At one level, I hate problems! They irritate me. They
frustrate me. They interrupt my life and stand between me
and the life I prefer. I hate them!
But without them, we would all be very poor, indeed.
Solving our own problems is how we learn. Solving other
people's problems is how we get rich. Without problems--
challenges--most of us would wallow in front of the
television, eating bon-bons and wasting our lives away.
Problems bring the joy and gusto to life. So, while I hate
them, I also owe everything I have and have become to the
problems in my life. Go figure!
Without problems, most babies play quietly in their cribs
and simply wait to be fed or have their diapers changed.
They are happy, contented little creatures. But when the
diaper doesn't get changed or they are hungry in the middle
of the night, the whole world quickly knows about it. And
most good parents quickly rectify--solve--the problem. And
so it is with life.
On the rare day when I have "no problems," when the phone
numbers and addresses I need are at my fingers, when I have
plenty of time and energy, I'm often content. Life is good.
And perhaps I am somewhat productive and even make some
money. But how much do I learn? How creative, focused or
challenged am I? How much better do I become? Not much.
Problems make us angry. They focus all our resources. The
make us creative and cause us to invent new, more powerful
solutions.
Someone once told me the key to getting rich was to solve
lots of problems for lots of people, and I think he was
correct. Thomas Edison's light bulb solved (part of) the
problem of darkness. He eliminated the night and created
enormous opportunities. Suddenly we could work after dark.
We eliminated the fire hazard of oil lamps and saved the
whales. The "problem" of darkness caused the lights to go
on and changed the world.
Almost any successful business is in the problem-solving
business. The airlines we love to hate solve the problems
of time and distance. Farmers solve problems of hunger and
shortage. No business can flourish unless its products and
services solve real problems for their customers.
So, be grateful for the problems in your life! One of my
mentors, Jim Rohn, used to encourage us to address the
problem of lack of money head-on. "If you're 40 and broke,
admit it! Face it! Say, 'I'm 40 and I'm broke!' Then do
something to solve the problem." List a dozen, or a
hundred, potential solutions, then pick one or two and get
to work. Address the problem, then solve it. Others have
and so can you.
Have a problem with your health, with addiction or being in
the wrong job? Solve it! Life will not get better, you will
not get better, until you over-come the obstacles that hold
you back.
Admittedly, some problems are difficult. Some require
outside experts, resources or skills, but if others have
found a way and left clues, you can learn from them.
Solving problems is the key to success, to happiness and
the "good life." Whether it's a child's failure to
communicate or not knowing how to walk, or an adult's
problems with finances, romance or business, problems bring
the gift of power. They give us the power and the
motivation to grow, to learn, to harness our human
potential and make our world a better place.
frustrate me. They interrupt my life and stand between me
and the life I prefer. I hate them!
But without them, we would all be very poor, indeed.
Solving our own problems is how we learn. Solving other
people's problems is how we get rich. Without problems--
challenges--most of us would wallow in front of the
television, eating bon-bons and wasting our lives away.
Problems bring the joy and gusto to life. So, while I hate
them, I also owe everything I have and have become to the
problems in my life. Go figure!
Without problems, most babies play quietly in their cribs
and simply wait to be fed or have their diapers changed.
They are happy, contented little creatures. But when the
diaper doesn't get changed or they are hungry in the middle
of the night, the whole world quickly knows about it. And
most good parents quickly rectify--solve--the problem. And
so it is with life.
On the rare day when I have "no problems," when the phone
numbers and addresses I need are at my fingers, when I have
plenty of time and energy, I'm often content. Life is good.
And perhaps I am somewhat productive and even make some
money. But how much do I learn? How creative, focused or
challenged am I? How much better do I become? Not much.
Problems make us angry. They focus all our resources. The
make us creative and cause us to invent new, more powerful
solutions.
Someone once told me the key to getting rich was to solve
lots of problems for lots of people, and I think he was
correct. Thomas Edison's light bulb solved (part of) the
problem of darkness. He eliminated the night and created
enormous opportunities. Suddenly we could work after dark.
We eliminated the fire hazard of oil lamps and saved the
whales. The "problem" of darkness caused the lights to go
on and changed the world.
Almost any successful business is in the problem-solving
business. The airlines we love to hate solve the problems
of time and distance. Farmers solve problems of hunger and
shortage. No business can flourish unless its products and
services solve real problems for their customers.
So, be grateful for the problems in your life! One of my
mentors, Jim Rohn, used to encourage us to address the
problem of lack of money head-on. "If you're 40 and broke,
admit it! Face it! Say, 'I'm 40 and I'm broke!' Then do
something to solve the problem." List a dozen, or a
hundred, potential solutions, then pick one or two and get
to work. Address the problem, then solve it. Others have
and so can you.
Have a problem with your health, with addiction or being in
the wrong job? Solve it! Life will not get better, you will
not get better, until you over-come the obstacles that hold
you back.
Admittedly, some problems are difficult. Some require
outside experts, resources or skills, but if others have
found a way and left clues, you can learn from them.
Solving problems is the key to success, to happiness and
the "good life." Whether it's a child's failure to
communicate or not knowing how to walk, or an adult's
problems with finances, romance or business, problems bring
the gift of power. They give us the power and the
motivation to grow, to learn, to harness our human
potential and make our world a better place.
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