Taking a Step Back

When we take a step back, it’s because we’ve reached a point where what we’ve been trying hasn’t been working. We’re stuck, unable to find a solution, unsure of what steps to take. Even when we’ve exhausted every resource and idea at our disposable, it’s still not enough.

When we’re at our wits’ end, the only option left is to take a step back. When we take a step back, we’re distancing ourselves from the dilemma, giving ourselves space to focus and work on other things. It may seem counterproductive, but it’s a step in the right direction. Our minds need a reset, a reframing of the situation. It needs a fresh perspective, one that we can’t get if we continue to look at the problem in the same way.

It’s like focusing on one aspect of a dilemma that we think is the problem when it’s actually a different area. If we don’t give ourselves a break and take a step back, we’ll continue to look at the wrong area until we’re drained.

So why is it that it’s hard for us to take a step back? Is it because we think we’re going in the right direction, or is it because of the pressure to finish something (i.e. to finish it on time)? Perhaps a combination of the two. We’re so fixated on the time aspect that we forget that time doesn’t always allow for the creative freedom we need to explore what’s outside of the box.

That’s what taking a step back allows us to do. Sometimes we can be walking down the street and an idea will strike us, one that is the missing jigsaw piece to the conundrum we were trying to solve. Or it might be that while doing something mundane like driving, eating, taking out the trash, etc., we come up with a brilliant idea, ones that we couldn’t come up with by our own will.

It’s ironic that when we try to come up with great ideas, it’s harder to generate them at will than when we’re doing something mundane or while we’re relaxing. The thing about it though is that we have to be diligent about jotting them down, not letting the ideas linger too long before they vanish. Some of our best ideas can come when we’re not looking for them, so there must be something true about giving ourselves a break, letting our minds wander.