The box

The box is a little exercise that is taught at corporate workshops by motivational speakers.

Here’s how it works. You draw a box with 9 dots, like so:



* * *

* * * Oops graphics a funky here, spread these dots out

* * * into a box


Now, you need to draw 4 straight lines that go through all 9 dots, with out lifting the pen.

DON’T READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU WISH TO FIGURE THIS GAME OUT ON YOUR OWN…THE ANSWER WILL BE REVEILED!

I learned the box in a workshop called Lifespring, which is like EST or the Forum, basically workshops designed to suck you dry of all finances, and brain wash you into getting as many of your friends and family involved as possible, under the guise of self improvement.

The leader of the workshop drew out the dots and asked us to try and draw the 4 straight lines with out lifting the pen that went through all the dots.

Eventually I got up and did this….
. :

2 . :

* * *
. 4 :
* * . *
. . : 1 Sorry folks I tired to add graphics
. . * . * . *
3

(draw a line up the right side and out of the box, then a diagnal line hitting the top second dot and first dot of the second line and extended out of the box as well, then a line across the bottom, and finally a diganal line hitting the ramaining dots.)

You have to go beyond the box of 9 dots to be able hit them all…thus “think outside the box.” It’s about creative problem solving.

Well, the leader was pissed off. She grilled me and insisted that I had done the exercise before. I didn’t, I just figured it out, cause I’m a fucking genius!