A Secret Inside Albert Einstein’s Famous Quote

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” — Albert Einstein

Photo by Andrew George on Unsplash

There’s a secret in this quote that I want to unpack with you today. But first let’s fully grasp what it says on the surface.

The Surface Level Power of This Quote

When you read this quote on the surface, it already conveys a powerful idea about mindset and problem solving

.If you don’t change the way you think, you will continue to see things the same. And in seeing things the same, your approach to overcome challenges will likewise remain the same as well.

When most of us fail, we don’t do anything vastly different the next time. Instead, we’ll possibly put the blame on external reasons and keep trying again.

Next we might seek out new knowledge. But the real issue is not about knowledge. It’s about wisdom. It’s about perspective. It’s about how you use the knowledge you have.

That is the key that Einstein gives us with this powerful statement. It gives us an escape from repeating the same failures over and over.

So that’s how I’ve always read it.

But now I see something deeper.

Somewhat more subtle.

Instead of seeing this idea through the lens of typical problems.

What if we applied this idea towards any future reality that’s different from today?

The Deeper Secret Applied to Goal Setting

Remembering that they key to the quote is not knowledge, it’s perspective… how could we apply this towards setting any goal?

For example… when most of us begin dreaming about a future reality that is different than we have right now, we start seeing a gap. Be that a gap of money or resources, a gap of time or knowledge, or a gap of relationships.

Somewhere in all those gaps with think that all we need is to fill that gap with the missing piece and all will be fine.