
All of us have problems. Some of us face problems occasionally. Others face problems everyday. Regardless of frequency, you can be sure that you are either having a problem now, or you will have one soon. That’s life!
Wait a minute! You are supposed to be optimistic! You are supposed to be an encourager! What’s up with this? It sounds so negative!
THINK AGAIN …
We’re not here trying to create problems for you. We are here with solutions. To have a problem is normal. To have a solution is a positive, uplifting, and encouraging thought!
TIP …
Here’s the tip. It sounds simple because it is simple. If we keep these things simple, we can fix most of them quickly!
“THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION ARE NEVER VERY FAR APART!”
EXPLANATION …
What does that mean? What kind of tip is that?
Consider this … everything in life is a process. Nothing happens in isolation. There is always a series of steps that leads to some outcome. And there are always outcomes that lead to new steps and new outcomes. We call this “process” or “process living.”
When you get your arms and head around that point, you realize that all problems occur in the processes. Everything that goes wrong in life or business goes wrong in one of the steps somewhere. And the cool thing is, you fix it where it breaks. So the solution to all your problems can also be found somewhere in the process. And the problem is usually introduced into the process at a place before the problem.
In practical terms, if you are having a problem, look at what you are doing. Look at what you have introduced into the process. See what elements are in the equation. You will find the root of the problem there, and that is the point where you will solve the problem too.
WHAT PROBLEM?
Most people don’t take time to look at the process. They just see that something is wrong and start waving red flags. If you don’t stop long enough to explore the process that led up to the problem, you will probably end up focusing on the “symptom,” and never really get to the problem.
Here is a really simple example. You have a child. The child is not feeling good. You take the child’s temperature. It is just over 100. You recognize that the child has a fever … you give her two aspirin … and you start pumping the fluids into her. Good job! Well, maybe …
The truth is, the fever is not the problem. It is just a symptom of something else that is going on. When you finally take the child to the doctor, you both discover that the child has the flu.
The lesson: “The problem that you identify is the problem you will solve.”
Identify the wrong problem and do all the right things, you will eventually discover that you have successfully solved the wrong problem.
CLOSING …
The world is full of problems. We live and work in a process-driven world. All life is a series of steps. Some of the steps lead up to where we are right now. And what we do right now is just another step leading to where we will be tomorrow.
If you have a problem, you have to look at the process in order to identify the true nature of the problem. And it is important, of course, that you actually identify the real problem and not just focus on a symptom. When you do identify the right problem, what you will find is that the solution is in one of the steps in the process really close to the problem itself. Fix the cause of the problem, and you will eliminate the problem itself.
Try it! It really does work!











