Russ Dalbey's Blog

One of my staff members – Lead Educator David Winter – brought up a great idea in a meeting the other day.

David challenged us by asking, “Do we really ‘think outside the box’?”

His question really resonated in me. We’ve all heard this now-old cliche, and we know that “thinking outside the box” is a way to step back and re-evaluate our options and strategies, but how often do we really do this?

Do I actually try new ideas and venture down unproven paths, in everyday situations?

Here’s a quote that sheds a different light on this concept. Are you willing to be confused, upset and think you’re stupid in order to achieve success? And are you willing to make a mistake or take a wrong turn in order to discover a shortcut?

“Lewis and Clark (American frontier explorers) were lost most of the time. If your idea of exploration is to always know where you are and to be inside your zone of competence, you don’t do wild new stuff.

“You have to be confused, upset and think you’re stupid. If you’re not willing to do that, you can’t go outside the box.”
- Nathan Myhrvold, former Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft

On the eve of the anniversary of our nation’s declaration of independence, it might be appropriate to reflect that nothing worth achieving was ever accomplished without taking an enormous risk… setting a course towards the unknown… or being brave enough to get lost along the way.

Warmly,
Russ

Founder of Winning in the Cash Flow Business