See if you can connect the dots in this puzzle with four straight lines without taking your pen (or cursor) off the paper.
The rules to solve this puzzle are very simple. You must draw four straight lines and connect all the points without taking your pen (or cursor) off the page. In short, all the lines have to be connected.
Most people who try to solve the puzzle make one fatal error and it is simply that they don’t realize the constraint they subconsciously put upon themselves. Click here for the answer.
As you can see, you were constrained by the box surrounding the points and did not go out of the box in order to find the solution. Often, to solve that very important problem, you’ve got to go out of the problem area itself to find the answer.
We all have the “assumed constraint “problem to one degree or another. We all have the power to be great at what we do. But at one point in our lives, we may have done something and gotten a bad grade in a particular subject, say Physics or Mathematics, and thus we rule out ever becoming say, engineers or scientists. As we’ve grown older, those hurt feelings, the feelings of inadequacy and the wrong guidance we may have received from teachers or friends are still in our subconscious, and whether we want to admit it or not, they really do affect us.
As you can see from the solution, by not assuming any constraints the answer to the puzzle becomes quite simple. All too often we assume constraints that aren’t really there. By breaking out of the box you can come up with incredibly effective answers for any problem.
I can point to hundreds of assumed constraint examples that I have personally experienced.
The following are examples of assumed constraints from history. When somebody tells you it can’t be done, recall these seven historical examples before you become discouraged.
- “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” This was said by Ken Olsen, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, in 1977.
- “Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons. “This was quoted by Popular Mechanics magazine forecasting the relentless march of science in 1949.
- “The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C,’ the idea must be feasible.” This was said by a Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith’s paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. Smith then went on to found FedEx.
- “Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try to find oil? You’re crazy.” This was said by drillers whom wildcatter Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist in his project to drill for oil in 1859.
- “Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value. “Ferdinand Foch, professor of military strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre, later commander of Allied Armies in World War I.
- “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers. “Thomas Watson Sr., president of IBM, 1943.
- “So we went to Atari and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we’ll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we’ll come work for you.’ And they said, ‘No.’ so then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, ‘Hey, we don’t need you. You haven’t got through college yet.’” This was related by Steven Jobs, Apple computer co-founder, on his attempts in the mid-1970s to get Atari and Hewlett-Packard interested in his and Steve Wozniak’s personal computer.
- “A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make.” This was a response in the mid-1970s to Debbi Fields’ idea of starting Mrs. Fields Cookies.
- “640K ought to be enough for anybody.” Bill Gates, Microsoft founder, 1981.
Do you agree? Add more examples in the comment section below of any other historical examples of assumed constraints.
