In Greek mythology, there is the story of Sisyphus. Sisyphus is forced to
endlessly try to push a rock up a hill. Although Sisyphus works so hard to push
the boulder up the hill, every time the boulder falls back down just as he is
nearly to the top. And so he must push the boulder up the hill for all
eternity.
Sounds awful, right?
Wrong. It’s fun.
In fact, the story of Sisyphus is one that offers a valuable tip for success in business.
Although there are essential differences, business shares some similarities with this story. You are never able to see your next problem before you solve the one at hand, but there is always a next problem. And it is always much more difficult than the one which you faced before. Unlike Sisyphus, you are not constantly going up and down a hill, but you are constantly climbing one, never reaching the top.
The harder the problem that you face, the greater you grow as a result of trying to solve it. You scale a high peak, only to realize that there is a yet higher peak to scale. In other words, creativity and the problem solving process exist to help you to find new problems. You solve the problems before you, and aim for higher peaks. This is what business is all about.
I’m sure that some people might question whether this is really all that fun. I believe it is. Of course it is. Using your creativity to solve problems, and then finding new problems waiting for you when you are done – what could be more exciting than that? Whenever I run up against a particularly tough problem, I always feel intensely excited. I do not think of having to solve more problems as punishment – being able to solve new problems is a reward.
Sounds awful, right?
Wrong. It’s fun.
In fact, the story of Sisyphus is one that offers a valuable tip for success in business.
Although there are essential differences, business shares some similarities with this story. You are never able to see your next problem before you solve the one at hand, but there is always a next problem. And it is always much more difficult than the one which you faced before. Unlike Sisyphus, you are not constantly going up and down a hill, but you are constantly climbing one, never reaching the top.
The harder the problem that you face, the greater you grow as a result of trying to solve it. You scale a high peak, only to realize that there is a yet higher peak to scale. In other words, creativity and the problem solving process exist to help you to find new problems. You solve the problems before you, and aim for higher peaks. This is what business is all about.
I’m sure that some people might question whether this is really all that fun. I believe it is. Of course it is. Using your creativity to solve problems, and then finding new problems waiting for you when you are done – what could be more exciting than that? Whenever I run up against a particularly tough problem, I always feel intensely excited. I do not think of having to solve more problems as punishment – being able to solve new problems is a reward.
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