Welcome to the Blooming Mindset. I’m Ruth Rieckehoff, and I’m so glad you’re here. Some of my emails include affiliate links. If you choose to purchase, I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. I only share what I’ve personally used, trusted, and found meaningful enough to pass along.
Beloved Architect of Identity,
The other day, I had one goal.
Find a cronut.
If you’ve never had one, it’s exactly what it sounds like, a croissant and a doughnut somehow becoming one thing. Crispy. Buttery. Sweet. Ridiculous in the best way.
Back in Los Angeles, there was a small bakery that made a simple version I loved. Ever since moving, I’ve been hoping to find another one.
No luck.
What I did find was a French bakery with incredible croissants. Not exactly what I was looking for. Still worth the trip.
As I sat there enjoying one, my mind wandered somewhere completely different.
For years, I’ve thought of myself as a problem solver.
It makes sense. I’m an engineer. A data analyst. My work has always revolved around identifying problems and finding better ways to solve them.
Business teaches the same lesson. Find a pain point. Solve it. People will pay for it.
That’s good advice.
But somewhere along the way, I started believing it was the only way to create value.
Now I catch myself whenever that thought shows up.
“Ruth, there is life beyond problems.”
Because not everything valuable exists to fix something.
Some things exist because someone became curious. Someone wondered what would happen if two good things met.
A croissant and a doughnut.
Chicken and waffles.
A breakfast sandwich with hot honey.
Or stracciatella ice cream.
Nobody looked at plain ice cream and said, “We have a serious problem here.”
Someone simply imagined tiny flakes of chocolate floating through it.
The result wasn’t a solution. It was a new experience.
The more I pay attention, the more I realize that many successful businesses, products, and creative works begin the same way.
Not with a problem statement. With an opportunity statement.
What fits together? What if I simplified this? What if I expressed this differently? What if I made this more delightful?
Those questions create just as much value as solving problems.
Maybe more.
If you’re only looking for broken things to fix, you’ll overlook countless opportunities to create something people didn’t even know they wanted.
Sometimes the next great idea isn’t waiting inside a problem.
It’s hiding inside a combination. Inside your curiosity.
Inside the simple question: “What happens if…?”
Until next time, keep blooming,
Ruth
Reflect
- What ideas have you dismissed because they didn’t solve an obvious problem?
- Where in your work or life could you combine two good things to create something people would genuinely enjoy?
Reframe
Old belief: Value only comes from solving problems.
New belief: Value can also come from combining, expressing, simplifying, delighting, translating, or exploring new possibilities.
Actionable Transformation
-
Expand your idea prompts. For your next brainstorming session, don’t stop at “What problem can I solve?” Also ask:
- What fits together?
- What could I simplify?
- What would make this more enjoyable?
- What could I reinterpret for a different audience?
- Practice creative combinations. Pick two unrelated products, ideas, or experiences each week and ask, “What would happen if these worked together?” Most ideas won’t go anywhere. One might.
- Keep an opportunity journal. Instead of writing down only frustrations you notice, capture moments of curiosity, surprising combinations, delightful experiences, and patterns others seem to overlook. Those observations are often the raw material for your best work.
P.S. Next time you’re brainstorming, don’t just ask, “What problem can I solve?” Also ask, “What two good things have never met before?” You might surprise yourself.
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