The ability to think outside the box is critical if you are going to excel in your chosen career. You can have a perfectly respectable career by doing things the way they have always been done,

but people who genuinely go on to greatness are those who set themselves apart from others with their creative, unusual approaches and solutions.

Lay the Groundwork

Before you can think outside the box, you need to know what and where the box is and what its limitations are.

Without a strong background in the field that interests you, you may not be able to tell what is fresh and new.

Getting an education can be expensive, but it's best to think of it as an investment.

You can get federal student loans as well as private student loans to help fund the cost of your tuition, books, and living expenses.

Innovation

People who think outside the box are innovators. If you consider some of the companies that have come to prominence in the last 20 years or so, they are all driven by innovation.

Jeff Bezos had an idea to sell books to people who were just learning how to browse something that was then often called the World Wide Web, and Amazon was born.

Netflix revolutionized the idea of going to the video rental store, first by setting up a mail-order DVD business and then by offering to stream.

Thinking outside the box doesn't mean you have to start a billion-dollar business, but whatever field you work in, there are probably new and better ways of doing things.

Whether you are a business owner or an employee, the ability to innovate will set you apart from others throughout your career.

Adaptation

Another important reason to learn to think outside the box is that it makes you more adaptable, and in the rapidly changing world of work, adaptability is critical.

Technology has changed or is rapidly changing many fields and professions including journalism, manufacturing, retail, education, and more.

The growth in remote work means some jobs have moved outside of the country entirely while others may not require you to go into an office regularly.

Even in low-tech fields, there are bound to change, and the ability to adapt will serve you well in your chosen career.

Problem-Solving

The ability to think outside the box gives you the perspective you need to problem-solve and come up with new solutions.

Many companies and their employees are mired in the belief that “we've always done it this way” is the answer to any inquiry about whether procedures could be improved.

These companies and employees are generally left behind when the inevitable change occurs or a problem arises that requires a different approach.

They are generally only able to come up with a few limited responses. Thinking outside the box means that you see possibilities where others do not and are not hemmed in by convention.

When you open yourself to new ideas, problems become opportunities to take a more creative, proactive, and successful approach to a situation.