The Bow Tie Problem Solving Method

The Bow Tie 

Problem Solving Method

 
I consider myself a fairly smart guy; One who enjoys trying to figure things out and how they are connected and related. Using previous knowledge to accomplish current objectives. The subject of this blog challenged all that.

A couple of years ago I bought a bow tie just because the price was right and I thought it would be cool to wear one day. I wore this bow tie, following the instructions from a “How to tie a bow tie” post card I found. I thought I was doing a decent job. Mindset is important to me when I take on any task. My bow tie mindset was, “it’s just like tying your shoes.” It seemed to work out okay for me. Not as tight as a professor, but not too bad for a novice.

In comes bow tie number 2. The material was slightly different, it had a much more silky feel to it and just did not hold well when I used the same method used to tie my first bow tie. Just to give some context to the story. It was Saturday and I decided I was going to wear a bow tie to church the next day. I asked my lovely wife to pick up a nice striped one for me on her way home. She did, and for about 1hr I struggled with trying to tie that bad boy. I stood in the mirror and tried everything from various speeds of tying to literally talking myself through each step and trying to analyze what would make each of the pieces stay in the position I wanted. After much perspiration and a little sense of defeat (also felt God must have been saying, “My child you are not to wear a bow tie to my house tomorrow), I decided it was must not meant to be…for tomorrow anyway.

The Light Bulb Goes Off
As I went downstairs to tell my wife, her efforts in getting me a bow tie today was for naught, it dawned on me. I use the internet for all kinds of instructional videos (mostly Salsa dancing), so why not fire up "You Tube" and see what they have to say on the subject. What did I have to lose except some frustration? I ran upstairs grabbed bow tie number 2 with a new sense of hope and I must admit the thought of, “I’m going to finally beat you bow tie number 2.”

So I jumped onto "You Tube" and typed in the necessary words for my bow tie instructions. There it was, several options on how to tie a bow tie. I clicked on the first one on the screen and just watched as this southern gentlemen (I could tell by the accent) taught me how to tie a bow tie in a few easy steps. I was so excited I ran to the nearest mirror to find out if these instructions would work for me…. and it did! Wouldn’t you know, I un-tied the knot and tried it again just to make sure it wasn't instructional video beginners luck. It actually still worked and has been working ever since.

The Lesson(s) :

1. Practice: Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect. If you are practicing the wrong things, then you will continue to get the wrong results.
2. Give it a rest: Sometimes the answers to the problems or challenges we are facing do not come to us when we are in the thick of things at the ground level. We may need to take a step back.
3. Think Differently: The skills and methods that you used in the past which yielded success may not be the ones that will provide success for the current situation. Try to look at your current challenge from different angles.
4. Get Help: You are not supposed to know all the answers. Seek outside help when you need it. It may come in the form of bouncing an idea off of a buddy, doing an internet search or hiring an expert.
5. Pat yourself on the Back: Man you are good! Don’t forget how resourceful you are and have been in the past. That’s what I’m doing as I write this article wearing bow tie number 3.
6. Pay it Forward: So know you've got your problem solved in a new and different way. You may have picked up some skills along the way. Don't just keep them to yourself. Share them with others. In my case I decided to share the knowledge.

Take a look at my first student. No more clip-ons for him :)