Relating to Problem Solving

If the ways we think and create move more freely and fluidly across old boundaries, we are more likely to break free of mindsets that limit our ability to imagine relevant solutions.

Belief systems that limit our potentials keep us stuck from not being able to access creative solutions to problems. When we dissolve an old boundary that doesn't serve us, a new vision is opened to us.

It's like driving to school or work in the morning. We follow a particular route which we believe is the best way to get to our destination. Driving this route every morning is something that becomes embedded in our psyche over time. Until we can drive that route almost with our eyes closed.

Then one morning something unexpected happens. I encounter an accident and traffic congestion ensues. In order for me to stay on the "prescribed" route, I would have to wait for hours in traffic to get to work.

Instead, I duck off my usual route and begin to weave my way through side streets. The traffic flows more easily on these streets and I make it to work with time to spare.

The accident caused me to open my vision to the idea of exploring and discovering an alternate route to work. Not only did I end up escaping traffic congestion, but I found a quicker way to work, one I could use in the future.

The same principle applies to the way we solve problems. We've become so used to the way we've been taught how to solve problems, to the point that they become part of who we are.

As we navigate these routes, we are oblivious to the validity or usefulness of such patterns of thought. We hardly take the time to question our belief systems, our behaviour or our attitudes towards problems. Our ability to solve problems in more creative ways remains stagnant or fixed, defined by limitation.

Dissolving old neural pathways that no longer serve creative ability requires persistent questioning; where do these beliefs come from, do they serve my needs, are they aligned with where I want to go?

By objectifying old thought patterns, we can observe the parts that limit our development. We can then work to replace them with new networks that fire at a consistency more attune to well being, creativity and productivity.