Fixing

Fix the problem and then fix yourself, or fix yourself and then fix the problem. Centered problem solving works either way.

-- doug smith

 

Coming Around

Helping someone else solve their problem can likely lead to you solving one of your own.

-- doug smith

 

Knowledge Helps

Knowing what you want from a solution is the first step in getting it.

-- doug smith

Quick take

When problems ensue try talking them thru.

-- doug smith

Problem After Problem

As soon as I solve every problem I can think of I think of more problems.

That's not a bad thing, but it is a thing. We live with an endless supply of problems.

All the more reason to keep busy solving them.

-- doug smith

Team Bonding

Solving problems is a great way to engage your team.

Team members are already feeling the effects of your problems. There are numerous benefits to getting the whole team involved in solving those same problems.

In the process, when the effort is collaborative and centered, the team bonds as well.

-- doug smith

Respect

Your voice could be the voice that solves a problem but first that voice must be respected and heard.

Build the respect. 

-- doug smith

Simply Put

If the problem is yours to solve you can find a way to solve it.

-- doug smith

Keep Digging

The root cause of your problem is probably deeper than you suspect.

Keep digging.

-- doug smith

 

No Matter What

Solve what you can. Manage what you must. Keep learning no matter what.

-- doug smith

Shrink That Problem

Left alone, problems continue to grow.  That's not what we want, but problems don't care about what we want.

Shrink that problem to insignificance by solving it.

-- doug smith

You May Need to Do Something

No matter what anyone tells you, some problems can not be imagined away.

We'd like to believe that positive thinking can accomplish anything. Anything? I'm not so sure.

It's comforting to think that our beliefs matter more than the facts -- but have you ever pitted your beliefs against immutable facts and prevailed? That stove top will still burn your hand no matter how much you believe that it is harmless. That gathered army on your border could still invade you no matter how positive you think about your enemies.

I'm not against a metaphysical awareness -- far from it -- I just don't rely on metaphysics when physics is in control. 

Imagine all you want. Believe all you want. But, that problem you are facing probably will need some action if you want to solve it.

-- doug smith

 

Fear?

Difficult situations amplify fear. When we are uncertain of how to handle a situation, it can push our fear out into the open.

But, it is worth considering:

Problems are not the cause of fear. Problems can be the cure for fear.

Whatever brought the fear on, once you've solved the problem in front of you, that fear is likely to fade.

There are so many benefits to solving problems that we might as well keep solving them!

-- doug smith

 

Illusion?

A house without problems may be filled with lies.

I'd like to pause just to ponder that.

Problems are not abnormal. Problems are a natural outcome of life in action. While our hope and desire may be perfect harmony, and we may spend considerable efforts toward obtaining that perfect harmony, for most of the time the perfect reality is that some things are not balanced, some things are not optimal.

Problems simply exist.

It gives us the fun opportunity to solve them, even while inconveniencing us or slowing us down.

But a house without problems? A business where no one ever complains? A family that seems totally devoid of dissonance? How can that even be?

A house without problems is probably hiding something. And that hiding is a problem.

-- doug smith

Just a Nudge

What if that problem is really a process to a better result? 

Sure, it looks like a problem. It aggravates. It blocks. But what if there's a message underneath that we wouldn't otherwise discover, if it wasn't for the problem?

Maybe that message is: change this. Make this better. Set a better goal. Work to achieve it.

Even a poke can be a nudge that we need. That problem is just a nudge.

-- doug smith

Be Careful of Shortcuts

It may be tempting to side-step a value to try to solve a problem. We rationalize. We justify. We promise it's a temporary thing.

But busting values is NOT a temporary thing. A broken value does not easily heal. It leaves scars.  

A broken value leads to protracted problems.

Keep the value, find a better solution, and let's stay centered. 

-- doug smith