Showing posts with label problem solving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label problem solving. Show all posts

Monday, July 8, 2013

Thank Goodness It's Monday #416

THE EYES HAVE IT
 
Too often we narrow our vision in the effort to solve problems and end up with just one way of looking at things.
 
This one-person-only limited view cheats us out of the innate potential we have for finding solutions.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: To discover paths of thinking that lead to new ideas, insights and opportunities, look at things a new way so you see things differently.

If we keep our eyes peeled – and then, when we need to, see through the eyes of others – we’ll more readily spot the creative answers that lie just beyond our limited line of sight.
 
So, for example, to get a new viewpoint on an old situation perhaps we should try to take a look – 

Through the eyes of a Child. Sometimes kids have perspective and answers that adults overlook. It doesn’t take much to appreciate how creative un-jaded youngsters can be. There are surely times when we wish for the imagination of a six-year-old. So why not try a --
 
Kidhood refresher course. Arrange to spend some time around children. If you don’t have right-aged kids in your immediate circle, just take a lunch break near a playground. Don’t be a butt-in adult. Just lay back and watch how they reason and solve problems. Bring that free-spirited enthusiasm into your adult world.
 
Through the eyes of a Fool. We explored this somewhat back on April 1. To add to that discussion, here’s a thought on –

How to play the part of the fool: Take the strictest notion of what you are trying to accomplish and how you go about it and and turn it upside down.

Example: Why must it be “business before pleasure”? If we have fun before getting down to business, won’t we all be more relaxed? If you have fun first, you won’t be so anxious about finishing your work and going on to “better” things. Besides, stress clouds creative thinking.

Through the eyes of Failure. It’s the classic Thomas Edison strategy/mindset. We’ve all heard a version of, “Before he succeeded Thomas Edison learned 1,000 ways NOT to make a light bulb.” No matter the accuracy of the number, the inspirational part of the anecdotal wisdom is, well, a bright idea.

Use mistakes and ideas that don’t work. Failure is seldom fatal and, if you’re not faltering and failing along the way, perhaps you’re not trying anything innovative enough. So look for and attempt more of the wackier notions. See them as stepping stones to the next idea … and the next idea … and the next idea … until you hit on the first winner. Then build on that.
 
Through the eyes of your Heroes. Everyone has heroes. And they don’t even have to be real. They can be comic book Super Heroes, sports heroes, thought leaders, public successes, family members – you pick ‘em. In fact –

Pick Six: Investigate their biographies. Assemble quotes from their lives or insights shed by expert investigators into their views on life. Then, when you’re stumped for an idea, “consult” your group of a half-dozen heroic personal advisors.

Look at your challenge through your understanding of how they might handle the situation. The odds of coming up with a payoff in your favor are surely more likely than a lottery ticket.
 
Through the eyes of a Master. This may come as a surprise (he said, tongue firmly planted in cheek) but you are likely not the first person to experience your problem or be stymied in a particular situation. So why not turn to “experts” who have proven their mastery over similar difficulties.
 
Not the same as heroes, mind you. Masters and other recognized experts have reputations and skill sets in particular disciplines, presumably ones you are not as strong in. But, even before you conclude you must engage them to apply their expertise, read about what they did (or do) and what made them do that and you may see how you can do the same.
 
BTW: Turnabout’s fair play. Even in certain trades today, apprentices clock time with accepted Masters before they gain distinction themselves. You, no doubt, have expertise others lack. Share it liberally. Even if it does not lead to a compensated engagement, it surely will build your reputation and value.

And if deploying all these “through the eyes of Others” strategies still brings you up short of a viable solution –

Close your eyes and try to “see” your challenges –

Through your Closed Eyes. That’s figuratively, of course. But certainly we all have had the experience of taking a problem that seemed insoluble and having “slept on it.” Let that “Mind’s Eye” help you sort things out.

It’s amazing what the unconscious mind sees. So, trying not to dwell on it or obsess, briefly review some pesky challenge before you go to sleep. Then let your mind drift. You may awake with new insights and perhaps a solution. (You might keep a pad and pencil at your bedside so you can write them down immediately. Answers that come at such times tend to be fleeting.)
 
See what I’m talking about? Personally, I’m seeing things a bit more clearly now.
 
Hope I’ve convinced you somewhat to see things that way as well.
 
Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing
8 Depot Square
Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com 
 
P.S.  “My own eyes are not enough for me; I will see through those of others.  Reality, even seen through the eyes of many, is not enough. I will see what others have invented.  Even the eyes of all humanity are not enough…. in reading literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself.  Like the night sky in the Greek poem, I see with myriad eyes, but it is still I who see.  Author C. S Lewis (1898 – 1963) shared that view.