Have you ever heard of Slick Willie Sutton?

If yes, then good for you, but if you haven’t, no need to worry because I’m about to tell you who he was.

Slick Willie Sutton, aka Willie Sutton, was a bank robber who committed most of his crimes in the early 1900s.

So, what does a bank robber have to do with you?

Well, I’m glad you asked.

One day, a reporter asked Slick Willie why he robbed banks, and rumor has it that he replied, “Because that’s where the money is.”

Read that last line again.

That makes sense, right?

He went to where he would find what he was looking for because he had asked the right questions.

What are you looking for? And are you asking the right questions and searching in the right places for the answers?

Or are you practicing the Streetlight effect?

What is the Streetlight effect?

Here you go.

The Streetlight effect

A policeman sees a drunk man searching for something under a streetlight and asks what the drunk has lost. He says he lost his keys and they both look under the streetlight together. After a few minutes the policeman asks if he is sure he lost them here, and the drunk replies, no, and that he lost them in the park. The policeman asks why he is searching here, and the drunk replies, “this is where the light is”

While this is an amusing story, it drives home the point about looking in the right place and not where it’s easiest.

So when you’re out looking for solutions to problems or challenges, make sure you’re more like Slick Willie, asking the right questions, and less like the drunk who lost his keys.

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, do me a favor and share it with one person you love.