We spend a lot of our lives searching for answers. Whether it be figuring out a better way to fix something or how to live a happier life, we seek insights and approaches that we don’t yet know.
This search for answers is something we begin at a very young age. We show kids how to tie their shoes and brush their teeth. In schools, we teach the way to come up with the correct answer or write a good essay. These are all very important parts of growing up and adapting to the world, but sometimes they make it appear as if their is only one way to do something.
Take tying a shoe for example. We’ve narrowed the process down to two or three ways that seem to be most effective. These methods appear to be the fastest, the most likely to remained tied throughout the day, and the easiest to untie once the day is over. The two or three ways are possibly the most useful, and sometimes we convince ourselves they’re the only way to tie a shoe. I’m sure, however, we could come up with infinitely many ways to tie that same shoe with various levels of efficiency and effectiveness.
These other possibilities are something that I try to keep in mind as I go throughout my day. I try to remind myself that there are so many ways to do even the simplest of tasks. This means that two people can do things completely differently and both be equally right. Just because someone chose to do something differently than you doesn’t necessarily mean that either of you was wrong. It just means that both of you came up with different solutions for the problem you saw.
Sometimes, people will talk about the right way to start a business or create a relationship. This implies that there is only one way to be successful in each of these areas, which I believe to be completely false.
As a child, I learned to write most of my letters from the bottom to the top. This is a habit that has continued through to today. Is it different? Sure. Is it as effective? Maybe, maybe not. But, is it wrong? I don’t think so.
We all learn things in slightly different ways, but being different doesn’t mean it’s necessarily wrong.
