Turning Problems into Challenges

Everyone has problems — even the most successful people on the planet.

You’re probably thinking ‘well those successful people do not face the same struggles, and they have way more resources, making it easier for them to overcome the difficulties in their lives’

And, you are right!

Well…. Partially at least.

The reason that these successful people got to where they are after facing problem after problem is not because they have more resources than the average joe.

It is because they have shifted their mindset about problems and approach them in a completely new way, allowing them the freedom to break free of the limiting beliefs within their mind.

When something hard comes up, our brain recognizes it as a problem or an obstacle that it might not be able to overcome.

This is where the different parts of our brain interact to identify and confirm our worst fears about the situation. Oftentimes, the emotional brain takes over and we allow our fear of failure to overcome us. Even if it is just a minute issue — our brain immediately wants to turn around and run the other way.

Well luckily, we have another part of the brain that is more in tune with reality… so it must be able to help us rationalize, right?

Wrong.

Since the emotional area of our brains was so quick to initiate the response of fear when it identifies an obstacle, the rest of the brain follows suit. Our conscious mind agrees with this instinctive response and even worse, confirms our fears by pulling out examples of our failure and why we are not good enough.

But it does not always have to be this way.

You must understand that you have the power to overcome the control that you allow problems to have over you and decide that you control the problem itself.

Not the other way around!

Firstly, identify the problem you are having.

Examine your situation and ask yourself: What can I do? What can’t I do? Why do I need to overcome this problem? What will this help me accomplish? Why is it a problem? What are alternatives?

By reviewing the issue at hand, you are able to identify the ins and outs of it, and look at how you can best approach it in a way that is for your brain to understand and digest.

Second, try to understand what your fear is and where it stems from.

Many times, the fear you are experiencing regarding a problem has to do with the fact that you have faced a similar issue in the past, and you did not achieve your desired outcome.

So, think back to the last time you faced a similar situation.

What did you do? What were the outcomes? Why do you think you had the results that you did? What would you do differently again?

Answering these questions will allow you to identify and overcome the fear you face as you come across problems.

Lastly, measure your progress and celebrate your successes!

The best thing that you can do is learn from your mistakes, and move forward. As you face problems, think objectively about what did and didn’t work and pivot your approach.

You will notice that each time that you adopt the mindset of a problem as a challenge, it will become easier and easier until eventually it is a no-brainer!