On Beyond Zebra!

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On Beyond Zebra!

Years ago – gosh, so many years ago – I worked for a consulting company that specialized in creating training programs for corporations. We used the Dr. Seuss book On Beyond Zebra! to capture the idea of thinking outside the box. It's an important life skill. Very often we get so caught up in how we've always done things, we can't even imagine another way, so we get stuck. And stuck we stay.

Sometimes when we think we're having money problems, it isn't actually the money that's the problem. Sometimes we make enough money. But we're so stuck in our boxes we can't figure out how to use our money in more productive ways to achieve the life we want.

If your life isn't working for you, if you're in debt and can't get out, or if you're working on something and feel like you're spinning your wheels, you need to take a page from Dr. Seuss. The narrator who isn't happy with the restrictions of the ordinary alphabet, invents a whole new one that pushes past normal to where the imagination can take flight.

Maybe that's what you need to do too… push beyond the conventions with which you are familiar to try something new. Course, that'll mean thinking for yourself; some people are too afraid of messing up to do that. But if you can be brave, if you can push past "normal" to see all the possibilities beyond, you may find the very thing you need to make the very life you want.

We actually like the idea of thinking outside the box. You know the magazine Real Simple, don't you? They have a very popular segment where they feature new uses for old things. From using shower curtain rings to store scarves, to using paper towel tubes to keep plastic bags under control, Real Simple's idea is to think outside the box… to go On Beyond Zebra! The segment is popular probably because someone else did the thinking and has come up with create solutions we can all use. Hey, it's time to start thinking for yourself.

One of the keys to being able to move On Beyond Zebra! Is to spend some quality time alone with your brain. Some people don't like this idea at all. It scares them to spend time thinking. But if you can filter out the noise of your life, and give yourself some time to think, it's amazing what you can come up with.

Find a quiet place. Relax. You're not trying to force ideas, you're going to let your mind wonder. Make sure you have a notebook and pen handy for jotting down notes as you do this exercise. Keep an open mind. If you've already decided there's no solution to whatever problem you're dealing with, you're stuck at Z. Be willing to try things that may not work. You might come up with simple solutions to other questions you've been noodling.

Ready to think outside the box?

Answer this: SO. What colour is her blouse?

It may not make sense to you at first. But the answer is in there. Go On Beyond Zebra! to find it!

Learning to go On Beyond Zebra! isn't going to happen overnight. You've got to have some patience and keep trying new things. It'll be worth it. If you're stuck in a box, it's time to move! All that's stopping you is YOU. And a little practice.

BTW: The answer to the question above is BLUE. Can you see why? Were you able to move On Beyond Zebra!?