Thinking Outside the Box? What Box?

Updated October 2025

Who invented that box, anyway?

The box is a fear barrior, the one most people (not you) are afraid to think outside of. What’s so scary about crossing the Fear Bridge? So what if you’re not so comfy? Have you given birth? Tasted sour milk? Swallowed a bug? You’ve been there. Just cross it or you’ll miss the boat.

Still chicken? Cross with a friend. It doesn’t take much to get in touch with the creative spark we’re all born with. That’s what Venture Up is about. Joining people together to kick fear aside and get busy.

If you’re still not convinced that box needs burning yet, here’s another reason: The phrase, “Think outside the box” ranked #2 on a list of “40 Most Annoying Phrases in the Workplace,” right behind “Give 110 percent”. Time to crack the group think yet?

Get Crackin’

If you need practice, you can start cracking codes with Venture Up’s original Escape the Case table game, below. This box was created during the Covid reset when the Venture Up’s takeover team — the founders’ sons — were lazing about on their ranch in the Superstition Mountains in Gold Canyon, Arizona with nothing but time on their hands.

So they planted a vineyard and created a new game. The Escape the Case game became one of the most successful programs in the firm’s 40-year history. This box needs no burning.

Fear: The Real Box

The biggest barrier to creative thinking isn’t a box — it’s fear. Fear of looking dumb. Fear of failing. Fear of being the first one to say the weird idea out loud.

We call this the Fear Bridge — that shaky crossing between a safe move and a bold one. Most people tiptoe. The fun starts when you sprint across, laughing. Sometimes it’s easier when you’re not alone … like when you with a friend or a group. Creativity’s not a performance; it’s a playground.

So, how do you burn the box on your way out? Start by treating creativity like a game, not a meeting.

The Game That Proves It

Take Escape the Case flips the classic escape-room concept on its head.

Nobody leaves the room. You’re stuck, honey. You start with a big suitcase, open smaller cases inside, and work your way inward. The clues aren’t out there — they’re right in front of you. Just like real problem-solving.

The first adventure? The mystery of D.B. Cooper — the guy who jumped out of a plane with bundles of cash and vanished into legend. And, no, he still hasn’t been found — that’s fake news.

Just as the COVID era flipped the world on its backside, causing death and destruction, it also birthed creative pathways of human resilience and new perspectives on the world and the fumbling ruling class. It also empowered a lot of people to take the reins, home school their kids and pay attention.

The same new perspective can cut through corporate jargon and torch the buzzwords that once passed for meaning.

Burning the Buzzwords

Corporate clichés are the death of imagination. Here are a few classics we’ve retired — and our alternative translations for the modern team:

Old Phrase	Venture Up Translation
Push the envelope	Take a risk.
Don’t reinvent the wheel	Reinvent it. Make it square.
Boil the ocean	As if.
Back to square one	Nope. Forward.
There’s no “I” in team	There are at least two.
Paradigm shift	Pivot
Elephant in the room	Animals are welcome.
Raise the bar	Who dropped it?
Best thing since sliced bread	Tell the croissant
Reach out	Connect.
Play hardball	Don’t be a jerk.
The bottom line	Just say money.
Hit the nail on the head	We like that one.

The Real Message

You don’t have to “think outside the box.” You just have to remember the box isn’t real. It’s a concept, like fear. What limits creativity is imaginary — fear, ego, pressure from others. Light a match. Burn the box. Roast some marshmallows.

Because work should be fun. And if you’re not laughing, you’re not learning. Or living.

Venture Up (est. 1983) is the original team building company, helping organizations build trust and collaboration through real-world experience.
© 2025 Venture Up Inc. | ventureup.com