You are driving down the road in your car on a wild, stormy night, when you pass by a bus stop and you see three people waiting for the bus:
1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
2. An old friend who once saved your life.
3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.
Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car.
Think of your answer before you continue reading.
This is a moral/ethical dilemma that was once actually used as part of a job application.
You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first.
Or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back.
However , you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.
The c andidate who was hired (out of 200 applicants) had no trouble coming up with his answer. He simply answered: ‘I would give the car keys to my old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital.
I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams.’
Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations by ‘Thinking Outside The Box’.
The Power Of Thinking Outside The Box
Albert Einstein said: “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them“.
Too many of us see obstacles as unconquerable mountains – or maybe as a sign – from God, the Universe or whichever Greater Power you believe in – that you shouldn’t continue in your pursuit towards your goal.
But if we could exhort our minds to a little effort and creativity, we would be able to see obstacles rather as possibilities and opportunities to grow, learn, adapt and become/do more than we ever have before (maybe even placed in our paths by God, the Universe or that Greater Power to helps us).
As in the example at the beginning I bet you considered that you HAD to take a passenger in your car – you only saw the “limitations” and therefore were not able to realize that the same “limitation” was actually an opportunity. You could give the car to your friend so they could take the old lady to the hospital and you could stay behind with the person of your dreams.
Maybe right now there is a goal you really want, but you have made up your mind that it is impossible because maybe you can’t afford the education/equipment, or you just don’t have the time, or the skills, etc. whatever it may be I bet there is an obstacle in your way and it may seem impossible to overcome…
Do you feel that it would be fair for me to suggest that perhaps that obstacle is giving you an opportunity to find a better solution to overcoming it? And that perhaps that solution is going to require you to step outside of your comfort zone?
So then where is the real limitation…is it the lack of skills, etc. or the lack of you not wanting to step outside of your comfort zone?
You are your own limitation!
I LOVE the quote from Henry Ford: “Whether you think you can or you can’t, either way you are right“.
Let’s try another experiment:
Give yourself 10 minutes to figure it out and then continue reading on.
If you have done it correctly, you should have a solution similar to this:
If you got it correct – congratulations! You are thinking outside of the box.
If you struggled to get it, can you see that you perhaps did not think of drawing lines outside of the dots because of your preset limitations of thinking “inside the box” only? Again, the “limitation” was the opportunity.
Begin To Think Outside The Box
Don’t just read this blog post and think to yourself “those are some great points, I should really start thinking outside of the box” and then go on facebook, or surf the net – begin NOW! Spend 5 minutes doing the following:
- Write down your 3 most important goals for the next year
- List the “limitations/obstacles” for each goal (you may have many per goal)
- Write down an opportunity or possibility that corresponds with the limitation e.g. Goal: Make 20 sales of x service, Limitations: I don’t have the skills to sell Opportunity: Take a sales course, chat to Bob about mentoring me to sell.
You see the possibilities of being able to grow, adapt, take charge, to become more and do more.
You can live and create an extraordinary life – begin by thinking outside of the box.
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If you would like your staff, your team or yourself to become more proactive, solution-conscious, and dedicated, then send us an email at info@mcatraininginternational.com so we can discuss your needs and see if we are the right fit to work together in achieving your desired results.
To your extraordinary life
-Grant