We hear many times that we have to think outside the box when it comes to difficult situations. I am guilty of making such statements, but I spent many years dealing with projects where you really have to use creative thought processes to solve the problems. While doing research at a university, I had to "live outside the box", because of the research that I was doing.
People have to remember that we also have to think inside the box. There are many good things and solution inside that box, that have been tried and true as well as time tested.
In my experience, I even ask people what they think and why they think their solutions would work. Sometimes having some one not associated with a situation can give you fresh new answers, that you never thought of.
So we must be able to look at a situation and see all of the possible solutions that could be at hand. So thinking outside the box is just one part of problem solving, there maybe many paths to finding a solution, I try to keep an open mind to all solutions.
Jerry Smith, PhD.
Somerton, Ohio
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