4 Tips to think away from the box

Life is a big box with defined rules or corners. It’s hard to get over some customs, cultures and traditional ways of solving problems. When it comes to thinking outside the box it then becomes difficult because we live in a conventional society that demands conformity to be part of it. So we think in a certain structured way which sometimes can make us predicable.

Your box of life

Our box of life is not very difficult to spot. It has four corners which lead us to the next thing.
1. Biased to Self
We are reflective thinkers, so when we are figuring something out we place ourselves in the problem and depending on how much we are affected we can decide to be involved or not. The problem in this case is not the real problem, the problem is the solution. We think of solutions according to how close the solutions are to us not according to how close to the objective it is. So if we had a solution in mind how the solution is to be implemented by us depends on our positioning. For example let us say there is a possibility of a new product in the business. Sometimes the acceptance of that solution depends on how secure we feel in the success of another person. So our acceptance of the idea will determine how it is implemented and how much support we give.

2. Grounded to relevance
Related to self is the need to be relevant to society, hence our decisions are made relative to what society believes. A lot of people are crowd pleasers and less innovators because of this. When making a decision we then want to first check what other people think and how we will be perceived by society. In the end it is less of our decision but that of our need to conform to society in large.

3. A ceiling of resources
As much as we want to be successful we feel defined by the resources around us. So we then think that the success is dependent on what we have and we can only reach so far according to how associated to a ceiling our mind is. We thus create self regulation to avoid breaking our mental ceiling.

The 4 TIPS to think outside the box

1. Redefine your borders

You think in a box because you live in a box. The key to succeeding is to define your limits. A bird is more powerful than a lion. A bird flies, a lion walks, and hence the bird can cover more distance than a lion. You have to define your borders. Our planet is big but its not the limitation, our galaxy is a stretch but its not the universe. Think possibilities and cover capability. Your mind is the universe not what you see or how far you go. If your mind’s universe is expansive enough then the box ceases to exist. When they say have an open mind it is simply to say don’t be confined by your minds limitations.

2. Think destination not journey

When you focus more on the journey you define the route, however when you think destination, the destination defines the route. Think backwards from a vantage point not forwards, think from a success point and look for the route. Think of a mountain, it is easier to see the best route by being at the top of it than at the bottom. Looking down from your success top will define your success route. Our biggest challenge is that we solve problems from the mountain base instead of the mountain top. If your imagination is not good you cannot achieve genius thinking.

Also read Unlocking your innovative genius thinking

3. Create more than you manage

Probably the best method to think outside of the box is creation. Literally, new things forces you to find resources outside the box and away from it. Management demands working with what you have but creation demands innovation, you can go beyond what you have finding new solutions. Without a doubt you need new resources but it does not mean the resources have to be in the box.

Also read The 4 Laws of wealth solutions

4. Baby thoughts more than adult thinking

You can’t think outside the box until you change how you relate to your self. Become a baby willing to discover and explore. A baby wakes up with no prejudice of a defined job or routine, their mission is to learn, your mission is to go beyond knowledge. Our routines are our biggest construction of box thinking, our self reflection is our key to innovative thinking. If you think yourself into a big deal then your capabilities become your limitations, but if you think of yourself less, then your humility becomes your open mind. The less you are the center of life the more solutions become the focus. Progress is a result of self sacrifice not preservation. Until you learn to let go of your job titles, social standing, perceptions and victim thinking then you can’t think outside the box.