Being human beings, we tend to think of things in categories such as boxes.  Even if a person thinks that this is not true for them, it doesn’t mean it is not so.  In fact the lines around the boxes can be so unobtrusive, as to barely be noticed in one’s mind.  But that is often an indication that they have just gone ignored or unacknowledged.  And it can be very helpful to have things in categories, so to speak.

The problem with this is that many answers to a problem are not even considered.  In those situations, one may only consider the possible answers that reside in a particular box.  That’s why thinking outside of the box can allow the mind to wander a bit.  Such “wandering” can even be seen as an adventure.

I have discovered this to be true.  I may not always be on the path to a solution.  However, it opens my mind to new possibilities.  And I think, opening one’s mind, even if not helpful at the time, can be beneficial in the long run.  

Sometimes, we don’t even realize that we have boxes.  That’s when our thoughts, and sometimes our prejudices, have been a box so long that they have entrenched themselves to the walls around them. Of course some of the boxes may just be trivial things, such as trying out new foods.  But nonetheless, it’s a box that remains closed, unless a person ventures to attempt something new.

Activities outside one’s comfort zone are the most difficult to discover.  The things we are scared of can be quite frightening just by thinking about them.  But to be successful at doing something that scares us, the discovery of this is worth the effort.  We may even find that being unsuccessful at a first attempt can give us the impetus to try again.  Either way, the experience can teach a person something new about oneself.  I tend to think that stepping outside the box is a journey worth taking.  What do you think?