Tag Archives: thinking outside of the box

Are We Really Using All Of Our Collective Brainpower?

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Say you have 2 rooms, Room A and Room B .

In Room A, you have 1,000 people and the two smartest individuals (based on job, test scores, etc) are chosen to be the problems solvers and inventors (designated by test scores).  The rest of the group watchs TV or even sleeps.

In Room B, you have 1,000 people , but all 1,000 to be potential problems solvers and inventors.  At specific time intervals (maybe ever Friday), all individuals are to write an idea proposal that will be presented to the group, and then will be voted on whether it should be considered for implementation.

Which Room do you suppose would be the most productive?  I believe that most (if not all) countries follow the Room B approach.

IMHO, the problem is that we aren’t really using our brainpower potential to its fullest.  I think if everybody started thinking of ideas instead of wasting so much time watching TV, many problems might be solved.

The reasons why most people are not in Room B are:

  • The complexities of the legal system.  Nobody wants to think of great ideas only to have them stolen by other members that know how to create patents and can secure financing.
  • We are not trained that way.  From childhood we are taught to be followers.
  • Lack of desire to learn.  Just learning to learn doesn’t work for everybody.  But if students are shown how what they are learning works in real life or can be used to problem solve or invent things, perhaps kids would want to learn.
  • Financing.  Creating prototypes cost money.
  • Self Confidence.  This is really a combination of all the above mentioned bullet points.

I wonder what the world would be like if we all did try solve problems?

Look at Benjamin Franklin, he didn’t start inventing things until he was rich and retired at the age of 43.  Until that point, his primary goal was running his newspaper business and becoming wealthy.  Could you imagine what incredible inventions could be in existence if he started seriously inventing things starting in his 20s?

Can you imagine what a radically different world we would live in if we all did use our brainpower to problem solve and invent a few things?  Which room do you think you are  currently in as work, Room A or Room B?

MR

Are We All COGs in the Machine Of Life?

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Are we GOGS in the machine of life, destine to play the small and trite role that we are instructed to play by others who are willing to treat us as such?  Spinning in a continuous circle, never really going anywhere… until we wear out and need to be replaced by a newer, shinier model?

I know what many of you might be thinking, what can we do about it, it’s what society needs and demands…

Perhaps, but have your tried anything else?  Have you ever taken a leap of faith and try to run outside of the box (or off the bar, in my COG example)?  Life is short, so why not draw outside of the lines?  Perhaps try a side job, or a 2nd night shift job?  If you hate your current job, what is there to lose?

I once knew a woman who I worked with that use to tell me this message over and over.  She even had a bumper sticker on her car that said “Life isn’t a dress rehearsal”.

During her day job, she was an administrative assistant, but at night she really came to life.  She would tell everybody in the office about her dancing classes, and all the other outside activities that she participated in.  She kept both busy and active.  She was like a COG that ran perfectly during the day, but every night would pop off of her bar and enjoy life.  Experiencing anything that she so desired.

Back when I was much younger I thought she was like a modern hippie, but now I see the truth in her words and I admire her for living the way she wanted to live instead of the way society expected her to live.

Her story was a sad one, where her ex-husband created a very successful business and left her for a younger more attractive employee.  Her kids decided that they preferred dad over mom (perhaps because he was so rich), and so she was at first lonely.  But instead of feeling sorry for herself, she blossomed into a very active and sociable lady.

So how does one escape being a total COG?

On way is to find ways to make extra money!  I know plenty of bloggers that are trying to make money selling ebooks.  Another way would be try and make money on twitter.

Personally I like trying to make money with blogging, but here are an additional 15 Advantages of Blogging that make blogging worthwhile.

So experiment, don’t be a COG all the time, live and think outside of the box a little!  After all, who really wants to run in circles all the time… never really going anywhere?

-MR

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