I’m often told that from the outside, it looks like I have “the perfect life” .. and that I am a very lucky person.
I’ll admit I do have a lot of luck (though I believe luck is attracted, not randomly had), and I have a strong work ethic that allows me to to maintain persistence and commitment in the midst of challenge and frustration.
And believe me, the challenge and frustration DOES come.
While I’m blessed with a lot of incredible people in my life and I have a lot to be grateful for, I have to push through my own days of problems, anxiety, weakness and disillusionment.
So, how do I do it?
Is there a “magic wand” that allows me to break through the frustration of dealing with problems .. a way to push through the dark clouds, and get into the bright light quickly?
Actually, there is – and it’s even more simple than you probably think.
Have you ever thought to yourself:
“If I only could <fill in the blank> .. then my problems would all be solved.”
I think early on, most people have thoughts like this .. that their problems are the result of their circumstances – for example, a lack of money is often a big one. People figure their life will improve simply by getting some more money to deal with the pressures and frustrations they face.
I’ve learned this isn’t true – money doesn’t solve all problems, and in fact can create others (if you don’t know how it really works or how to leverage it .. instead of becoming victim to it).
Whether it’s money, losing weight, getting a new job, landing that big client .. we all tend to believe that there is some event that, if it was to happen, would lift us out of the challenges and problems we have.
In other words: our goal is to get RID of all the problems we face.
That life is about solving the problems we face, so we can enjoy a blissful, happy and problem-free existence.
There’s Only One Time In Your Life
When You’ll Have No Problems …
When You’re Dead
I don’t know about
you, but
I’m not willing to make that trade.
Here’s the thing.
An interesting reality I’ve discovered over the years is that
as you become more successful and achieve higher levels of performance, you actually end up having more problems .. and they’re
bigger than the ones that you faced in previous years.
That’s right. The more successful you become, one of the guaranteed things you have to look forward to is that
your problems will become even larger.
Hmm. Ok, Greg.. so when do you start making me feel better?
Well, this is ALL about perspective — it’s all in the way you look at it.
Here’s another reality that I’ve learned, after 20+ years in business and learning from some of the truly best in the world ..
business is ALL about solving problems.
Think about —
the only reason that any business exists is to solve some kind of problem that exists for a group of people (customers).
The barber shop exists because I need to get my hair cut, and don’t trust my wife to do it.
The web designer exists because you need a nice website and don’t want to learn how to speaker computerese.
The fish store exists because children are fascinated with live creatures, and other people find fish relaxing and enjoyable as a hobby (and they need somewhere to buy them).
No matter what business or organization you look at .. they fundamentally exist, because they’re solving some kind of problem for someone.
And, here’s the important truth about this — the BIGGER the problems you can solve, the MORE that the universe will compensate you for it.
The reason that
Microsoft became a powerhouse in the computer world is because Bill Gates solved a MASSIVE problem .. how to get the power of the computer into the hands of the average person.
Remember his original mission? “
A computer on every desktop“. Think about how audacious and crazy that goal was! And now .. we all carry ‘computers’ far more powerful in our pocket.
Speaking of which .. I believe that
Apple Computer is rising so quickly and destined to be
the BIGGEST company in the world, because they’re solving a huge problem in today’s world — how to communicate and consume information in a way that’s convenient to me.
They’re making us feel BETTER about all the chaos and information overwhelm. And they’re doing it with incredible design. (If you haven’t seen the new
Apple iPad promotional videos, you really should,) In the midst of the worst economic downturn in decades, they’re selling RECORD numbers of gadgets that most people would say are “unnecessary toys”.
Think about that.
A New Perspective:
Problems Bring You Opportunity
Hopefully at this point you can see where I’m headed — while most people struggle and try to avoid problems,
I believe you should celebrate them and take them on as opportunities.
You’re never going to have “no problems” in your life.
Your goal should
NOT be trying to avoid them .. but rather to
take on bigger and bigger problems – because that means you’re creating MORE value in the world, and will get compensated accordingly (keeping in mind that
you get rewarded for the value you create).
Your measure of success shouldn’t be whether you are dealing with problems .. but rather, if you’re dealing with the SAME problems as you did last year, and the year before.
See, successful people
solve a LOT of problems, and then move onto the next one. They create success by building momentum, and making progress.
Unsuccessful people try to
avoid problems, and end up being dragged down by the same problems over and over.
They never achieve momentum and remain stuck in the same place for years.
And when you take this view, and realize that your problems are the seeds of opportunity for you, then it gets a LOT easier to be excited to tackle them — knowing that there’s an even bigger opportunity for you to shine and conquer just around the corner!
I’d love to hear what YOU think —
do you agree?
What happened when YOU
finally decided to tackle that nagging problem you had for years?
Please post a comment and share!
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43 Responses
Just the tonic I was looking for, as always words of wisdom.
Simply Thanks!
Hi Greg,
Remember what James A. Ray said that L.U.C.K. stands for:
L aboring
U nder
C orrect
K nowledge…
This is great advice Greg! One thing I try to do now if I have a problem is deal with it first thing in the morning and not let it linger in my head, which only eats up my valuable time and energy. I try to tell myself there is always a solution to an obstacle no matter how big or frustrating it is. I also learned a long time ago that the Chinese word for “crisis” is also so the same word for “opportunity”.
Everything in life is perspective.
Jason
I like the way you think. This is a wonderful message about problems. When someone comes to me and says we have a problem I ask them to tell me about the opportunity we have today. Thanks for the reminderand keeping me focused.
Excellent point of view Greg, this is really looking the opportunity instead of the problem.
Thank you for your comments!
Best regards
Do I agree? 🙂 What a constructive way of describing the intrinsic value of problems. Fantastic. You do it with so much energy. Thank you and have a great day!
To me “problems” had a negative connotation so I changed the word to something that resonated with me. Now I say what are the “challenges” for the day? I found I was more excited about tackling the challenges and therefore tricking my mind into solving problems. Whatever works eh?
How about replacing “challenges” with “opportunities”?
I agree absolutely, in treating complusive eating we encourage people to let the “problem” trigger their new thought training that says, explore it, explerience it and let it teach you something new – the old path of resistance is indeed futile! Thanks for the new slant on “business problems”
Great perspective! This came just as I am feeling overwhelmed, thank you!
BRILLIANT! That’s the word that sums up this piece Greg, it’s brilliant advice! Thanks for giving us a different perspective on life 🙂
As always, great words of wisdom Greg. In my opinion problems are neutral, we make them good or bad base on the way we look at things.
HI GREG.
YES I DO AGREE,YEARS AGO MY BIG PROBLEM WAS MY HEALTH.
NOW,I HELP MY CLIENTS WITH THERE HEALTH SOLUTION.
THANK YOU
Hmmmm having the same problem year after year. You can even feel that statement. Loved this article it offers a fresh take on problems.
Thank you
Lol funny post, I like the perspective on problems.
“Your measure of success shouldn’t be whether you are dealing with problems .. but rather, if you’re dealing with the SAME problems as you did last year, and the year before.” I like that as an indication of your growth. If you’re still dealing with the same problems you have had for a while, that’s a good indicator that you have not grown much.
I find it more fun to live life looking forward to problems, not because you love trouble, but because you love growth. And whenever I’m feeling down or stuck, and I see my problems as an opportunity for growth, it makes me feel much better, and sometimes even laugh about my problems haha.
Thank You Greg, keep doin what you do
I am two years into building my company and the most important lesson I have learned so far, is that our biggest challenges produce the most profound results. Bar none, every obstacle we have faced and worked through (instead of quitting, which was tempting), has resulted in successes beyond our expectations. I have actually begun to welcome change and challenge, as it consistently shows me new opportunities and growth. Thank you for such a concise view point on this topic.
Greg I really enjoyed this, it is so relevant at the moment in my life right now, they say that the answers you need are in front of you if you remain open to them.
Each problem is a lesson, reflecting on the situation by taking a helicopter view, and after the event to see how you would deal with it differently next time and the value you create with the bigger issues.
Isn’t also strange how when you have a problem and few others are thrown into the mix just to test you further.
Great approach, I will forward this to a few other people that would benefit their lives.
Thank you for taking your time to share this.
Bravo Hayley! 🙂
I agree.
My favorite quote: “Don’t ask God to make your life easier. Ask him to make you stronger person.”
I personally find that sitting quietly every morning and every evening (you could call this having a meditation practice) helps me put life and achieving in perspective. It also helps me to be conected with my body so I can feel when my body is tense in any part and come back to relaxation. Then moment by moment and relaxed I do not have a sense of “having problems” as life to me is a kind of a school and no matter what we achieve one day we have to let go of everything.
Living peacefully without being attached to results, but just doing the best I can at that moment is enough for me. The rest I leave it to the Universe, God or whatever you want to call it. For me there are not problems as such unless I get an investment in having something MY WAY.
Peace to you.
Thanks, Greg, for this reminder! As our problems get bigger, it also shows us that WE are getting “bigger” and progressing/learning because now we can handle more. The Universe is not going to give us more than we can handle, so as we see our problems getting bigger, we can congratulate ourselves for ‘graduating’ into the next class of life! Question is: how “big” do YOU want to become? The problems need to propel you there!
That’s great, Gerg. I really like your points of view regarding “problem”. Just like I shared in our “problem solving” course, I think this kind of skills and minset is the most important one in the company. Thanks!
problems are like stepping stones to success
I have a sign on my desk which reminds me everyday.
“It’s not a problem, just another challenge” – words to live by.
This is absolutely true. The only certain thing in life is ‘change’ but we all prefer to stay put in our comfort zone and wish things would work out the way we want them to.
One needs to be pro-active to tackle problems head-on. This builds up our confidence levels to new heights and enable us to handle even bigger ones in the days to come.
You have hit the nail on the head.
Hello Greg,
Thanks so much for this post. This post was right on POINT with exactly what I have been thinking. Its so funny that I was thinking that you are so lucky. You seem to have so many things going your way (as far as I could see). I have taken some really big steps and big risk to pursue my dreams. I now find myself in some really uncomfortable positions as of lately (financial positions). I’m scared as hell. I wish almost daily that I can go back in time and undue some of the decisions. But I cant. That is because I like to be comfortable. I now realize that when you take a leap , sometimes it might turn out very uncomfortable for a while. I look at other successful people wishing I could be as successful as them, not really knowing what they are challenged with, just as I am sure others look at me and think I have everything figured out. Any suggestions for a fellow entrepreneur?
I greatly appreciate it.
I agree 100%.
Problems are opportunities. Instead of using the word problem, replace it with the word “challenge”. Our brain works in a positive way to take up challenges than problems.
Here I want to quote the great scientist Eisenstein” We can’t solve the problems at the same level at which these are created”. We need to rise to higher levels to solve the lower level problems.
-majji sashibhushna rao
Dear Greg
The Eye opener. I too have a tendency to avoid the problem and dragging down over and over for the years. I promise you that my next mail to you will be about the my goal to success and not “rid of problems”.
with lot of respects….. chetan
So true and something that one does not always remember
Without Goliath, David’s first step towards the Throne would not have been taken, he would have remained an ordinary Shepherd Boy. Necessity (problem) gives birth to inventions. It is like ‘lessons’ misrepresented and called ‘Mistakes’.
Great Thoughts, Greg.
Thanks for your insight. It sure puts everything in a better perspective.
I’m on it. Solving problems and looking for bigger problems to solve.
When taken on the personal level, this perspective is magnified even more.
Thank you again. I’m looking forward to delving into your videos and pdf.
Sincerely,
Magi C
I’ve definitely realized over the past 3 months that not dealing with problems fills your brain and takes up space for what should be filled with positive and clear thinking. I keep working on it!
Thanks for the reminder 🙂
What a great perspective on this topic – this sentence certainly gave me an ‘aha’ moment!
‘successful people solve a LOT of problems, and then move onto the next one. They create success by building momentum, and making progress.
Unsuccessful people try to avoid problems, and end up being dragged down by the same problems over and over.’
Thank you
I love this summary. It’s very clear.Thankyou. I do like the way you explain various topics. About celebrating problems, I applied this in my personal life in order to move to another residence. The problems that arose from where I was renting, propelled me into another home, far better. It seems to require a certain attitude or approach within the process.
Hi Greg……this was a really thought provoking blog post! My ‘aha’ moment was realizing that I have been ‘fighting’ against taking on bigger and bigger problems, instead of embracing them and thereby creating more value for myself and the world. ‘Fighting’ against my problems is also in direct conflict with the goals I have stated I want to achieve…so it explains to me why I haven’t achieved what I want. And also, the concept of measuring success by whether or not you are still dealing with ‘last years’ problems … or have you moved ‘up’ to new ones, is quite an important shift in my thinking. Thank you for this post and all the information and videos you are providing.
Thanks Greg, for a thought-provoking article.
My passion is promoting/teaching/designing gardens that combine aesthetics and ecology. I’m focussed on becoming influential, rather than rich, and on my message reaching a wider audience.
For this reason I’ve ceased visiting clients’ gardens, preparing plans and supervising construction.
To reach a wider audience, I’ve overcome several problems, including ‘computer-phobia’, creating/managing an informative website and newsletter (and dealing with personal attacks by vested interests.)
My current problem is sifting through the numerous business information products on my desktop, overcoming poor organisational skills and monetising my website.
Once I’ve achieved that, I hope to face the enviable problem of prioritising public speaking/TV interviews/publishers invitations, and keeping hordes of followers at bay!
Thanks Greg to remind me that problems brings me oppertunity. At the time that I read those words I had a aha moment and I see my this day and my future in a positive way. Thanks again. Charlotte
Greg, you always make TOO much sense.
While I agree with most of what you say, I disagree with “the more successful you become… your problems will become even larger”. 10 years ago, I could hardly keep up with the rent, let alone keep food on the table. I always said if I ever got to the point that I never had to worry about putting food on the table, I would not worry anymore. At the time, with a 6 year old that I was (and still am) raising alone, I thought that was a lofty goal. Yet there by the grace of God and hard work, I could lose my job today and still be able to pay the mortgage and put food on the table. Life is not without trials, and I now have loftier goals than I ever imagined I was capable of dreaming, I choose not to consider them ‘problems’. It’s a very simple perspective, but I find it very empowering.
Michelle, I’m proud of where you’ve come to and you have a lot to be grateful for. The intent of what I said was that the more successful you become, the more capable you are of solving larger problems. People believe that money makes problems go away, which is not true .. it simply changes what they are. But that doesn’t suggest that you shouldn’t be grateful for not having the lower-level problems from years ago.
See, successful people solve a LOT of problems, and then move onto the next one. They create success by building momentum, and making progress.
Unsuccessful people try to avoid problems, and end up being dragged down by the same problems over and over.
Thank you for the above comments. I have been trying to figure out why I have been in a stuck cycle for years. I have been on and off the “system” for too long and want off for good. Those three sentences hit home for me. I am examining the things I did not realize I was avoiding and tackling them head on. It’s not easy to break old patterning but I am doing it. I am solving my own problems so that I can help others solve theirs in the future. Thank you for the work that you do. You are helping me immensely. I want o be an inspiration for others as you and John are for me.
Brilliant! Touché!!
This is all very useful information and I intend to br using it for quite some time as long as it’s still available. Thank you Greg.
I want to know, how we attract luck, could you tell us ??