I am particularly big on brainstorming and problem solving. Often times, situations are presented to us in a manner that requires forethought and development to accomplish a said goal. On a more practical level, this concept can be as simple as saying the right words in a conversation. Not necessarily saying what the other person wants to hear, but acknowledging all possible outcomes of a conversation from the choice of words that come out of your mouth.

The phrase “think outside the box” is a cliché catchphrase to emphasize the importance of new ideas and revolutionary methods to overcome lateral thinking. Truth be told, this sort of creative thinking is widely used to pit our potential to the test.

Unfortunately, not every situation requires a “think outside the box” mentality. In fact, in many circumstances, this will hinder you if you proceed with this thought.

My point is that many problems are best to be solved if you take all corners of this “box” into consideration. Do not even leave the box, stay inside of it and dissect every possible detail until you notice a crack on the wall to fill in with the right piece. Most situations only require refinement of an existing idea or current method than radically changing the foundation of it all. Taking advantage of lateral thinking forces you to only use one road and to use what you have at the most basic level.

When cavemen realized they could build a fire with only sticks and stones… that was clearly thinking inside the box. The box was the environment itself. The cavemen investigated the land for possible methods to create the spark needed for the fire and the base to withhold the flames. They found sticks and stones to be the perfect candidate for a campfire. It was lateral thinking the same way algebra is lateral thinking: you solve a problem with what you have (initial numbers/variables) with only one possible answer.

If the cavemen thought outside the box, they could have just gotten a flame thrower and started all the fires they wanted instead of wasting their time using sticks and stones. And as for the math problem, just copy the answer from that geeky kid that sits in front of you and you’ll have your answer. Now that’s thinking outside the box.