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The Problem with "Big"

So you’ve created your problem statement? Great! You’re on the right track to creating the best solutions. In other words, it’s time to problem-solve!

If you’re excited about the big problem that you’re going to tackle to make a meaningful impact, you should be! But wait do you feel it? That small, lingering part of you that feels terribly uncertain. Yeah, we feel it too.

As human beings, we naturally have this problem with “big”. When we see big problems, we want big solutions. Not that big solutions are necessarily bad!

But they become detrimental when we invest so much time and energy thinking about the size of these problems that we get stuck and lose sight of the big difference we could potentially have starting with small ideas.

The size of the problems becomes daunting and overwhelming, making us feel small and helpless.

We forget that even a small action or effort can make an impact. We get stuck in that state of “analysis paralysis” that we mentioned before!

But wait, there’s hope! The neat thing about human beings is our minds’ capacity to solve problems despite big challenges. 

Let’s take for example the domestication of fire. Fire is and always has been a natural form of nature. But through our adaptation, it became one of the earliest forms of innovation for mankind.

In other words, fire is a (literal) Stone Age technology. It’s the ultimate technology that marked the beginning of our rise to the top of the pyramid in spite of our scrawny physiques compared to those of our predators.

Fire symbolizes what makes us truly unique: the ability to tackle complex challenges with innovative, evolutionary solutions

The transformations of the use of power from then to now are many. What our ancestors used as a source of heat to keep them warm is now seen through modern heaters. What they used for roasting archaic creatures and nut crops, we now use in Michelin star restaurants.

As you can see, our use of fire evolved over time because we domesticated it!

Fire demonstrates the amazing capacity of humankind for disruptive innovation, and more importantly, our timeless capacity to create solutions to solve big problems.

But these big solutions, such as light bulbs and ovens were not created overnight nor by one person.

Fire bagan as a small spark to create warmth, but was built upon over generations of change makers to become the disruptive technologies it is today.

It was once one small idea, one small moment of time that changed the course of history over hundreds of thousands of years.

Whether the problem that demands to be solved is defending ourselves from a saber-toothed cat or solving climate change, like fire, the solution doesn’t have to be big to make a difference.

Impactful solutions come in all sorts of shapes and sizes ...whether it’s creating a torch of fire or recycling!

Recycle one bottle today and the impact seems so small. Yet, recycle one bottle everyday for the next year and the impact suddenly increases exponentially.

Small-impact solutions turn into bigger-impact solutions in the long-run! Don’t forget that!

"Good" Solutions Aren't Always the Same Size...

Solutions vary in size! We’ve made that clear! Now then, what’s a good solution? Good solutions answer the following questions:

• Does it tackle the problem? 
• Is it feasible?
• Is it scalable?
• Is it something that aligns with your values? (Think NORTH STAR)

It’s not about finding the right solution. Anything can be right. It’s about finding what’s right for you!

Our goal at this stage is not to get to the “perfect” or “right” solution. Our goal is to develop as many potential solutions as possible. Let’s broaden our mindset!

It’s not about whether it’s the right solution. Be curious about all the types of interesting solutions you could find! And who knows, maybe your “right” solution is hiding somewhere in that creative mix. 

How do we do this? We achieve this through ideation.