A fundamental TENEX principle is : A WRONG SOLUTION (OR A NO-SOLUTION) IS ALMOST ALWAYS THE RIGHT SOLUTION TO A WRONG PROBLEM.
Consider the following scenario :
A man is busy searching for something below a lamp-post in a pretty crowded street. A passers by stops and asks if he could help. The busy man tells him that he has lost his needle and is looking for it. The passers-by offers to help and both of them start searching for the lost needle.
Soon, a dozen people are busy looking around for the lost needle.
Half an hour later, all of them are tired and exhausted. One of them asks the man, "Do you remember where did you exactly drop the needle" ?
"In my house", the man replied.
"Then why are you searching for it here ? " was the irritated question.
"Becuase it is pitch dark in my house. It is easy to search for the needle below the lamp post".
How many times we start solving the wrong problem because it is easier to do just that ?
Most of the time we are paid either to solve a problem or to prove that it was not tractable despite all the efforts.
In the above scenario, each person involved in the search could fill in their weekly activity charts indicating that 12 people working hard for half-an-hour could not find the needle. The management could conclude that the needle was never lost, or that it is a difficult task, not worth investing into. They might also seek comparative literature, study the industry
standards, and conclude, it is really not worth investing any more time, money or resource trying to find the needle. Let us save costs by finding out something new to search for.
It is very easy to be tempted to keep working on a problem with the assumption that solving this problem might solve the original problem. You spend your energy entirely to solve this problem.
You try and fail. And you assume that the original problem you set out to solve is beyond your ability.
Take a look at all the problems that you have tried to solve in the recent past and given up.
Could it be that you understood the problem incorrectly?
Could it be that you assumed that a particular sub-problem would solve the original problem,
and gave your everything to that sub-problem, reaching nowhere ?
Could it be that you were working on the wrong problem ALL the time ?
Could it be that just by bringing a candle in your hourse, you could have found the needle very easily ?
What could you gain if you learnt to consistently focus on the real problem that you are supposed to solve ?
What could you gain if you learnt to think in a streamlined and optimal manner that takes you to the RIGHT solutions of the RIGHT problems that you intend to solve ?
What could possibly train you in all these skills, among many others ?
Visit http://minstones10x.com for more information on how TENEX could help you be more focussed, streamlined and optimal in creating precisely the solutions that you need.
