Sep 12

Hanging Out with Problems

In my office now sit two large boxes full of Activate Potential note pads. I bought them as promotional items - the useful kind, not the kind you pawn off on your kids or toss in the trash the minute you are out of eye-shot of the dummy who jammed ‘em into your hands.

No, these are useful - and I’m excited to have them so I can give them out. Thing is, I’ve had them for two months. I started with 1000 and now have about 995 left. If I am so excited to give them out, why do I still have almost all of them? Well, because they don’t fit in No. 10 envelopes, of course.

For months these boxes have sat. For months I’ve done nothing with them.
For months I’ve been thinking about how the pads are too big for number 10 envelopes. I mentioned this to the guy who printed them when he asked, “How are the pads working out for you, David?”

“I like them, but I’m giving them out more slowly than I thought I would,” I said a bit embarrassed.

“Why?” he asked.

“Well, they don’t fit in a standard envelope,” I said with a dismayed tone.

“Yeah, I noticed that. Try a greeting card envelope. I can get you some if you want.”

“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that,” I said, a little too quickly. “I’ll let you know.”

I’ll let you know? What the heck?!

Mundane and Still Powerful
Why didn’t I jump on that solution? Think about it…why didn’t I just say, “Heck yeah, that’s a great idea, give me 100 greeting card envelopes?

Because I was STILL too darn busy contemplating the problem. I had not yet switched to imagining a solution.

Get it? I was hanging out with the problem!
Stupid, stupid, stupid. The answer was SO simple - and I couldn’t imagine it because all my inner eyes were directed at was this silly mundane problem.

The solution was equally mundane. Hardly takes a Mensa mind to figure out the solution. In fact, a Mensa mind may just make these little solutions less possible; they can complicate what is simple.

Problem: The pads don’t fit into the envelopes I have.
Solution: Get new envelopes.

DUH!

Can you think of a place in your work where you’ve been hanging out with the problem? Redirect your eyes to the solution…over there, on the other side of your mind.

Turn off your intellect and look at the problem like a 10 year old might. Implement that mundane and powerful solution and FINALLY MOVE ON!

DUH!

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