Stuck In The Problem
The problem with problem-solving is that we tend to focus on the problem.
Well, how else would you solve a problem if not to focus on it?
THIS is going to be really big for you in your business and in your personal life, so take some side notes on this one!
When we focus on the problem, we aren’t actually getting as close to a solution as we want. Think about a big problem you’re facing – better yet, think about a big desire you have. What’s something really big that you want?
What are you telling yourself about why you don’t have that yet?
Here, THE PROBLEM is in the story you’re telling yourself and that story is based in lack: “I don’t have the money.”
Or, “I don’t have the time.”
If you (or your child) were diagnosed with some horrible life-threatening disease, you’d likely find both the money and the time to make sure that the care needed was found.
Where would the time or money come from and what makes the difference?
The difference is a sense of urgency and a deep connectedness to a positive outcome. We can have a sense of urgency and live our lives in a state of panic, as a victim of circumstance, awaiting the rescue of some outside force. Or, we could take charge during urgent times and assemble a team that creates the resource pool that moves towards the intended outcome.
The difference maker is decision.
You DECIDE – and remember that the Latin roots of that word mean “to cut off.” That is, you cut away anything that’s not leading you in the direction of your stated outcome.
Quick examples:
1). You get a flat tire, and you focus on what caused the flat. Was it a nail or a screw? “Ahhh, darn it. I knew it’d happen if I got too close to that construction area.” And you wonder when it happened exactly. Maybe you blame yourself for running over a board in the road. Maybe you worry about being late to where you were going.
And guess what? You still have a flat. Energy went into the problem, not the next positive outcome. Cut that thinking away and get back on the road.
2). You get an offer to join a mastermind group or step into a program that’ll get you thinking in ways that others have used to uplevel their lives. “Oh, I wish I could.” “Oh, the timing isn’t right.”
It’s more important to take ownership here. “I decided not to step in.”
Taking accountability for your decisions is huge. It gets you out of problem thinking.
If you “wish you could” then decide to do it. Or simply make the statement that you are choosing not to.
Hand wringing doesn’t get you closer to finding the resources to bring health to yourself or a loved one. It doesn’t fix the flat tire. And it doesn’t make you or anyone else feel better about the excuses you offer for not stepping up.
Tough talk, maybe.
You owe it to yourself to re-read all of this.
If you focus on the problem, you’ll have reasons for the problem.
If you focus on your EPO – Envisioned Positive Outcome – you’ll have new opportunities and pathways to a solution. Your job, then, is to step into those opportunities. Or, fall back into the easy-yet-uncomfortably-familiar victim mindset.
Will you continue to live as a victim of circumstance, or will you now take creative control of your life and pay a little more attention to the opportunities that show up? You choose to stay stuck in the problem or you decide to focus on your envisioned positive outcome.
It’s all up to you and your focus. Keep making your magic!
See you here next week.
= Wayne =
P.S. What if… what if you decided to explore a new way – and a new level – of being?