How to Continually Succeed in Solving Problems in business and life!
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- Acknowledge that you have a problem; that there is a problem. This is the first step. You can’t solve your problems, whether in life or business, living in denial. You can’t ignore the facts and the visible situation you find yourself in. There is no cash flow, no income, your numbers are down compared to your monthly targets, no new customers coming in, etc. I am sick, my wife left me, I’m single, my network is crap, no assets, my net worth is nothing to write home about, and so on. You have to acknowledge that these are problems, glaring feedbacks starring you in the face, based on your goals and objectives in life. You can’t deny them, ignore them, or simply wish them away; you can only respond and tackle them head-on.
- Now think about what is good about the problem: about your situation now. You have to see the problems, your situation, from the brighter side. Look to the sunny side of things. If you have lost your job, perhaps this is an opportunity for you to reflect very well about all that you did and didn’t do on your previous job and how you can use this experience to make better decisions for future employment. Perhaps it is time for you to modify and refine your CV, based on all these experiences and new knowledge you now have, for the dream job you desire or have always wanted. Perhaps it’s time for you to start that business you’ve always thought of starting. If you’re single, perhaps it is the best moment for you to “dream up” your ideal marriage, your ideal spouse, and then focus on making yourself an all-round ideal person who qualify to have that kind of marriage or family. If money is not coming in, then it’s time for you to make better plans on how to modify your products/services and how to attract customers. The list goes on. Always think about the “hidden opportunities” in your problems per time. Like Napoleon Hill said, “Every problem, every difficulty, comes with it the seed of an equivalent advantage. You just have to look well to find it”.
- Accept or see the problem as a challenge and accept your capacity to solve the challenge. In other words, refuse to worry, complain or murmur about the problem or the size of it. See it as a call-to-duty for you; a fitting challenge at your feet especially tailor-made for you to solve. Have a good attitude towards your problems and you would always find the “opportunity” in each situation. As Donald Trump is always wont to ask about his challenges, “Is this a blip or a circumstance?”.
- Fourth, dream up possible scenarios where everything is perfect. In other words, don’t merely take the short cut approach to solving your problems. Don’t just go fighting fires. Dream up possible scenarios where things are perfect or ideal based on your long and short terms dreams and goals. Envision how things can be better; how they can roundly align with your envisioned dreams, goals and aspirations. And then focus on that. Be strategic-minded.
- Fifth, come up with several ideas and possible solutions/strategies to solving this problem; to arriving at that destination or life or career outcome you have envisioned. The trick is to not censor or criticize any of your ideas. Come up with as many ideas as possible and then put them down on paper. Write all those ideas down. Don’t critique yourself. Don’t doubt yourself. Just write out as many ideas as you can think of. Brian Tracy calls this approach, “Map mapping”; “The 20-idea approach”. He says to rapidly put 20 ideas on paper to tackle a particular problem and select the best ones to apply immediately.
- Pick the best five of those ideas. From the many ideas above, pick the best five that make more sense to you and then take action on one of them immediately. If that one fails, go onto the next one, if it falls apart, proceed to the next, and the next, until you succeed. Never give up and never quit. Be focused and persistent. Also, don’t forget that “action” doesn’t always mean going out to do something that involves engaging other people. It can also mean to getting “prepared”. It can mean getting yourself ready or building capacity for the task ahead or the job at hand. So maybe you need to do some research to acquire more insights; to read a book to gain more enlightenment. Maybe you need to get a mentor, a coach, some support system, a recommendation, etc. You need to do a retreat, mediation, etc, to declutter your mind, etc; go for it!
- Be flexible. As you go along taking those actions and solving the challenge, don’t forget to listen to your spirit and intuition. Some ideas and strategies can come to you that are completely outside what you thought about. Don’t be so rigid that you refuse to acknowledge important gems of creative thoughts and ideas that can just pop up from your subconscious mind that can be a game-changer for you to bridge those problems greatly. Such ideas can be a great springboard to your ultimate envisioned success and goals; don’t ignore them.
- Deal with your inner demons of fear and self-doubt. Our greatest enemies are not out there; they’re in between your two ears. Your self-talk is the greatest communication you can ever have in the world. It doesn’t matter what happens out there, what other people think or say, be patient and kind with and to yourself. You may make a few mistakes. Your ideas may not be perfect; at least when you start off. You may face some rejections. You may be ignored as you start off. Remember to be your own highest cheerleader. Never second-guess or become too self-critical of yourself. Crush the negative voices in your head before they ever get the chance to affect or stop you. If you want to achieve any meaningful success in life, if you want to consistently solve your problems at a higher level in life or business, you have to let fear, negative thoughts, opinions of others, and doubts, die! Be focused on your goals and sustain your momentum, diligence and hard work.
- Celebrate your little wins. At every juncture, you have to give yourself little pats on the back for success achieved; for a goal or mini goal crunched. Be grateful to God and celebrate yourself for little victories. It shows you can handle anything with your God-given ability and potential.
- Lastly, remember that things may likely take much longer than anticipated. So be patient with yourself, and with the process. Celebrate every step and ground you cover and stay fresh and ready for the next one. And don’t settle. Solving one challenge opens you up to more and bigger challenges to solve. Once you stop setting challenging and bigger goals, your mind and emotional muscles starts to atrophy. Someone defined success as achieving results in succession. Keep moving and keep going. There are bigger and more problems to solve ahead of you, not just for yourself, your business or organization; but for your society, the world.
So, there it is, my ten-step problem solving formula, as learnt and modified from a great businessman and mentor, President Donald J. Trump, 45th and current President of the United States. I trust that as you apply them into your own life and work, you will see accelerated results and would be able to achieve your goals more rapidly.
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