Every day we search
for answers to a wide range of questions. Some are trivial, such as the
location of a pair of keys or glasses, or the solution to a puzzle in the
newspaper. Others are harder to answer, for example, “Where is my life going?”
and “Am I doing something worthwhile with my life? In my case, it is “What do I
blog about?” We go through lot of trouble looking for these answers - we
rummage through drawers and cupboards, chew our pencils while we think of
solutions, and for the questions about life we seek spiritual guidance or talk
to a friend or family member. We don’t cease seeking for the answer, which
often works wonders. Even if we don’t find the answer, we might come closer to
the answer.
What only a few people will tell you, is that sometimes the
best way to get an answer is to stop looking for it. Have you ever turned your
drawer upside down to find a bracelet, only to find it unexpectedly in your
cupboard a few months later when you were looking for something else all
together! Whenever I’m baffled by the complexity of a Sudoku, I’ve found that
after taking a break I’ve managed to progress a good deal in the puzzle. The
puzzle doesn’t change, the only difference lies in what my eyes and brain
processed. The answers to some of the deep questions in life too are often simple.
Say you are in a pessimistic mood and wondering if there is any real happiness
in the world at all, all that you will see is sadness around you. However, when
you are in a slightly better mood and sitting in a park, you will see that the
children playing are happy and not afraid of expressing it. Maybe you weren’t
consciously thinking about the question, but there is your answer! If only we
had the luxury of not looking during exams or emergencies!
Another way of obtaining an answer is to rotate the picture,
or think in a different direction. When you have misplaced a key, you look in
the usual places more than once. You behave like Sherlock Holmes on a case and
look in the usual places with a magnifying glass. The key is probably in the
pocket of your jeans, which are hanging on a hook in the bathroom. You look everywhere but the bathroom, but the
moment you think of your jeans you might remember that you kept it there when
you were in a tearing hurry. I have never been a math wizard and am probably the
last person to tell you how to solve math problems. But I have noticed that
often the solutions to tricky problems are often simple; they only require you
to think differently. Ever wondered why retail therapy doesn’t help you find
true happiness? That is because you are looking in the wrong place! If you
change your perception, you might find that true happiness and peace is found
in simple things like listening to music, for instance.
While we may not always have the time to wait for the answer
to pop in our head, we can learn to pause and take a deep breath whenever we
can. The idea may be impractical, but it is is effective. The pressure of
finding the answer can cloud our perception and the ability to think clearly,
with results that can be disastrous. It is no surprise we often hear parents
and friends advising us to write exams with a calm mind, without any anxiety. Next
time you are tearing your hair over a math problem, close your book, shut your
eyes and attempt it after a few minutes. Whether you stop looking or rotate the
picture, the secret is to look at the question with a fresh pair of eyes.
And after three months of laziness, I did finally find my
answer to the question “What do I blog about?” The result is in front of your
eyes. Did I rotate the picture or stop looking?
Perhaps it was a little of both!
