Getting out of your Mental Set by Jessica

Getting out of your Mental Set by Jessica - October 2018 Scholarship Essay

Whenever you are faced with a problem, there is never just one solution. If a certain solution has worked for you before, it is difficult to get out of your “mental set”. A mental set is a psychology term for persistently using the same strategies for approaching problems. In other words, you are not able to think outside of the box. In fact, being stuck in your mental set actually impedes your ability to problem solve effectively.
When a person says, “think outside of the box,” they are telling you to think creatively. They are telling you to look past what you think you know, and approach the problem for a different perspective. This could in turn allow you to come up with another way to solve an issue. For example, many people are stuck in the mental set that bricks are used purely for construction purposes. This leaves out many possible uses that a brick can have. A brick can be a doorstop, a paperweight, a garden stepping stone, a weight for exercise, a weapon, etc. When you begin to think outside of the box, you see many possibilities that you never would have dreamed of.
Personally, I am a broke cookie. I am a current college student, but I lack the funds to stay in school. The question arises, so how do I stay? There is the obvious answer, get a job. In fact, I got four jobs and still am behind on funds. Therefore, I now have to think outside of the box. What are some legal ways to make money so that I will have enough funds to stay in school?
First of all, scholarships are an amazing way to make money. It is a large time investment, and it is likely that against the thousands of other applicants yours will not be chosen. Although, someone has to win. There is always a winner, and there is that possibility that the winner might be you. Second of all, in college, there are always studies being conducted in the psychology department as well as others. Some of those studies pay money for your participation. So far I have seen studies that have ranged from $10.00 to $750.00. Surely there are qualifications one has to meet in order to participate, but the point still stands that is an option. Finally, there is always GoFundMe. People use GoFundMe for all different kinds of things. People try to raise money for medical funds, mission trips, college, etc. The possibilities are endless for what you could use GoFundMe for. Again this is not a guarantee that you will make money, but when all else fails it is a decent option. There is always someone out there looking out to help others. These are just a few options; there are still plenty of other ways!
Thinking outside of the box goes far past just being creative. Thinking outside of the box is viewing problems from a whole new perspective. It allows us to step outside of our mental set, and see new solutions for problems that we may never even thought of. Thinking outside of the box is a useful skill to have, and I would even argue that it is necessary. I know that it has certainly helped me, not to mention it is what inspired me to write this essay in the first place. We owe thinking outside of the box more than we could ever repay.