Rotate the Picture or Stop Looking

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!