Yesterday I urged that you alter your perspective by asking WW*D? The asterisk can be replaced by whatever you wish. A professor, a parent, a mentor, a younger sibling, a friend, an enemy, a character from a video game — whatever. The purpose, of course, is to get you thinking differently about the task at hand. How can you look at this from another angle, in another light, at a different magnification, and so on. It turns out that by looking from another angle you often find another way of doing things, or another way of learning, or understanding, or coping with something. This is an important skill. An asset. And while this can be used quite effectively I’ve also realized that there is another way of changing your perspective that doesn’t have to do with people… but more with you.
I’m the product of a liberal arts education. Sort of a grab bag of subjects given more or less equal importance while you choose one (or two) areas to focus on more in depth. The benefit of this type of education is that you sort of have a base knowledge about everything (in theory). While I was never excited about taking a science class in college, I did it for the requirement but got a whole lot more out of it in exchange for my time and attention. I ended up majoring in theatre, but because of my geology class I ended up writing a great monologue about the life of a rock. This has happened many times over the years. Music inspires writers, writers inspire scientists, scientists inspire economics, and on and on. Whenever you’re stuck in one field go look at another. Research another thing entirely and find where it takes you. You’ll often, I find, understand your own problem in a different light. As such, you’ll often find a solution. Writing a paper about the French revolution that just isn’t going well. Strange as it seems, geology might be helpful.