What’s
the largest value of U.S. coins you could have in your pocket
and not be able to make exact change for a dollar?
There’s
an obstacle that many of us never get past. Might be a word problem.
Could be life overall. And, the main reason is because many of
us don’t even know it’s there. It just so happens that a riddle
or a brain teaser provides quite possibly the best example.
The
obstacle? People will respond to many challenges by saying they
have no idea, and then wait for you to provide an answer. They
give up. They don’t even try, and worse yet, they seem oblivious
to the idea that they gave up.
I’ve
found, every so often when a conversation turns to such material,
that it never really occurs to many people that there is a solution.
They toss their hands in the air—an act of I can’t do this defiance,
of sorts—and step away. I would contend that often, the first
hurdle in any dilemma is very simple: understand that there is
an answer. It should be a natural reaction. And, if it was, then
instead of giving up our first steps would actually be to move
toward solutions.
Are
you going to find the answer for everything? No, of course not.
None of us could. There are challenges beyond any of our skills
and abilities. We may need help. But the sheer volume of people
that give up before even taking a step is staggering.
I
don’t want this to take too serious of a turn, but I’ll ask. How
often do you feel a bit helpless? The reason I’m asking, and what
I’m wondering, goes back to my obstacle observation.
There’s
an old stereotype about men. Don’t like to ask for directions
when lost. Would rather drive around for a few hours, miss an
event entirely, rather than admit they are having problems. And
that is kind of where I’m going.
I
heard someone ask the question about coins the other day, and
it got me thinking. I happen to love brain teasers. Got rather
good at them. When I was younger, I learned a funny lesson about
them that helped. I can’t recall exactly when or where it happened,
but I realized that the question never changed because I complained
about it. All the complaining did was slow me down, occupy my
thoughts, cloud my work, to a point where I was moving in circles
and not toward an answer. Once I obtained that knowledge—kind
of an act now, get mad later approach—things seemed to get a bit
better. Suddenly, by understanding that the reason the question
was asked was in part because a solution existed, an appreciation
for puzzles took hold.
I
think that’s something all of us need to appreciate at times.
Whatever issues are around, we do have a choice. Complain or get
moving, so to speak. The issues don’t change just because we want
to curse and scream about them. What happens in those cases is
the issues remain issues, but slide into the unaddressed issues
category.
I’m
not trying to oversimplify things. Not trying to say that some
situations aren’t so incredible that there really aren’t any solutions
for the problems being faced. Absolutely, there are serious issues
all of us contend with, and I encourage you to find support and
help when you need it.
What
I am saying is that there is often a moment, in the very beginning,
where the idea has to be accepted that you are moving. And you
need to decide how you intend to move. In circles or toward a
finish.
For
instance, the question we began with? The answer is $1.19. The
best example is three quarters, four dimes and four pennies. Those
coins provide the greatest value you could have while also not
being able to make exact change for one dollar. There are actually
examples using a half-dollar, or more dimes, or less quarters.
But no matter how you begin combing the coins, the value remains
the same. $1.19. In the spirit of the essay, I’ll leave alternative
combinations for you to figure out.