Life predicament can be excruciatingly painful that it can sentence one into a life prison of miseries. BUT - when the whole world seems to go against us; when life seems to treat us badly that we are made to believe that there is no way out and that giving up is the only solution - it is always better to stop worrying about it and take a short break to do something FUN. this positive diversion can allow us to reapproach the problem with a differently new and fresh perspective. It does not mean that we are assuming a defeatist attitude. Surrender is NOT the case here but it is more of a means to strengthen our spirit and to better equip ourselves with new strategies for our come back. if we choose to focus on the problem, we tend to pressure our pity self and can end up terminallly depressed. however, a short retreat can shift our focus on finding solutions instead. hopefully, we can rise to face the problem with a stronger attitude.
The cases that i wish to share here are interesting though i do not know how far they are true. Anything good is worth sharing right? so just enjoy...
Case 1
When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (ink won't flow down to the writing surface). To solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12 million. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, in practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.
And what did the Russians do...?? They used a pencil .
Case 2
One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soapbox, which happened in one of Japan 's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soapbox that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soapbox went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soapboxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent a whoopee amount to do so.
But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, he did not get into complications of X-rays, etc., but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soapbox passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.
Always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problems. Always focus on solutions & not on problems.
The cases that i wish to share here are interesting though i do not know how far they are true. Anything good is worth sharing right? so just enjoy...
Case 1
When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (ink won't flow down to the writing surface). To solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12 million. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, in practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.
And what did the Russians do...?? They used a pencil .
Case 2
One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soapbox, which happened in one of Japan 's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soapbox that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soapbox went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soapboxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent a whoopee amount to do so.
But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, he did not get into complications of X-rays, etc., but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soapbox passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.
Always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problems. Always focus on solutions & not on problems.
