Davis Goss’ Mind Boggling Blog

In a recent blog, “Lessons from Spilled Oil,” I made the point that while there is a place for technology and engineering expertise, too often one can get so cluttered up with their limiting parameters that simple solutions are overlooked. There are times when a non-technical good idea is more productive than engineering overkill.

After I posted my article, I saw a neighbor under the hood of his truck. Threads on the screw that kept his distributor cap tight and in place had been stripped which prevented the distributor from working properly. The placement of the distributor was located in such a position that it made simple repair methods next to impossible.

After spending a lot of time trying to figure out how to reach the stripped screw and/or to remove the parts that made it unreachable, he displayed utter frustration.

The point I made in my article was that solutions to problems are not necessarily what mainstream methods and procedures would have us believe. I pointed out to my friend that the problem did not necessarily involve replacing the stripped screw; the objective was to find some simple means by which the distributor cap could remain tight and secure.

With that mindset, an idea occurred to me that had nothing to do with “obvious” procedures. We implemented my abstract idea it in less than a minute and that distributor cap is tighter now than it was when the truck was new. A difficult, frustrating problem yielded to the implementation of a simple idea.

I mentioned in my “Spilled Oil” blog that I have highly visible 3-Dsigns around my office. (I call them “Thought Boxes”*) In addition to the one that reminds me “Don’t do stupid stuff” is another that was appropriate for solving my neighbor’s problem: “When you react to appearances, you are not in control.” It is often more productive to look away from the problem and focus on being aware of ideas that will achieve the objective.

Lift your thought out of traditional thought processes Ideas will unfold from within your individual conscious awareness. They will answer any question, meet any need and reveal the proper procedures by which one can meet any goal or objective. And it doesn’t matter whether it is an oil spill in the Gulf, an automotive problem, surviving a hurricane or any other “problem”, the principle is the same. Contemplate only infinite consciousness and assume a listening attitude. This will release the flow ideas whose only purpose is to reverse any adverse situation into harmony.

When all else fails, INNOVATE!

*(I find my “Thought Boxes” keep my thoughtts focused in a positive, constructive mindset. You can anticipate an article addressing this concept soon. I’m sure you could benefit from them as I do.)