I put together a simple test that takes less than 2 minutes to complete.
It tests your ability to perform a seemingly straight-forward activity.
Want to give it a try?
Click here to launch the video (WMV format – 7Meg)
There is audio associated with the video, but the test can easily be done without any sound. Viewing in “full screen” mode (Alt-Enter in Windows Media Player) makes it easier to see.
Thanks to Jordan L. LeBel, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Food and Beverage Management & Marketing at Cornell University. He is an expert in chocolate and provided the delicious picture included in this video.
Erin says:
I had a similar real-life experience. When taking the dog for a walk to purchase a newspaper, the leash got caught after the vending machine door closed on it. I left the dog and dashed across the street to my house to grab more quarters. I shoved the quarters in but failed to get the door to release. Panic set in as I ran back for more quarters and worried that the 90-lb dog might be able to drag the newspaper vending box into the morning traffic in an attempt to follow me. I finally managed to get the leash free and return home with the “$3 newspaper”, the leash and the dog.
When my visiting parents asked why I looked so rattled, I told them about the incident. My dad just grinned and asked, “Why didn’t you just unsnap the dog from the leash?”
It was then that I realized that I had been so focused on one end of the problem that I hadn’t stepped back far enough to consider the situation as a whole. If I had shifted my perspective, I might have seen the solution (the opportunity) was at the other end.