Thinking Outside the Box

Does the expression "thinking outside the box" mean what we think it does? This [#highlight2]mantra[/highlight2] instructs us to consciously dispense with constraints, but what if the box itself prevents us from thinking creatively? 

"Creativity," as the theorist Edward de Bono notes, "is about bringing into being something that was not there before". He asserts that creative thinking is not a rare biological gift but a skill that enables us to bring new ideas into the world. Our brains obtain information by connecting new input to patterns of previously stored data, so we retain thoughts and ideas that match with what is already in our mental database. By changing our thought processes, we can block these habitual neural networks from getting activated and alter the self-organizing patterns in our heads. Forcing our minds into taking new routes and abandoning our box is what leads to innovative thinking. To achieve this, we can do exercises such as asking what-if questions and changing our angle of observation. 

Real innovation requires approaching challenges without boxes. Perhaps the best way to eliminate the box is to "set the box on fire." Once you do, you may be amazed by what innovative ideas come to mind.