SOLVING YOUR PROBLEMS CAN BE CHALLENGING & FUN
You're reading the words of a person who has been through more catastrophes
in her lifetime than most people experience in 5! This is not to say that
there are other people who have lived through bad times also, but everyone
should learn the benefits of problems!
Problems help you to find and follow alternate methods, which may lead you
to bigger and better things. If the typewriter ribbon breaks in the middle
of a report that's due in 30 minutes, the boss may understand the situation
is not your fault and grant you extra time to complete it. This extra time
may be what you need to take off the pressure and help you relax to do a
better job.
Problems are also the first step in a new invention. Dr. Scholl's foot
medications would not be around if people had not had problems with corns,
calluses and other ailments. We wouldn't have automobiles today if people
had not had problems getting from place to place quickly. Every single
invention was created because people had problems with something, so
problems can really be motivational!
Problems also help you to meet new friends. If you are recently divorced,
you may join a group and meet some wonderful friends that will bring you
into a better life than the life you were living previously. If you have
a problem getting back and forth to work, you may decide to join a carpool
and save money while meeting others.
Problems also are always a learning experience. You don't actually realize
that fire burns until you get burned with it! Unless a problem occurs, you
do not learn why something happens the way it does. You cannot change your
viewpoints and opinions unless you experience problems first hand.
Problems also cause you to become active in helping others. The organization
M.A.D.D. (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) would have never been born if the
founder didn't lose her daughter in a car accident caused by a drunk driver.
That one death has literally changed all the drunk driving laws throughout
the United States and saved MILLIONS of lives!
Without problems, we couldn't solve a lot of future turmoils and save people
a lot of money in business. Any company that introduces a new product will
hire people to try it out before it is introduced to the market. These people
report the problems they find and the company refines it until it's right.
Without problems developing early in these tests, the company could never
improve and fine tune their product to perfection.
Problems and mistakes are also a blessing in disguise. For instance,
Post-It(R) Notes would never have been made possible unless the guy at
the factory didn't mess up mixing the glue recipe. Sure, this is an isolated
incident, but it shows just how important mistakes and problems can be.
However, most people have some perceived notion that making a mistake or
having a problem is "bad." Instead of looking for ways to SOLVE the problem,
they try and live with it, cover it up and conform their life to accept it.
This is silly! There is no problem that can't be solved. There is a solution
to every single problem you can think of. The solution may not always be what
you want it to be _ but it's a solution just the same.
And covering it up is like putting a piece of foil over a piece of spoiled
meat and expecting it not to draw maggots. You have to dispose of the entire
thing before you are finally rid of the problem. Attack the core of the
problem! Dig until you uncover it! Face facts! Admit you have problems!
Stop trying to make people think you are problem-free. It's unnatural! Where
the recognition comes in from people you are trying to impress is when you
SOLVE problems by facing them and inventing a solution.
So, next time you have a problem, look at it logically and with enthusiasm.
That may sound a little strange but most problems can be dealt with this way.
Love the fact that you have problems because they will give you something to
work on and solve. They also will give you a way to invent new ways of doing
something _ new ways that will save you time and make you happier with your
life. And when you solve problems, you not only gain experience in solving
other problems as they occur, but you build respect for yourself. Then you
can have the admiration of all those people you originally started out trying
to impress and gain recognition from _ if you still care about having it.
You also will find that when you look at problems with a POSITIVE mind, you
will accomplish more, relieve stress and combat fear _ which is the worst
enemy and destroyer of all!
