In business, we have referenced the terminology, “thinking outside of the box” until its death from overuse. In other words, its worn out. It lost its allure and power long ago — it’s a vestige of the past, a relic. Can’t we think of different terminology? Can’t we just encourage creativity — can’t we ask “What if?” and then look for options, opportunities and solutions? After hearing the same thing over and over, the mind defaults to rote. We stop listening, we feign hearing and we definitely stop heeding the call to action.
The saying has been dead for quite some time because no one really knows what “the box” is, what defines its contents or what it means to be outside of it. Philosophically, if we say we are “outside” of our box, are we acknowledging that we are out of depth or out of our minds? Our perception becomes our reality — heard that one too, huh? Put another way, our point of reference is our own “box” — and no matter how far we think we’ve stretched the boundaries from its center, our core is still the reference point. Hard to escape our DNA, our parent’s teaching, those school lessons and other forums of formal and informal instruction that leave their perceptible or imperceptible imprint.
But I digress… back to the box — okay, if it’s not dead — it’s on life support. Let’s drive another nail in this “box”. In my experience, the box is a standard way of thinking or behavior that has many followers, fewer believers and less actual doers. If we open our minds and explore possibilities, we can then leverage our findings to open-up the box of convention and perhaps seize the initiative that creates the new.
Think — choose to be original. Communicate without the crutch of idiom and its assumed universal interpretation.
Originality is important in two ways, it gains attention because it’s different, and it makes a difference because it’s original. The same solutions that solved yesterday’s problems are not the best analytical or emotional tools in today’s kit.
In my experience, the box is a standard way of thinking or behavior that has many followers, fewer believers and less actual doers.
Seek and examine the opinions of those you value to expand your horizons. There is a force multiplier that can be produced in the company of the creative ones — the rebels, the conformists, those who comply and those who resist compliance can all be of value when it comes to perspective and context.
Now give me another nail… I’m going to put “Value added” in the box it deserves and nail it shut. At this rate, I’ll run out of nails before I run out of worn-out rhetoric.
