“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”
Jim Rohn
How many times have you been told, or told others, to think outside the box? Don’t be limited by the status quo?
Let’s define what ‘the box’ is?
Well, here is a surprise, the box is YOU and the way you look at problems and how to solve them.
Thinking outside the box is defined as confronting problems in atypical ways, thinking creatively and freely, challenging the status quo.
For me, it just means to look at a problem and start finding creative solutions no matter what. To look at things differently!
Way back when, in Holland, I was lucky to have a job that forced me to think outside the box constantly. As a consultant, working in projects at companies that would work in ways that where completely alien to me, thinking outside the box became a necessity. And I became pretty good at it.
This also helped me when I moved to Thailand and started a foundation and a resort together with my good friend Roos. Who starts a tourist destination in an area where most Thailand tourist never go? In the middle of the jungle, in a remote area. A beautiful area of course, but still, not the place that you would stumble upon easily.
Well, I did, we did. And thinking outside the box helped to create a place and a concept that attracts the tourist who are in for adventure, a family experience. We were one of the first to introduce yoga and wellness to this area, when yoga was not as popular as it is now.
Thinking outside the box, dreaming and believing in it, worked for us.
You might be in a situation where you are limited by your situation, work environment or other circumstances. Thinking outside the box might help you to see things differently and find solutions.
Here are 3 ways that we used that helped us to begin thinking outside the box:
Let’s change the perspective, it’s a challenge, not a problem. Try to imagine how your best friend, parent, grandmother, professor or neighbor would look at this challenge. Write these different perspectives down. In my case, asking what people would like to experience in the middle of the jungle for a holiday gave us many different ideas and answers.
Make a mind map: put your challenge or question in the middle and draw possible ideas and solutions as fast as you can. Set a timer for 5 minutes. Do not write, draw. Drawing stimulates the creative part of your brain. The timer will make you work fast and not over think your work. If you can do the mind map with another person, it will even give you more ideas and options to consider.
Make a list of possible ways to tackle your challenges. Do not get limited by what’s, if’s and how’s - that actually doesn't matter.. Imagine you have all the knowledge, skills, people and money to solve this. Make that list, go nuts and write down all crazy ideas - everything is possible! We know have people writing blogs for us, we have been on Thai tv shows, are on many yoga and wellness websites etc. because of that crazy list we once made.
Try all or one of these techniques and you will find that there are many ideas and ‘solutions’ that are not so crazy at all.
Take action. And remember: ask other people to give you a hand if you need that!
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