Thinking out of the box
“It’s not what you are that holds you back. It’s what you think you’re not.” – Denis Waitley
Do you know how circus elephants are trained?
While training a newly caught wild elephant for a circus, its handler uses a very strong chain to tie one of its legs to a long steel pole deeply buried in the ground. No matter how hard the elephant struggles, it fails to pull away, and in time stops fighting, learning that it cannot break loose. As time passes, the long steel pole and the strong chain are replaced by a shorter pole and a less strong chain. Eventually, a flimsy rope tied to a tiny stake becomes sufficient to keep a fully grown elephant remain imprisoned at the circus.
In 1967, at a well known circus in Europe, six elephants tragically died in a tent fire; the poor creatures did not even attempt to escape from the thin ropes they were tied with!
We, human beings, too, tend to build thick and strong virtual walls around us sometimes. When confined within such walls, circumstances seem to be a lot more difficult to us than they actually are. This phenomenon is actually a predicament that one needs to get over as quickly as possible, especially after one or more unsuccessful attempts. For instance, let us imagine that a student has failed his first two algebra midterms; even though he can still pass the class with a satisfactory performance in the final exam, this is hardly the way he sees or evaluates his situation.
Correct assessment of the situations is of greater significance for those people who are expected to lead a group since their actions are likely to affect the lives of many. Here is an interesting question which is often used in training people who are newly promoted to management positions: By drawing four (not five) straight line segments without your pen leaving the paper, how can you go through all of the following nine points?
1. The line segments can be as long as you wish and you can (in fact you should) go outside of the square.
2. The line segments need not be horizontal or vertical; they can be diagonal as well.
Most of the time, the trainees can solve the question after these hints. Here is one of the solutions:
All of the examples we have given up to this point have the same underlying message: thinking out of the box increases the number of possibilities tremendously. Whether one is a teacher, a student, or a manager, he/she should be closed to prejudices and open to novelties. This is how one can go beyond his/her boundaries; improve himself/herself to a great extent; and set a memorable example that will inspire many others for further and greater accomplishments.