When you exhaust all possibilities, remember this:
You haven’t.
–Thomas Edison
The pine cones must be exceptionally tasty this year. I watch squirrels knock them from the trees, run down the trunks and devour them in record time.
For squirrels, the problem with pine cones is that they are located at the outter reaches of the branches. And mommy and daddy squirrels (if daddy’s even in the picture) tend to be a wee bit heavy for those branches.
But squirrels are brilliant at problem solving where food is involved.
I saw a mother squirrel, sitting on a branch close to the trunk, coach her little one as it walked out on this very thin branch. Reaching the pine cone, the tiny squirrel went to work dislodging it. Within 10 seconds, it fell to the ground.
We could all use a squirrel’s ingenuity when facing life’s problems.
When looking at possible solutions to whatever you face, don’t forget to look at it from all possible angles.
Have you tried “this?” Have you tried “that?”
What if you did such-and-such first when tackling a problem, would a different solution be uncovered for you?
We should never settle for the quick-fix solution. They only come back to bite us later down the road.
It takes a certain type of mind to process the seemingly endless streamΒ of information and possibilities available to us, to conceptualize solutions, and to put one into play.
We’re fortunate because we all have that type of mind. We’re human with supposedly the greatest mind on the planet.
The solution is within you. It’s within all of us. We only need to continue to look for it.
But we do need to look.
We need to process what’s before us, the obvious and not-so obvious. If we don’t even try, there is absolutely no way we’ll find the right solution.
If you remember Edison’s quote, you’ll always look for yet another possibility to life’s many challenges.
Remember to reach beyond what you’re comfortable with, even if you find yourself in a precarious position…like the baby squirrels do.
__
βIn the arts, as in life, everything is possible provided it is based on love.β
Marc Chagall
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That’s a great quote, Hariod. Thank you!
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Reach beyond with ingenuity … love it!
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Thank you, Val. π
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Wise words Michael.. We often look at things from one perspective instead of turning it over and around to view all sides of a situation.. Once we do we will find lots of different angles we can explore…
So many people I have met are all too ready to throw the towel in at the first signs of failure.. Success is about learning how to overcome the obstacles.. Just like the squirrels, who become genius’s at enabling themselves to get to food in supposedly squirrel proof containers. π
I enjoyed your analogy on this post Michael.. Thank you π Hugs Sue
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I think it’s in all our nature to try and try and try…and keep on trying. But, through time, we learn how to inhibit this inner ability and “settle” for a solution, be it quick or not what we truly desire. We just have to remember that we do have the power within, that there is nothing we can’t do. As unbelievable as that sounds, it is true.
Thanks, Sue, for your wonderful comments. π
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Not only does the ability and the capacity exist, Michael, it’s available to us in abundance. We simply need to be open and willing to explore. In exploration there is discovery and once discovery illuminates possibility, possibility transitions into the realm of doable… and achievable.
Your aligning squirrels’ pursuit of pine cones is a delightful seasonal reminder! Thanks. π
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Exactly, Eric. One step leads to another, but it all starts with that first step. π
Thanks for your comment.
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Sometimes when I feel I have painted myself into a corner, so to speak, and I can’t envision a way out, I go to sleep, turning the problem over to spirit and amazingly, the solutions come out of the ether. Kind of takes the pressure off!
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I can’t remember how many times I’ve done that, Eliza; go to sleep with a problem and wake up with the solution. At the time, I didn’t realize what was happening. I just figured I always had the answer and just didn’t know it… That nothing miraculous was really going on.
Now I use that technique a lot, knowing that when I go to sleep with a problem, I’ll have the answer in the morning.
More people should learn to do this. It really works!
Thanks for that reminder. π
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very true Michael, nice post..
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Thank you, Leyla. π
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Reblogged this on abdullahshaghi2012.
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Thank you for the reblog! π
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Thank you for the post, Michael! Your true love of life inspires me π You bring hope!
I wish you well, my friend!
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You’re welcome, Tala. And thank you for your kind words.
My best to you and your loved one. π
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Thank you a lot! π I hope you are doing well!
I’ve not posted for ages π Mixed emotions, you know… But now I am back with my today’s post π Feels like I am putting my ideas in order π
Enjoy your day, enjoy your life! π
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