on life.  It is easy to forget how much control we have over our happiness.  Does that me that we can control all of our problems and their outcomes?  Nope. What it does mean is that we can control how we respond to them, what we learn from them, and the attitude we have while working through them.  Life is not about what happens to you, it is about how you respond to what happens to you!  Consider these two thought provoking quotes…

“Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.”

-       John Wooden

“You either ride life or it rides you. Your mental attitude determines who is the rider, and who is the horse.”

-       Napoleon Hill 

Are you always right?

Is your way the only “right way”?  Do you often think that you know the best, if not the only, way to do something?  Sometimes our egos allow us to think that we are always right.  Maybe it is when we are young, fresh with a degree in hand, and we just know that we can conquer the world.  Maybe it is when we are older and have years of experience and just know that we have already conquered the world.  Well maybe we are just wrong! 

If you believe you always know the right answer or have the right solution you are wrong.  There are a lot of ways to solve problems, create answers, produce results and settle arguments.  There is not just one way, and one person does not always know the right way.  If you tend to think you are always right or find yourself intolerant of others ideas and perspectives, you may need to step back and reconsider.  You may need to consider other viewpoints.  You should listen more open mindedly.  You should actually seek counsel instead of dictate solutions.  You should think about the meaning of the old adage…“There is more than one way to skin a cat.” 

Seldom is there just one right way to do anything.  Even when there is, one person never always knows that answer.  Your way is not the only right way.

Perspective

Perspective can be powerful thing.  A little dose can make one's own problems or situation seem quite insignificant, or at least totally different.  The tragedies we have seen in this country in the last three months are difficult to understand.  There were the natural disasters of three major hurricanes striking the USA and its territories causing the loss of lives and untold damage. Then recently there were the human inflicted mass shootings, of which there have been two horrible episodes within weeks of one another.  The loss of life and degree of mass destruction is difficult to understand.  Some of you may have been impacted by these events.  But if you are alive reading this MMM, and did not lose a loved one, you were not impacted to the same degree as many.  It is a reminder of just how little we really understand and really control here on earth.  Our plans are not God’s plans and our understanding is not God’s understanding. 

These events, and the perspective gained from them, can make a person really see their own challenges in a totally different light.  What you do in your job or daily life is important.  How you spend your time and your resources is importantly and hopefully positively impactful on others.  But, the next time you become frustrated by the challenges of your job, your boss or co-workers, your kids or family, or just an inconsiderate driver, consider a little perspective.  Consider what they may be going through.  Better yet, consider what you have been blessed enough to not have had to experience.  Perspective is powerful.

Problems

We all have problems!  They come in all shapes and sizes, some more challenging and frustrating than others.  We have problems at work and problems at home.  They might even be threatening our livelihood, health or relationships!  How we deal with problems goes a long way to determining who we are and how we find happiness.  The first question we need to always ask ourselves is “Are we part of the problem”.  Especially in relationship challenges a hard introspective look can really be valuable.  Maybe a solution is right there in front of our eyes.  Stop being part of the problem!  Sometimes the easiest way to solve a problem is to stop participating in it.  Give it some thought in regards to the problems you are dealing with.  Be part of the solution, not part of the problem!