Box? What box?

The term ‘Thinking outside the Box’ cracks me up. I confess, I used to say it myself pretty often and have always considered myself an out-of- the-box thinker.

I recently left a 27-year corporate Information Technology career. As you can imagine, the computer systems world is very structured and guides you to think and process a certain way.

For some situations that works very well. All too often it does not. When a program is not functioning correctly, the standard procedure guides you through the logical things to check. When they don’t work, an intuitive programmer looks for the illogical things, shortly followed by the absurd.

I kid you not. There are many occasions where elusive problems have been solved by playing around with outrageous ideas.

It is a given that creative thinking is not always problem-solving. Yet, we are looking to achieve, to produce, and to make something different happen. I would not use the term ‘problem-solving’ in this context as we are not fixing something in as much as we are moving from good to great.

Back to the box. The reference itself applies to limits and constraints on our thinking. Being out-of-the-box implies that we are operating outside of those limits and constraints.

The concern for me is, as long as I believe there is a box, I am seeing the opportunities as having some limitations, some concise set of boundaries. Even though I can presume that I am eluding them, the sheer presence of the box introduces a constraint to my thinking.

The opportunity here is to simply open up to the possibilities and omit the box concept entirely.

There truly are no limits on what we can conceive, devise and put into motion. Other than those limits that we impose upon ourselves.

When I open my thoughts up for ideas and inspiration, I enter a space of unlimited possibilities where there are no boundaries and no limitations.

I heard it said once that your goals must be at least big enough so that you cannot get your logical brain around it. Why? Because, if you can figure how to do it, you can also figure out how not to do it.

It’s the nature of our minds. If we want to tap into the higher intelligence, the power of the Universe, we have to put things out there at a level that we cannot comprehend.

It was not an easy transition for me from the defined, structured, logical thought patterns of the computing world into the unlimited realm of possibilities that I play in today. Yet it is so much more an empowered creative space.

I don’t see the box anymore. Do you?

[Editor's note: TheNetworkMarketingMagazine.com congratulates Mark Semple, an on-going contributing author, on being crowned the 2007 International Coach of the Year announced by Comprehensive Coaching U after receiving the most votes from the panel of judges on the committee. Way to go, Mark!] Mark Semple calls himself the Supporter-in-Chief to his wife Cheri, who joined the Direct Selling community in 2002 and left corporate captivity in November 2004 to pursue her business full-time. Mark takes advantage of every opportunity to support her in her business and her life.

As most of the women Mark met in Direct Sales / Network Marketing, and other home businesses, expressed a lack of support from their significant other, he recognized an opportunity to make a difference.

Mark is a Certified Comprehensive Coach, speaker and author in the area of spouse / partner support for home businesses. The essence of his work is relationships and communication, as these are the foundation the business stands upon.

Successful Together Coaching serves the woman who desires more support, the partner who provides support and the couples seeking success together.

No woman actually needs a man in order to be successful – it simply makes the journey more enjoyable and productive when it is shared.

Mark is available for teleseminars & speaking and can be reached at Coach@successfultogethercoaching.com or (317) 485-2197