Workarounds

Real life is messy, or at least it appears that way if all you're using is your left brain. Contradictions are everywhere. Identical words are used in different ways, information is left off the data sheets, documentation has big gaps in it, etc. It is a very confusing, but very real world. This lack of consistency and exactness is too much for the left brain to handle. This half of the brain wants everything to be neat and in its proper place. It wants everything to make sense. It wants exact answers. But you can see how unrealistic such expectations are. The real world is a whole-brain experience, so it requires whole-brain approaches.

The only hope for success in such a messy world is to use your right brain as much as your left. A good way to do this is to accept the idea that there are many right answers and many ways to find them. This will open the channel to your right brain and let you think in ways you never thought possible. Then when you run into information gaps, omitted data, confusing terms, etc., you will have a much better chance to figure out what's going on. In fact, once you know how to use your right brain, you will find the real world full of opportunities precisely because it is such a mess. Creators, inventors, and whole-brain people love it!

When you are stuck, that is, unable to proceed because you don't have enough information, or an instruction manual (some should be called obstruction manuals) doesn't cover something, or your computer won't do what it is supposed to do, etc, you will have to improvise. You will have to create a workaround. A workaround is any solution you can find that works. It may range from absolutely brilliant to dumb as dishwater. But any workaround is better than none at all. Try not to judge the workarounds as they start to appear. Take anything you can get and build on it. Lao Tsu, a Chinese philosopher, once said,

"Let the mind go where it will."

Not bad advice. It means stop looking in textbooks for all answers. It means open up to the idea that anything is possible. True, some things really are impossible, but you don't want to admit it when trying to find a workaround. In fact, most of the great inventions occurred after everyone declared them impossible. It means start with a brute-force solution if necessary, then try to improve on it. Sometimes, you may have to hit yourself on the side of the head to loosen up and remove all restrictions.

In summary, there's always a workaround, no matter how stuck you seem to be. If you can't find one, create one.

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