What to Do When You Have a Problem
/"I finally learned how to not freak out when something goes wrong."
My ears perked. This was big for my client.
"The thing is, I realized that problems are actually just puzzles ... and I love solving puzzles!"
I'd never heard someone so excited to have a problem.
On its own, this insight is a great one, but the fact that it was coming from this person was phenomenal. I've worked with this client for years and I have seen this person distraught over the smallest of inconveniences.
Once they were able to accept that a problem needed to be fixed, however, I've also seen this person obsess over finding solutions. I would have called that a strength, even back then. It's true, they do love solving puzzles, when they were able to see them as such.
I heard Tony Robbins share on a podcast today that people think having problems are a bad thing, but in truth, they are a necessary part of living. They are a part of growth. People that claim to not have problems, either aren't paying attention or aren't living much at all.
The shift comes in the perspective.
Next time you are faced with a situation that you'd call a "problem," try stepping back and seeing it as a puzzle, a game, something to figure out instead of some external proof that your life is going wrong ... or worse yet, that there's something wrong with you.
You don't have control over what life brings you, but you do have control over how you approach it. Accepting ownership of that control can make all the difference.
Your turn:
What's one problem that you're currently facing?
How does thinking of it as a puzzle change the way you approach it?
