Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. –Franklin Delano Roosevelt
The emergency room is a solemn place, and anyone who has recently visited would be hard-pressed to find joy or amusement in the experience. Long wait times. People in pain and shock. A general malaise hanging in the air. Nobody present chooses to be there. And yet, every now and again, there are stories of triumph and ingenuity that emerge from such desperate places. This is one of those stories.
On the surface, he had all the characteristics of a typical ER patient. In his early 80s, sporting a walker for stability, and hooked up to oxygen. Clearly, there was some issue with his pulmonary system or malfunction with his home equipment. But he had a sparkle in his eye and an infectious laugh that belied his years. And he kept his nurse in stitches as he regaled her with story after story of his shenanigans growing up on a farm in northern Michigan. Everyone in his corner of the ER was captivated by his charisma. But no one was prepared for what came next.
A young man wearing a hat, with his hair flowing out the back, walked up to the front desk with a package in his hand. He looked amused.
“Excuse me, is this the emergency room?”
The lady at the front desk assured him that it was. And the young man looked even more amused as he scanned the room.
“Well, this is a first. I have an order for a bottle of scotch to this address.”
Suddenly, the old man hooked to the oxygen sprang to his feet.
“Right here, my good man. What took you so long?!”
The entire place howled in laughter. A classic move! Even bolder than Spicoli ordering a pizza to Mr. Hand’s classroom! Where there’s a will, there’s a way!
Of course, amidst heavy protest, his nurse would not let him have the Door-Dashed contraband. That would be for another day I’m sure. But the incredible creativity and ingenuity were not lost on the entire ER waiting room crowd. And couldn’t we all use that same creativity and ingenuity in our everyday lives?
Ingenuity Breeds Success
We can’t overcome all obstacles with brute force and repetition. Sometimes we have to think outside the box. Calling a prospect 500 hundred times doesn’t always result in a meeting. Working extra hours on the same boilerplate presentation doesn’t always create more impact. Spending more time with our same group of investors doesn’t always result in more capital. Correcting our child with the same lesson over and over doesn’t always yield different results. Dutifully executing the same workout regimen doesn’t always lead to a healthier result. Every once in a while we need to step back and take a fresh perspective. Could we be approaching our problems more creatively?
Of course, hard work is a prerequisite for success. There is no substitute for the grind. But ingenuity can accentuate and augment our results in amazing ways. It doesn’t have to be outrageous. Not all of us can pull off having a bottle of Scotch delivered to an ER! But perhaps we mix up our routine and send a handwritten letter to a prospect. Perhaps we change the template and inject a personal touch into our presentation. Perhaps we reach outside our comfort zone and engage a new network of investors. Perhaps we allow our child to hear another voice to provide guidance. Perhaps we mix up our workouts with something we have never tried before. Hammering the same nail into the fence doesn’t make it sturdier. Sometimes, we need to step back and leverage a different tool for a different part of the fence.
It’s Time to Mix Things Up
Resilience does not always follow a straight line. There is no one path back to the top when we experience a setback. It will take grit and intentionality. It will take perseverance and faith in the face of doubt. It will take a network of close family and friends to support us. But it will also take creativity. Sometimes following the same path will not change our status quo. Sometimes. the tactics of yesterday will not work for tomorrow. Sometimes, we simply need to mix things up.
What does it take to claw our way back to the top? Hard work is the foundation. But creativity and a fresh perspective will finish the job. The answers to our problems are out there. They will not always be obvious. They will not always be rooted in our trusted and tried systems of the past. They may only reveal themselves when we open ourselves up to another point of view. It’s time to think differently. A little ingenuity will go a long way.