Thinking Out Of The Box

Thinking Out Of The Box


‘Thinking Out Of The Box’ has always been the most admired approach to ‘Smartness’. ‘Out of the box’ ideas are considered to be exceptionally unique and unimagined by common crowd; it is something that comes only from few ‘Smarties’.

Is it really so? Does ‘Thinking Out Of The Box’ really need some mysterious superpower in brain which only few are gifted with?

Let’s find that out by a small experiment and Experiential Learning. I will discuss a scenario and ask you a question at the end of it. The only rule, you need to be honest to pen down your answer before you read ahead.

You are in office, a hectic day. Your boss calls for an unplanned meeting which gets you late for an appointment with a client. After the meeting with short time at hand you rush to parking lot and speed away. While you’re half-way, your ‘Better Half’ calls you, who’s very upset about an argument you had in morning about attending Parents-Teachers meet in school tomorrow. No matter what you wish, you just can’t put the phone down, so you decide to put it on speaker and multitask. With all the chaos going on while you’re speeding for that appointment and the phone call you simply miss noticing a cop managing traffic. Seeing you talk on the phone you’re asked to pull-over. You hurriedly hang-up the phone and give your License, as demanded. You are then asked for a fine of 500 Rupees and the cop removes Challan book from bag. In such a pressurised situation with so many things happening that you have absolutely no control over, my question is, what would you do?

Reiterating the rule, I would insist on noting your answer before you read ahead.

While you compare your response to my question with the content here ahead, before we proceed I would ask you two questions:

1.       What is the actual amount of fine for talking on mobile while driving?
2.       Is it actually an offense to talk on mobile on speaker while driving?

In sessions I have taken there has never been anyone answering both these questions with absolute conviction, atleast not yet. To be honest, even I do not know the right answer to these questions; I haven’t really referred to the relevant Act.

The point I’m driving is, something so common that is a part of our day to day life extensively is so easily overlooked. The responses I usually I receive state; they would have negotiated on the fine, offered a bribe, refused to pay and submitted their license, etc. All these decisions are taken being with-in a ‘Mental Legal Barrier’. A pseudo barrier that may not actually exist as per law, but it exists while we take decisions.

Not just this scenario, all decisions we take are taken ‘With-in a Box’. A Box that has four walls, four ‘Mental barriers’, which may not exist in real. These are; Legal Barrier, Physical Barrier, Financial Barrier and Moral / Ethical Barrier.







Over simplifying things, any decision taken that is ‘Out Of The Box’ i.e. an unconventional idea overcoming pseudo ‘Mental Barriers’ is appreciated as ‘Smart’ decision.



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