Tag: solutions

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Why couldn’t I see that?

jigsaw puzzle
Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

Have you ever thought that? I can spend a long time on a puzzle, trying this and that solution. I may conclude there is no answer.
But when the solution finally comes, it seems so obvious. It was staring at me the whole time. Why couldn’t I see that?

Alas, we may be convinced we are stuck when that may not be the case. Don’t believe you are permanently stuck!

Illustration of a skier stuck in the snow. I drew this for Illustration Friday. This week's word is "snow."

A good story leads us to believe the plot is going one way when it swerves the other. And yet, the ending is believable. It leads us to say, “Why couldn’t I see that?” We love a creative plot twist.

The world is searching for a solution to life’s puzzle. You may have the one unique story that can inspire someone and cause them to see there is a solution after all. You may prompt them to say, “Of course! Why couldn’t I see that?”

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motivation

You are Never Permanently Stuck

Illustration of a skier stuck in the snow. I drew this for Illustration Friday. This week's word is "snow."

We have the tendency to think that where we are at right now is where we will be for the rest of our lives. But we are never permanently stuck. Sure, today may be a puzzle for us.

  • The future is unknown
  • It may have always been this way
  • The trend points to the current outcome
  • There is no obvious solution

We can feel like a skier that is stuck in a snowbank.

Illustration of a skier stuck in the snow. I drew this for Illustration Friday. This week's word is "snow."

Discouragement can make us feel like giving up. We feel panic or a feeling of panic or despair well up within us.

Continue reading “You are Never Permanently Stuck”
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motivation

The Benefit of Problems

“Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.” Alfred A. Montapert

Happy Monday! Are you dreading it? Do you have a feeling there will be problems today? On one hand, I hope this day will go well for you. But on the other hand, I encourage you to embrace the benefit of problems, for there are a few.

“Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.”

Alfred A. Montapert

That quote may not sound optimistic. You may be asking, “Why should I expect problems? Aren’t they the reason I’ll have a bad day?”

My answer is that we need problems to grow. Every problem is a challenge and every challenge is a learning experience.

strict female teacher with book pointing at scribbled blackboard
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

We have this mistaken notion that when we are in school, our goal is to answer enough of the questions on a test so that we never have to solve another one. Where did that come from? When school is done well, it prepares us to answer problems. A test in the classroom can prepare us for tests out in the real world.

Problems Exist

Problems exist, and that is good! Every opportunity came from a predicament that needed to be solved.

  • Thomas Edison had no need to invent the light bulb if gas lights were safe and efficient.
  • If a horse and buggy was fast and cheap enough, there would be no need for automobiles.
  • If humans had brains as fast as computers and we could handle all the data ever created, there would be no need for the electronic kind

That doesn’t mean all trouble is good or that it will make us feel great. There are some headaches that are out of our control. But there are others that have an answer within reach if we remain determined to stick it out and address the issue.

When trials come, consider if this is an opportunity. Is it something that requires a short-term or long-term solution? Instead of dreading them, let’s embrace the benefit of problems and eat them for breakfast!

Categories
motivation

Christmas Whining

Cartoon of two fish staring at a tree. One say, "Every Christmas, it's the same thing. When will they make a Christmas tree that won't float?"

If fish celebrated Christmas, they would need a Christmas tree that worked in their environment. They would need to adapt to the holiday traditions that could work underwater. Whining about traditions and customs that don’t work doesn’t help much.

Cartoon of two fish staring at a tree. One say, "Every Christmas, it's the same thing. When will they make a Christmas tree that won't float?" If a Christmas tree floats, find one that doesn’t!

Yet, how many times are people like the fish in this cartoon? We complain about things that we feel are out of our control instead of doing something about it.

  • We can change the situation
  • We can find the good side of a problem
  • We can find a solution that benefits everyone
  • We can let go of a tradition or custom in order to create a new, exciting one

Finding a problem is easy. Finding a solution and doing something about it is powerful.

Categories
motivation

Constraints Can Make You More Creative

Cartoon of two boys at a painting. One boy says, "It's my finest work. I call it, 'Clean Your Room!'"

From Fast Company:Brainstorming, thinking outside the box, working with free reign on a project–they’re old creativity maxims, but how well do they really work?

— Read on www.fastcompany.com/3027379/the-psychology-of-limitations-how-and-why-constraints-can-make-you-more-creative

Last night, I had a cartoon to draw. My old laptop is showing it’s age. It’s slow. I upgraded the system software and now it won’t play nice with my old drawing tablet. I may have chucked it all in if I didn’t need to send a cartoon out.

Cartoon of two boys at a painting. One boy says, "It's my finest work. I call it, 'Clean Your Room!'"

Then I remembered the article from Fast Company. I smiled when I read it because my high school graphic design teacher always proclaimed to the class, Limitation is the Basis of all Creativity! It’s the constraints that cause us to think in creative ways.

Of course, that doesn’t work if you see constraints as obstacles that cannot be overcome. Each time we face a problem, we can rationalize why things won’t work, or we can get creative and find a solution perhaps no one has thought of before.

Every challenge, every constraint gives us an opportunity to think creatively. Look at those limitations as an opportunity to think outside of the box.