Thinking In The Shower

"No problem can withstand the assault of sustained thinking." - Voltaire


I had a pretty puzzling problem to solve at work the other day. Kind of big, kind of complex.


I thought about it in the shower, and couldn't solve it.


Thought about it during the drive to work, nope.


Later while walking to meeting, still no dice.


While I was walking to the car, something started to click.


During a ride on the stationary bike, it all came flowing like a river. I scribbled the answer down as fast as I could.


I've always found that I tend to do my best creative thinking while in motion.


And what about Votaire's "sustained thinking" in relationships?


To me, it's about having a plan B that's not too bad.


I e-mailed someone with an idea for an activity, and he never responded. No problem, because I anticipate that many people are bad with e-mail response.


At work I tossed out a suggestion that could alter my job significantly. It met some resistance at first. I expected that, and also planned to give it another run, this time face-to-face to see if a good night's sleep makes a difference - for both of us. And worst case, my job stays as it is, which by the way I'm getting better at.


I suppose that's just another way of saying to find the silver lining behind a cloud. Another way I view it is that most good ideas are like a good plant, needing to sow seed several times over a long period of time before it sprouts.


Success is about "sustaining," thank goodness life is long.