Sometimes we voluntarily do something or some people around us do something which may look unimportant by any standards but are very important lessons. Street life has so much to offer but we choose to ignore it knowingly or unknowingly. We all know that Need is the mother of all inventions but Discomfort can be at least an aunt if you think of it as a challenge. Nobody wants this but, when it comes right in front of you everyday, human brain tries to find a solution or at least tries to find the ways to deal with it. While doing so, we other others around us do some things, even though it is not part of their duty or expertise. In this article I will discuss about one such thing.
My brother in law once told me that one day he was travelling through heavy traffic in the outskirts of Pune at Hinjewadi. Hinjewadi is the IT hub in Pune. Thousands of employees work here and unfortunately most of them come to office and leave the office at the same time. So you can imagine the traffic. He said that at that particular evening before long weekend the traffic was unusually heavy and jam packed. They were travelling by the company bus. At one point the bus got stuck and he and his friends could do nothing. They were all bored with their daily schedule. One of them threw a random idea and all of a sudden four of them came out of the bus and started walking towards the square where it all was jammed.
The idea was simply to guide the traffic as they could. Now, usually it is the duty of police in such case, but, police wasn’t present at the scene. So, these four friends started guiding the vehicles just like a traffic policeman. Initially it was tough and nobody was listening to them. After 5 minutes or so, some people started following their instructions, after some time some others started following the instructions. After around 15 minutes almost everyone followed the instructions and guess what! The traffic started started moving, no so fast but definitely faster than the jam! They did this instructing for around 25-30 minutes and after than traffic got eased a bit and their bus came up to that square. When they climbed up the bus, traffic was flowing and four friends had fun as well as some good work done.
Now, I am not telling this story to glorify my brother in law (though I appreciate his and his friends’ efforts) but, this story gives a small lesson into our tight busy corporate schedule. Sometimes, when we are stuck in a project and nobody is having any clue about the solution. This can be a good way to handle the situation. Just think about out of ordinary! Sometimes, some solutions may not sound technically correct but nothing wrong trying it out. Come out of usual existence and start thinking out of ordinary once in a while. My brother in law and friends in their small way were doing something out of ordinary and they solved the problem in certain way. In corporate world we call it out of box thinking. Many of you know that out of box thinking is just a form of free thinking where the whole purpose is to find a solution and not to think about the logic at that particular moment. Out of many such out of box (out of ordinary) ideas comes up an idea which takes the solution or project on a completely different level. One small advice to anyone who’s listening, it is not always up to programmers, developers and managers to come up with ideas. Sometimes, service, technical support and sales people come up with brilliant ideas. For them it’s their own out of ordinary. Just because they don’t know how to program does not mean they don’t know what should be done. So think of it.
Take a step out of your cocoon and you will see that your creative part of brain has started growing wings!
Also, thinking out of box does not come with too much brain storming. What will you do with your brain storming it up and down if the content of the brain remains the same and never gets any fresh air in? Have you ever wondered why best ideas come to you in bathroom or if you allow me to say so, in restrooms? It’s because, in these places, you are yourselves. Totally different from what you pretend to be, completely with yourself and with your absolute truth on the face. That’s why we don’t think of anything else but ourselves and we don’t shy away from asking ourselves any stupid question or thinking about any dumb topic. Remember, question can’t be stupid if asked with good intentions and topic can’t be dumb if it has some logic to rest upon. Asking right questions is the key to getting right answer in life. Hence, while asking a question don’t think about your position and image, just think about the problem and honesty with yourselves.
Apart from out of box in corporate life, doing something different helps you maintain your mental stability. I will ask some questions, have you ever walked around your office building? When was the last time you strolled around your own floor? When was the last time you played playing cards at home with your family/friends? Do you ever think of going to a movie after office? How much time do you give to your favorite hobby? There are many more questions like this but I think you understand what I am trying to say.
Life becomes extraordinary only when you think and do out of ordinary!