The Process of Being a Genius
Taught by a wizard.
My father was a lot of fun. Today I’ll give an experience and how you can use the example to live a better life.
Dad and I enjoyed duck hunting. We had a 14-foot aluminum boat with a 20-horse outboard that went pretty fast. Our favorite spot was about a 20-minute ride across the lake. Our usual procedure was to find our spot, place decoys, hide the boat and call. One day we decided it was time to quit. Dad started the motor, put it in gear, and we didn’t move. He stopped the motor and went to the back of the boat. He raised the outboard and said, “Shit. We lost the prop.”
I started laughing. This shouldn’t have been a laughing matter. The law required us to have one oar. We had one. It would have been a long paddle.
Dad sat and thought for a moment. “I wonder if I could find it?”
He was wearing waders. The water was just above his knees and was so murky that you couldn’t see your hand once it was six inches under the water.
He walked around feeling the bottom of the lake. After a few minutes, he said, “I found the prop.”
I was astonished. That was amazing.
“I wonder if I can find the nut?” He kept searching.
In my mind, finding the prop was one thing. Finding the nut was something else. Chances were better that he would step on it than find it.
After a bit, he had the nut. He got in the boat.
“What could I use for a cotter pin?” He sat motionless waiting for the answer.
Then he picked up the pliers and screwdriver that he always kept onboard. He took out his keys and straightened the key ring out. He used the key ring as a cotter pin to keep the nut in place.
We motored home.
There is an important process to be learned. Dad found the problem. The prop was lost. Then he thought about a solution. Maybe he could find it. Then, against the odds, he acted in faith and found both the prop and the nut.
He used the same process for the cotter pin. Problem was how to keep the nut on the shaft. He knew he needed something like a cotter pin. He asked the question and sat and waited for the answer. The answer was the key ring. He then made it happen.
As I tell the story, it probably seems trivial. I was in the boat. I thought finding the prop was a waste of time. Finding the nut was even more incredible. I’m not sure if I would have had the faith to get out and look. I might have just started paddling.
Then, coming up with the idea of using the key ring as a cotter pin was genius. Where did that come from? I watched as he sat and waited for the idea. That is not the thinking process we learn in school. You don’t try to remember that from a class or book you read. That is creativity.
Try the process in your life. Look at problems differently. Ask for new solutions. Wait for an answer. Then have enough faith to try to implement the answer. You might be surprised at the results.