Outside the Box!
For far too long we have held “thinking outside the box” as the standard for innovation; the standard for creativity; the standard of being a “mover & shaker!” What if it isn’t?
When we “think outside the box,” where are we? Think about it before you answer . . . That’s right, think about it. Did you get it? There you go! We are still in the box! In the box with relative safety, security and familiarity. We are tossing our ideas over the edge of the box to see which ones might stick without necessarily doing anything to move those ideas forward. If we are lucky, we might get a chance to work on the idea. More often than not, we get a promotion and our boss takes the credit for the idea. He/she likes the thought of having us close because we have that creative flow and can funnel ideas to him/her; however, we are still in the box.
Well, if thinking outside the box is not the ticket then, what’s is? What’s better? What’s more challenging? What’s liable to get things done? How about “Living Outside the Box?” Enough of simply “thinking about doing,” let’s take the risks, engage the world, do the work! When we dare to Live Outside the Box, we engage life in proactive ways. We take charge of our directions. We take responsibility for our decisions. We set a new standard for living!
If we Live Outside the Box, what do we do with the box? Is the box now useless? Should it be destroyed or cast aside? Absolutely not! We must always respect the box – spend enough time in the box to know what it is about and remind ourselves of our origins. We must retreat into the box from time to time to test the waters and once again, think outside the box. That is necessary. Eventually, however, we must Live Outside the Box in order to truly make a difference!
What about you? How content are you merely thinking outside the box? What might you gain by shifting to Living Outside the Box?
Go ahead! Live!
Peace!
Mark E. Hundley
