Create your own path | Kristien Pas
Do you know the feeling? You’re at work on a task or project and you hit a roadblock and you have no idea how to get around it? For example, you are trying to work more efficiently and would like to share your findings with your colleagues, but all they say is: “Lots of people tried this already without success, so why would it work this time; we have to follow the rules and processes.” These are problems we come across daily, but how do we solve them? Thanks to my new hobby – bouldering – I’ve been thinking a lot about this problem.
Bouldering is like wall-climbing, but without ropes or harnesses, and to a maximum height of 5 meters. You have to follow one color to the top, and if you touch the top climbing block with both hands you’ve succeeded in solving your boulder problem! The key to success in Bouldering is to think outside of the box. When you begin with a climbing problem, it might seem as if the easiest way is to follow the given path, but along the way you often discover that, by deviating from the appointed route, more possibilities appear.
"Everybody can follow guidelines; it is creative thinking that creates new possibilities for you and for others."
For every problem there is a solution – the challenge is in finding it. We all get used to working in certain ways, following familiar paths, rules and guidelines. But within these boundaries your proposal will not always work. The only way to change is to deviate from the given path and create your own. Everybody can follow guidelines; it is creative thinking that creates new possibilities for you and for others.
Think about some of the most successful business people in the world – Steve jobs, Bill Gates, Elon Musk. They did not become successful by following the appointed path. These are people who were not afraid to take risks and find their own path.
So the next time someone says that what you want to achieve is impossible, take a step back and look at the situation from a distance. Look for the alternative route, the creative solution. More possibilities present themselves the more open you are in your approach.
"Only by taking a step back can I manage to solve the problem. We can all benefit from doing this in our own lives – whatever our wall might be."