Problem Solving
Ever heard the Notorious B.I.G song - Mo Money, Mo Problems? It was one of many hot tracks on the 1997 double-disc “Life After Death” Album - It was a major hit at the time. That said, this isn’t a music review blog. However, if we cast aside the literal innuendo - “More Money, More Problems”, and delve deeper into the meaning of the message, it simply infers that - “The next level of your life will always demand a better version of you”.
We tend to view life through our pair of rose tinted glasses with the notion that things ought to always be blissful with no bumps in the road. As such, we’ve developed a negative view of problems, believing they are stumbling blocks as opposed to stepping stones.
What we fail to understand is that “problems require energy to exist”. The concept is that we should focus more on solving problems without depleting ourselves of energy thinking about “the problem”. Because, the more energy we expend thinking about a problem, the more it grows in size within the premise of our imagination. We begin to worry about what might happen, devising a plethora of possible future scenarios. Research shows that our fears of a problem tends to outweigh its actual danger, and that we suffer more in our imagination of the problem than in reality of any challenges we’re presented with.
So here are a few tips for problem solving;
Focus your Energy, Time and Thought on the solution, not the problem. 90% focus on the solution; 10% on the problem
Develop a positive mindset towards problems. Challenges present you with an opportunity to grow
Try not to get stressed. When we’re stressed our body goes into survival mode and we tend to make poor choices when in survival
Write down the problem and the type of solution you want. Writing it down gives you power over the problem and creates headspace to strategise about the solution
Make a decision on how to solve the problem and outline whatever resources your require
Flood your mind with certainty and belief that your plan for solving the problem will work. What you believe in is what you bring about.
Take action. Procrastination leads to weakness; Optimism to power
Once the problem is solved, learn and grow from it. A mind stretch by a new experience shouldn’t return to its old dimensions
Remember: “If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you” - Fred DeVito
Peace, Love & Light