Thinking inside the box

It only takes four words to make me gag.

Think outside the box.

I've heard it so many times I want to take the box and stomp that sucker flat. It has become one of the most over-used expressions of this generation. Rarely a day goes by I don’t hear somebody say it or write it.

Once upon a time, there was a simpler name for it.

It was considered simply having an idea.

Several years ago, it meant something. It encouraged folks to be creative. It was a call to innovation, a rally to be unconventional and tear down the walls of conformity. It became a buzzword in the business world. Now it has become cliche.

The problem with thinking outside the box today is too many folks have stopped thinking inside the box. We’ve erased so many lines we don’t have boundaries.

Somewhere inside the lining of that box is a set of rules that most of think we can bend or break by stepping outside the line. That is how we justify what we do, how we think.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s OK to dream big. It’s OK to want to expand your horizons.

But don’t forget to stay grounded inside the box, too. Nothing wrong with the box.

I like what British author Terry Pratchett has to say about it: “I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it.’’

I’ll get off my soapbox before I think too far outside of it.