The truth is always there. But it can often be difficult to see past the "truth" we're convinced we're right about. I've worked on numerous projects at my job in the hope of simplifying a complicated process. Often the most effective solution comes from someone with the fewest preconceived notions about the process. You might even say they don't know anything about what they're talking about. This makes them priceless. They know they don't know and so they look for solutions everywhere. They examine every connection. They are learning about it for the first time and take nothing for granted. It's sort of like looking for something you've lost. You've looked everywhere that makes sense (including the last place you think you had it) but you still haven't found it. This means it's somewhere that doesn't make sense. Which means you're going to have to look everywhere, not just the obvious places.
For someone like me, this is incredibly difficult because I think in patterns. I tend to gain new insight by seeking new patterns. Trying to think outside the box requires thinking beyond the pattern, often trying to ignore any existing patterns completely so as to avoid distraction. This is how novel ideas are born and how new patterns are discovered. Letting go of these patterns and "free thinking" is an extremely difficult process for me but I've learned that listening very carefully and very patiently effectively turns off my "analyze" function long enough to absorb something new.
To be empowered by knowledge instead of crippled by it is truly an incredible skill, well worth pursuing.
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