Out of the box

As written by Rtr. Ishaaq Ahamed

Somewhere in the USA in the mid-90’s, after many pitfalls, life had just started going smoothly for a young and passionate cartoon producer. However, within a short time, bad luck came in the form of a business betrayal and everything he had worked for came crashing down, leaving him depressed and shaken. He geared himself up once more and invented ‘Mickey Mouse’, a character that the world will remember forever after. However, studio after studio rejected him at the beginning. Although many in his shoes would have given up, even the cruelest luck wasn’t enough to beat down his determination and willpower. He decided to try something fresh and risky by syncing sound with his cartoons, which was a relatively new and costly technology back then. His decision paid off well and after many such struggles, he outperformed his competition and today, Walt Disney is a household name and a very popular brand all over the world.

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.”

Milton Berle

Humans are creatures of habit, and of course it is way easier to follow an existing routine rather than innovate one for ourselves. Like Walt Disney, many of the successful people out there are the best at what they do, not because they are the most hardworking or the best at following prevailing trends; rather it’s because they are the ones who dare to think like no one else has before. Like any other ecosystem, in the corporate world, it’s all about the survival of the fittest. Creativity, out-of-the-box thinking and perseverance are what separates the great from the good. And of course with the advent of the Internet and the population explosion of the 21st century, new opportunities are opening up and the need for original thinking is higher now than ever.

Thus with the world moving towards a new direction, employers are seeking out people with good innovative, problem-solving skills and entrepreneurs are springing up everywhere. Thus our thinking patterns too should evolve and keep pace with the rest of the world.

So do you think you have what it takes to survive in the business world?