3 Great problem solving stragies part II

Strategy 2 –Look from underneath
Often when trying to solve problem solving we think in one dimension. Straight at it. So I’m trying to decide what to buy my partner for Christmas. All I can see are things that I want him to have. Well he may not want those. So how to find a solution?
Reverse the problem or look at it from underneath If he is trying to find a present for me, what does he want me to have? Is that something he really wants for himself? If  I pretend its next month; what would he be really grateful to me for having given him. As I write I come up with all sorts of prosaic, useful things.. but maybe he really would prefer them to the nonsense I might buy!
So try to take  a really different perspective.. what would the fly on the wall see? What would the  Dali Lama do? What would he do in my shoes?

Right off to buy the snow shovel!