Sometimes you need to take a step back to be creative. It opens the brain flow.
If you haven’t started to play the Wordle game, I suggest you give it a try. It clears the pipes. Gets you to think. Forces you to use counter-intuitive impulses.
Typically, when we choose to solve problems, we work linearly. We follow the path that we used before. If it worked, it makes sense to try that again.
For the most part, this is successful. Otherwise, we wouldn’t choose to solve problems using past experience.
At the same time, we face obstacles. Sometimes what worked before DOESN’T work the next time. We’re stuck.
Many years ago, I lived in the attic in a group house with multiple roommates. The door to my room often got stuck. I’d yank it, twist it, curse, physically try to force it open. With no success. It took me thinking through the problem to address it differently.
At that time, I had recently read the book, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” I clearly remember applying a lesson from the book, which was to stretch yourself and try a unique way to solve a problem. What did I do?
Rather than using my right hand to turn the doorknob (which wasn’t effective), I switched to my left. BINGO! The door opened with ease.
This past week as I did my daily Wordle, I was stumped. No matter what I thought, I couldn’t come up with the correct letters to get the word right. For the uninitiated, Wordle has you create a five-letter word, then the game lets you know if a letter you selected is in the real word by a certain color and if the letter is in the word, whether it is placed properly in the word, as designated by another color. By the process of elimination, you place the letters and eliminate letters that don’t fit. You get six opportunities to come up with the proper word.
In this case, I’d gone through four iterations and had __AR_. The remaining letters I could use were W, R, H, T, Y, I, A, F, J, Z, X, V, B. Whoa.
My head swam. Which was good because I was about to go for my Friday morning swim and I had absolutely no f..cking idea how to solve the puzzle. I was tortured.
Getting away from the intensity, my mind released itself as I paddled through my morning strokes. I left the blockage behind and opened up. Bam, I came up with WHARF as the word. I was tickled.
I got home and plugged it in. NOPE! I was so sure, so happy that I’d figured it out by stepping away, releasing my mind and relaxing. In the recesses of my brain, I thought TIARA might have been the word, but I didn’t think it was a real word.
Turns out, of course, that TIARA was the daily word. I wasn’t disappointed about not getting right.
I was pleased that I came up with WHARF after stepping away, daydreaming, letting go. It was a great choice. I didn’t trust myself that TIARA was a real word. I failed and succeeded at the same time. Couldn’t get the correct word, but chose one that fit, made sense and sounded right. Sometimes that’s enough. Go for a swim.
If you haven’t started to play the Wordle game, I suggest you give it a try. It clears the pipes. Gets you to think. Forces you to use counter-intuitive impulses.
Typically, when we choose to solve problems, we work linearly. We follow the path that we used before. If it worked, it makes sense to try that again.
For the most part, this is successful. Otherwise, we wouldn’t choose to solve problems using past experience.
At the same time, we face obstacles. Sometimes what worked before DOESN’T work the next time. We’re stuck.
Many years ago, I lived in the attic in a group house with multiple roommates. The door to my room often got stuck. I’d yank it, twist it, curse, physically try to force it open. With no success. It took me thinking through the problem to address it differently.
At that time, I had recently read the book, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” I clearly remember applying a lesson from the book, which was to stretch yourself and try a unique way to solve a problem. What did I do?
Rather than using my right hand to turn the doorknob (which wasn’t effective), I switched to my left. BINGO! The door opened with ease.
This past week as I did my daily Wordle, I was stumped. No matter what I thought, I couldn’t come up with the correct letters to get the word right. For the uninitiated, Wordle has you create a five-letter word, then the game lets you know if a letter you selected is in the real word by a certain color and if the letter is in the word, whether it is placed properly in the word, as designated by another color. By the process of elimination, you place the letters and eliminate letters that don’t fit. You get six opportunities to come up with the proper word.
In this case, I’d gone through four iterations and had __AR_. The remaining letters I could use were W, R, H, T, Y, I, A, F, J, Z, X, V, B. Whoa.
My head swam. Which was good because I was about to go for my Friday morning swim and I had absolutely no f..cking idea how to solve the puzzle. I was tortured.
Getting away from the intensity, my mind released itself as I paddled through my morning strokes. I left the blockage behind and opened up. Bam, I came up with WHARF as the word. I was tickled.
I got home and plugged it in. NOPE! I was so sure, so happy that I’d figured it out by stepping away, releasing my mind and relaxing. In the recesses of my brain, I thought TIARA might have been the word, but I didn’t think it was a real word.
Turns out, of course, that TIARA was the daily word. I wasn’t disappointed about not getting right.
I was pleased that I came up with WHARF after stepping away, daydreaming, letting go. It was a great choice. I didn’t trust myself that TIARA was a real word. I failed and succeeded at the same time. Couldn’t get the correct word, but chose one that fit, made sense and sounded right. Sometimes that’s enough. Go for a swim.