Problems

Human beings love problems. Whether it's military strategy or Sudoku, our brains chew on problems the way dogs chew on bones. A hundred thousand years ago, this served us really well because our problems were all related to survival -- you're hungry and the elk are on the other side of the mountain. If you climb the mountain, you may freeze to death. In that situation, we need to find a way around or over the mountain to reach the hunting grounds. Those problem-solving brains will start to come up with a list of ways to overcome each circumstance or barrier. If you look at all the problems in your life, how many are vital to your existence in a similar way? Not very many in the modern world.

We don't grow or progress as humans because we are dealing with problems that have no impact on our growth. Instead, we obsess over problems that don't benefit us at all. You have to realize that a problem is just a story we tell ourselves about the situations in our lives. For example, the situation may be that we are late to work. There are several circumstances that led to the situation: we had to stop for gas, then our mom called, and because we were on the road later, there was more traffic than usual. This is the problem we devised to explain the situation. However, the situation still remains we were not where we needed to be on time. Now, we can think all day about the circumstances of the problem or we could decide to resolve the situation, but many times we fixate on the circumstances. We're almost comforted by recounting them. The problem then becomes a story about how we may lose our jobs, we won't be able to afford our rent, we're gonna lose our car, etc. The situation is simple but the problem now seems insurmountable.

Even in algebraic problems, there is a story about an imbalance. We solve the problem by adjusting each individual variable (circumstance) until it's balanced or in math parlance, "simplified." Instead of trying to solve the hundreds of problems that run through our minds every day, it's very useful to examine our problems and find out what the situation is at the core of each problem. If we make each situation into a huge problem, nothing will ever get solved. We only have so much bandwidth in our minds to handle these problems. We have to rewrite the problem so the story isn't so overwhelming. So in the example above, how do I get to work on time? 

Just like in the algebraic problem, there is an order of operations. You have to attack each circumstance until a problem is simplified. Instead of spiraling into visions of homelessness because you're late to work, you can put in gas the night before, add the chore to your calendar, wake up earlier by setting an alarm, text your mom that you'll call her later, etc. You're managing your problem by simplifying the story you tell about it. Soon, it won't be a problem at all.

How many problems are you juggling in your mind? Are they worthy of your time? If you're feeling overwhelmed, there is a good chance that your problems are overstated in your mind. If you simplify and restate your problems, dig into the circumstances to cancel them out, you will find some problems are not worth your time. 

Problems are not bad. Choosing the ones you want to solve will free you to find opportunities for growth. Worrying about the consequences of being late versus worrying about what classes you can take to move up in your career may take the same amount of time, but solving the latter will improve your life. Knock out those problems that you've made into novels first.