Lessons of the Square Watermelon
Japanese grocery stores had a problem. They are much smaller than their US
counterparts and therefore don't have room to waste. Watermelons, big and
round, wasted a lot of space. Most people would simply tell the grocery
stores that watermelons grow round and there is nothing that can be done
about it. But some Japanese farmers took a different approach. "If the
supermarkets want a space efficient watermelon," they asked themselves, "How
can we provide one?" It wasn't long before they invented the square
watermelon.
The solution to the problem of round watermelons wasn't nearly as difficult
to solve for those who didn't assume the problem was impossible to begin
with and simply asked how it could be done. It turns out that all you need
to do is place them into a square box when they are growing and the
watermelon will take on the shape of the box.
This made the grocery stores happy and
had the added benefit that it was much
easier and cost effective to ship the
watermelons. Consumers also
loved them because they took less space in their refrigerators which are
much smaller than those in the US - which resulted in the growers being able
to charge a premium price for them.
What does this have do with anything
besides square watermelons? There are a few lessons that you can take away
from this story which will help you in all parts of your life. Here are a
few of them:
Don't assume: The major problem
was that most people had always seen round watermelons so they automatically
assumed that square watermelons were impossible before even thinking about
the question.
Things that you have been doing a
certain way your entire life have taken on the aura of the round watermelon
and you likely don't even take the time to consider if there is another way
to do it. Breaking yourself from assuming this way can greatly improve your
overall life as you are constantly looking for new and better ways to do
things.
Question habits: The best way to
tackle these assumptions is to
question your habits.
If you can make an effort to question the way you do things on a consistent
basis, you will find that you can continually improve the way that you live
your life. Forming habits when they have been well thought out is usually a
positive thing, but most of us have adopted our habits from various people
and places without even thinking about them.
Be creative: When faced with a
problem,
be creative in looking for a solution.
This often requires thinking outside the box. Most people who viewed this
question likely thought they were being asked how they could genetically
alter water melons to grow square which would be a much more difficult
process to accomplish. By looking at the question from an alternative
perspective, however, the solution was quite simple. Being creative and
looking at things in different ways in all portions of your live will help
you find solutions to many problems where others can't see them.
Look for a better way: The
square watermelon question was simply seeking a better and more convenient
way to do something. The stores had flagged a problem they were having and
asked if a solution was possible.
It's impossible to find a better way if
you are never asking the question in the first place.
Always ask if there is a better way of doing the things that you do and
constantly write down the things you wish you could do (but currently can't)
since these are usually hints about steps you need to change. Get into the
habit of asking yourself, "Is there a better way I could be doing this?" and
you will find there often is.
Impossibilities often aren't: If
you begin with the notion that something is impossible, then it obviously
will be for you. If, on the other hand, you decide to see if something is
possible or not, you will find out through trial and error.
Apply the lessons from the square
watermelons to areas in your life (work, finances, relationships, etc) and
by consistently applying them, you may continuously improve all aspects of
your life.
More
encouraging words
