Home » Insights » Nine dots out of the box

Internal boundaries include your fears, self-worth, time, vision, values, and more, whilst external boundaries can include time (again), rules, conventions and scarce resources.

Boundaries are an essential part of freedom. Inside your boundaries, you have the freedom to choose what you will do and when. However, boundaries can constrict your freedom.

Stepping outside your boundaries, if not illegal, may be uncomfortable, even scary.

So, boundaries can be a blessing and a curse.

However, to make a difference you will probably need to step outside your boundaries, your box, your comfort zone, call it what you will, to think beyond the normal.

Consider the Nine Dot puzzle shown here. Your challenge is to join all nine dots with no more than four straight lines without lifting your pen from the paper.

The puzzle is usually used for fun and occasionally by HR departments testing new applicants. However, the puzzle tells you something fundamental about boundaries, which you will understand when you work it out.

I’ll expand on this next week (and provide the solution).

PS It’s normally done with four lines. There is a way with three lines, but that is really only possible if you call it the Nine Circle Puzzle. Have a think about it.