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DJG Inner circle The northern hemisphere of Earth 1295 Posts |
I wrote this to go with my own Magic Square app (still Android beta testing) and wanted to share my presentation. You can easily adjust it for your own favorite Magic Square. Any feedback is greatly appreciated:
______________________________ We’ve all heard about the importance of looking at the big picture. The simple reason for this is because it works. This technique has been used countless times to solve numerous puzzles throughout history. To understand our planet, we study the other planets in the solar system. To understand the human body, we look at the trillions of cells we are made of, and what affect they have on us. And vice versa. So why can’t we use the same method to solve problems within our daily lives? After all, isn’t a problem just a puzzle waiting to be solved? This is a really important concept to understand, because the problems that we often face in life are actually made up of several smaller ones. And more often than not, we get so entangled in individual smaller problems that we totally forget about the larger picture. Take for example a magic square, which like life, is nothing more than a puzzle. (Draw your 4x4 grid.) To solve it, we need to step back and look at it as a whole. Actually, math is the perfect way to illustrate this point. In math, numbers are made up of smaller numbers. Let me give you an example. Could you please give me a two-digit number? (Let’s say they choose 42.) Perfect! (Solve the magic square as you continue.) Now, if we were to look at the number as a whole, we can slowly start seeing several combinations of smaller numbers that can make up our number, (42). There can be so many different combinations to arrive at this number. Similarly, in life, there are several combinations of outcomes that can lead to a larger result. Now, let’s take a look at a real-world problem and how this concept applies there. We’ve all worried about something at one point in life. It’s a natural response in anticipation of a future problem. But, worrying isn’t useless, it’s an emotion that’s often misunderstood and underutilized. Worry is a call to action, bringing our concerns to the forefront, and allowing us a moment to take steps in order to prevent it. Solving this call to action can decrease the amount of time we spend fearing the future, and if it’s something we can’t prevent, realizing we shouldn’t worry. The trick is to take action instead of over thinking it. The same concept applies to the puzzles we face in our own daily lives as well. If you’re overwhelmed with the details of the smaller ones, it will behoove you to step back and look at the bigger picture. (Draw attention to the magic square.) Here we chose (42). If you choose a row and add all of the numbers together, you’ll get the total (42). Try it! You can choose any row horizontally or vertically and get the same result. Taking it step further, the diagonal rows also total (42). Even the four squares in the middle add up to (42). The next time you run into a problem ask yourself, “What steps can I take?” or “Am I looking at the big picture?” You’ll soon realize that your problem-solving skills will be greatly enhanced and the wider perspective will reveal several key insights that might help you in ways you can’t even imagine. Thank you.
Your choices in life can be compared to watching a magic trick: You can continue to believe the illusion in front of you, find the intrigue and desire to learn more, or quit paying attention the moment you feel deceived.
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hcs Special user Germany, Magdeburg 506 Posts |
Instead of "Take for example a magic square, which like life, is nothing more than a puzzle." I would prefer the term "challenge.”
"Take, for example, a magic square, which like life, is nothing more than a challenge." (42) 18-05-04-15 11-08-09-14 07-12-13-10 06-17-16-03 |
hcs Special user Germany, Magdeburg 506 Posts |
We've all heard about the importance of looking at the big picture. The simple reason for this is because it works. This technique has been used countless times to solve numerous challenges throughout history.
To understand our planet, we study the other planets in the solar system. To understand the human body, we look at the trillions of cells we are made of and what effect they have on us. And vice versa. So why can't we use the same technique to solve problems within our daily lives? After all, isn't a problem just a challenge waiting to be solved? Using the technique of looking at big pictures is an essential concept to understand because the problems that we often face in life are made up of several smaller ones. And more often than not, we get so entangled in individual smaller issues that we forget about the larger picture. Take, for example, a magic square, which like life, is nothing more than a challenge. (Draw your 4x4 grid.) To solve it, we need to step back and look at it as a whole. Math is the perfect way to illustrate this point. In math, numbers consist of a sum of smaller numbers. Let me give you an example. Could you please give me a two-digit number? (Let's say they choose 42.) Perfect! (Solve the magic square as you continue.) Now, if we were to look at the number as a whole, we can slowly start seeing several combinations of smaller numbers that can make up our number (42). There can be so many different combinations to arrive at this number. Similarly, in life, there are several combinations of outcomes that can lead to a larger result. Now, let's take a look at a real-world problem and how this concept applies there. We've all worried about something at one point in life. It’s a natural response in anticipation of a future problem. But, worrying isn't useless; it's an emotion that's often misunderstood and underutilized. Worry is a call to action, bringing our concerns to the forefront and allowing us a moment to take steps to prevent it. Solving this call to action can decrease the amount of time we spend fearing the future, and if it's something we can't control, realizing we shouldn't worry. The trick is to take action instead of overthinking it. The same concept applies to the puzzles we face in our own daily lives as well. If you're overwhelmed with the details of the smaller ones, it will behoove you to step back and look at the bigger picture. (Draw attention to the magic square.) Here we chose (42). If you select a row and add all of the numbers together, you'll get the total (42). Try it! You can choose any row or column getting the same result. The diagonals also total (42). Even the four squares in the middle add up to (42). The next time you run into a problem, ask yourself, "What steps can I take?" or "Am I looking at the big picture?" You'll soon realize that your problem-solving skills will be significantly enhanced, and the broader perspective will reveal several key insights that might help you in ways you can't even imagine. Thank you. |
DJG Inner circle The northern hemisphere of Earth 1295 Posts |
And using math I was 'one uped':) Thank you! It certainly helps with the flow! Enjoy!
Your choices in life can be compared to watching a magic trick: You can continue to believe the illusion in front of you, find the intrigue and desire to learn more, or quit paying attention the moment you feel deceived.
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