Can You Recognize When This is Needed?
Some of our problems are best solved by thinking “outside the box.” But how well are we able to do this? The first step is to recognize that there is a problem. Some of the difficulties that most need “out of the box” solutions are those that we don’t recognize as problems because we take the conditions for granted.
For Example:
A manager habitually stayed late at work because she had a lot of paperwork that she wasn’t able to complete during the day. She saw others leave on time and didn’t understand how they managed to do so. The problem, as she saw it, was how to complete the paperwork more expeditiously. She tried developing new strategies but nothing seemed to work, and those efforts consumed even more time. She was thinking “inside the box.” The underlying problem, which she did not recognize, was that she made more work for herself by micromanaging her subordinates.
And:
Another manager usually did get out on time but when, on occasion, she was obliged to stay late she was angry about it. She would complain to her superior but to no avail because the circumstances were out of his control as well. On these late days she expended so much energy fuming that her efficiency was compromised, causing her to take even longer to finish her work. She, too, was thinking “inside the box.” The underlying problem for her was her failure to realize that she could simply accept these occasional delays.
How Can We Think "Outside the Box?"
In recent issues I've described the Inner Guide, a new mental pathway that you can create in your mind to eliminate your discomforts and help you solve problems. An Inner Guide will know when you are stuck with problems that could be solved by thinking "outside the box" and it will perceive what such a solution would be. It will gradually bring that solution into your awareness.
The course, Achieving Emotional Comfort®, that shows you how to create your own Inner Guide is now available. It can be found at: go.emotionalcomfort.com/getcourse
