Louis was determined to find a better way. He experimented with a system of raised dots and dashes the military had developed, but his schoolmates found the method too difficult. One day, while on vacation at his parents’ home, Louis visited his father’s leather shop and picked up a blunt awl. The idea came to him in a flash of inspiration. Just as an awl marked leather, he could use a series of raised dots on paper to create an alphabet.
Louis Braille opened up a whole new world for those who couldn’t see. In 1878, the World Congress for the Blind voted to make Braille’s invention the international reading and writing system for the blind. Braille has now been adopted in almost every language on the planet, impacting tens of millions of people for good. 11  
Before Archimedes had his “Eureka!” moment, how many people had taken a bath and watched the water rise when they got in the tub? The problem he was struggling with served as the catalyst for his profound insight. His high-stakes question (How do I figure out if the crown is pure gold?) combined with the rising water in the tub caused independent neurons in his brain to fire, to reach out and make new connections. An insightful thought came to Archimedes, and the principle of displacement was refined and applied for a useful purpose.
Problems drive questions, and questions draw out solutions. Problems force thinking and action where they are needed and don’t exist.
“No good land left and the king won’t let us worship the way we want? We’ll find a place with plenty of land away from the religion of the king to worship as we see fit.”
“The Pony Express is too slow? We’ll create the telegraph and the radio and the telephone.”
“People are starving? We’ll discover ways to grow higher-yield crops on less land for less money.”
By their very nature, problems challenge us, stretch us, and make us stronger. They give us broader perspective and allow us to see with greater clarity. They teach us compassion, empathy, and understanding, and provide opportunities for us to serve and love each another. And they force us to access latent intelligence that can be uncovered in no other way.
You don’t have to be stuck. There is a problem-solving model based on thousands of years of Big Ideas. The most prolific and profound thinkers, change agents, and problem solvers throughout history have used a similar model for finding solutions to their most difficult problems.
There is a physiological process for receiving inspiration, the kind of inspiration that provides answers to people’s most pressing business issues, creative obstacles, and personal problems. Research says that those who know how to use their brains to access these solutions enjoy happier, more productive, and more fulfilling lives.
LIZ MURRAY
What happened to Liz Murray, the homeless fifteen-year-old girl? In her book, Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard , Murray tells how she decided to change her life one night after a penetrating discussion with a friend.
I made a list:
Things to Look Forward to When I Eventually Get a Place:
1.
 Privacy
2.
 Being warm all the time
3.
 Food, any time I want
4.
 A big bed!!!
5.
 Clean clothes, socks especially!
6.
 Sleeping and no one wakes me up
7.
 Warm baths
As she wrote, she had a rush of insight. In order to make any of these things a reality, she needed to graduate from high school.
I tapped my journal’s empty page again and wrote:
Number of credits required for graduation from high school: 40?... 42? (find this out)
My age when the next school year will begin: 17
My current address: Wherever I am staying at the moment
My current total of high school credits: 1 12
That night, Murray made the decision to earn her high school diploma in spite of the odds against her. In the weeks that followed, she was rejected by every school she applied to but one, where she was scheduled for an interview that didn’t seem promising. The interview was across town, and she had only enough money for either a subway token or a slice of pizza. Discouraged, cold, and hungry, Murray desperately wanted the pizza, but an unusual prompting told her to go the interview. What if this school accepted her?
Ignoring her empty stomach, she bought the token. At the interview, she met Perry Weiner, founder of the Humanities Preparatory Academy, who accepted her on the condition that he would be her mentor through school. Under Weiner’s strict guidance, Murray earned four years of credits in two years with an A average, all while living in New York City parks, stairwells, and subway stations.
Through mind-boggling grit and determination, Murray continued her schooling. With a New York Times scholarship for needy students, she attended and graduated from Harvard University. Murray is now a motivational speaker and has appeared at events alongside former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Holiness, the Dalai Lama.
CONSIDER THIS BIG IDEA
Most of the amazing inventions and successful ventures in the world have come as solutions to problems. While we may sometimes feel overwhelmed by our problems, consider a shift in thinking. Recognize that problems are assets waiting to be harvested.
 Life’s problems, big or small, are full of wisdom and intelligence that can be gleaned to enrich our lives.
Actively look for the lessons you can learn from dealing with and solving problems.
Be grateful for the learning opportunities problems present.
As overwhelming as a problem seems, it is usually temporary and much smaller than you might think. Randy Orison wisely said, “No problem is as bad as it seems when it first arrives.”
Use the Big Ideas Model you’ll read about in this book to find solutions.