The Right Answer

From: Maxims 4 Mavericks

I stumbled upon this artwork this morning and instantly fell in love with the point. It is obvious that the seeker did indeed find x, though there is also another (obvious) solution- to solve for x.

It reminded me of a post I wrote on my outdoor adventure blog about bouldering. Now, if you're not a climber, you may not be clear on this term. Bouldering is a series of climbing moves done on a short wall or actual boulder without the use of ropes. It's just you, your climbing shoes, a spotter (if you're playing it smart) and a big, fluffy crash pad to break your fall. 

Just like in climbing, the moves can be puzzling and there is almost always more than one way to arrive at the top. So much depends on the climber's style, strengths and body stature.  I quickly learned that one of my strengths was NOT upper body.  Here's the story:

I would attempt a problem (a boulder route), fall off and stand back, bewildered, while I watched someone else complete it. I did this time and time again, trying to pick up ideas and tips from other climbers.

...I stood with crossed arms watching Stephen and Rich climb a problem I had just attempted. One of the girls I boulder with, Breanne, was standing beside me, chatting about her technique on the same route. As we watched the guys on the wall it became apparent that there were two very different techniques being applied- Stephen was able to bypass certain holds because of his longer reach while Rich would turn his feet a different direction on a hold to reach the next point.

After each successfully completed the same route, Breanne remarked, "Even though each person has their own style of climbing they still solve the same problem."

Can you think of a situation where you've always used the same methodology until someone came along  presenting an entirely new solution? Did you continue doing it the same way or did you take the opportunity to learn from it ?