Think outside the box. What is the box? I heard this asked on TV the other day. In this sense, the box cannot be solely defined as one thing. It is something that can be thought about and we can think about anything. One box can be our view of the world. Another box is the situation we find ourselves in. As you know, this site is about finding the best option.

Sometimes these situations are good to be thought about from a creative angle. A lot of times it’s best to stay with proven methods. In such a fast-paced world we would get very little done if we got creative with everything.

Business is a good example. It’s necessary to be creative with a new product or idea, but when it comes to selling that product and running a business it’s usually best to stay with proven methods. Check out how other successful people have sold similar products and try their methods. There can be a lot that goes into these methods that those successful people have already taken the time to figure out.

I love entrepreneurs and I love Shark Tank. In an episode a few weeks ago, the guy had a few really awesome ideas. I liked them and so did The Sharks. The guy had two really good products and a small stand, worthy of hotels and resorts around the world. He got shot down. He was stuck in creative mode and wasn’t focused on building a business with proven methods. I’m not going to try to figure out why he didn’t switch his method. It’s not my place. I am however making it a mission of mine to get people to realize the importance of having multiple choices in life. Thinking to choose the best one and having the ability to switch mindsets when you need to.

This guy on Shark Tank, if he had switched gears and done a little research on how to strategize his sales and business and focused, he probably would have never needed to go into the “Tank.” With all the books and infinite information on the internet, finding proven strategies isn’t difficult. Russell Brunson has some books out there that literally tell you the websites to go to figure out who your competitors are selling to and how they strategize. The info is out there.

Switching mindsets goes deeper than money. My sister and daughter came to visit me recently. During the visit, my daughter got upset during an UNO game and started crying. I want my daughter (on here I’m going to call her Jenna) to talk to me and not close off like that. I was doing everything I could to get her to talk, short of bribing her. Nothing I was doing worked. I looked at my sister, Melissa, knowing she has more experience with kids. She basically told me to ignore Jenna and not to “feed the tantrum.” I’ve heard this before and even though I didn’t care for it because I wanted Jenna to talk to me, I tried it. You know what happened? Jenna stopped crying in about 30 seconds. This is a proven method. Even though I probably won’t like doing it in the future, I will do it because it works.

When I was in 3rd grade, if I had known the importance of being able to switch mindsets, I might not have resisted the proven methods taught by my teachers in math. That’s a big IF and a big MIGHT but if I’m able to teach my kids the importance of being able to switch mindsets, I may be able to help them avoid some serious issues in life. I will teach my kids and they will have a choice.

Are you able to switch from being creative to staying with proven methods? Or completely avoiding? Which one is best for your current situation?

Sometimes the best option is to consciously decide to stop thinking and just do it.

I often find myself mentally hyping myself up to do something. What’s actually going on is I don’t really want to do it so I have to convince myself that I do. For me this usually happens with things that I need to do, not just want to do, and have already made a commitment to.

Case in point: working out. I’ve set goals, schedules, and commitments around working out. I’ve already put a lot of mental and physical energy into deciding to workout and I know that I really do want to. So why do I often try to convince myself to go work out? I have no clue, not the damndest! But I do know how to stop this mental argument that may lead to me not working out. I simply tell myself that it doesn’t matter if I want to or not I’m going to anyways. My brain almost always instantly switches, the decision has been made, it’s on to something else mentally.

Mental arguments about things you’re going to do anyways are pointless and actually drain energy, needlessly burning calories. Consciously decide that it doesn’t matter if you want to or not, that you’re going to do it anyways. It works for me, I bet it will work for you too.