When to Ignore Your Problems
What matters in life? The present moment above all else, for it is all that we will ever have and it shapes our future.
Choosing what to do in the present moment is like being handed raw ingredients to cook. Why worry about tomorrow's meals or yesterday's bad stir-fry? You're hungry now, and the present moment has your ingredients.
Problems & Opportunities
The present moment holds two ingredients for action: problems and opportunities. Every single personalways has both of these. If you want to take action, you're either solving a problem or pursuing an opportunity. Think about it.
- Ouch! You just stubbed your toe (problem)
- Hey, you could practice piano now (opportunity)
- Or go to the gym (opportunity)
- You feel angry about an earlier conversation though (problem)
- Cat videos on Youtube! (proble...tunity?)
- There's plenty of beer in the fridge (opportunity... and maybe a problem)
Anything you can think of doing is solving a problem or pursuing an opportunity. Both are important, but how do you know which one to focus on? What's the ideal protocol?
If life were perfect, there would be no problems, and only opportunities. Since life isn't perfect, we have problems, but that doesn't change the goal. We're still better off to prioritize opportunities. Why see life as a never ending chore of problem solving when you can pursue exciting opportunities? We don't live to solve problems, we solve problems in order to live better. Therefore...
The ideal way to approach the present moment is to first pursue opportunities, and if necessary, solve the problems that prevent you from doing so.
This has a few implications.
1. Solving problems is secondary unless urgent or necessary.
Imagine you're on a platform beneath a cliff and above a deep chasm, and you have a cute little scratch on your arm (that's right, it's small enough to be called a "boo boo"). Just above you, a hundred diamonds have just been thrown over the edge. The diamonds are within your reach if you'd just reach out your hand. Do you tend to your boo boo, or do you reach out and grab some diamonds?
*Ahem*
GRAB THEM DIAMONDS! Your small cut can wait, but the diamonds will be lost forever in the chasm if you don't get them now.
Your problems will always be around, but opportunities are often time-sensitive. People say to travel while you're young because your physical capabilities will decrease over time. Those people are smart. At 97 years old, you're not going to be scaling too many mountains. Opportunities fade away and new ones appear, so if you see one now that means something to you, jump on it!
Personal example: I have a time-sensitive opportunity to continue to build my book business. Mini Habitsand How to Be an Imperfectionist have done very well, but if I don't write another book in the next five years, people will mostly forget about me and my books. It's the cruel nature of the business. Therefore, I have an opportunity to finish this next book I'm working on, and while I've got plenty of problems (if you need any extra ones, let me know...), I can't and won't let them ruin this opportunity.
2. Not all problems need active solving.
It's been a lonely year for me. Why? Largely because I've moved three times in about a year to new places where I've known nobody. Loneliness has been a problem, then, but it's not something I've needed to focus on solving directly. I've actually been less lonely lately because I've been pursuing more opportunities. Pursuing opportunities like traveling has helped me meet more people, some of whom I've connected with.
The magic of opportunities: they can solve problems unexpectedly!
3. Not all problems can be solved.
When an athlete is injured, (s)he will immediately grab the affected area. It's human nature to focus on problems, but like an athlete who tears an ACL, trying to fix the problem in the moment isn't always possible. Only time and surgery can fix such injuries.
Focusing on unfixable problems is one of the worst time-wasting and emotionally-draininghabits of humanity.
This is a thin line as some seemingly unfixable problems have been fixed, and labeling something as unfixable is the surest way to keep it that way. Artificial limbs come to mind. The artificial leg was invented in 1846, so prior to that time, you'd be stuck with the ol' peg leg solution. But if you thought peg legs were the only possible solution, you'd miss the opportunity for something better, which brings me to the next point.
Problems and Opportunities May Intersect
Problems can point us to the best opportunities. Inventions throughout time are marvellous examples of opportunities pursued, but also problems solved. Planes solved the problem of slow intercontinental travel. The internet solved the problem of limited communication and the sloth-like spread of ideas. Video games and TV solved the problem of boredom and made it possible to never go outside. That created a different problem, but I digress. :-)
The takeaway from this insight? Opportunities to solve problems are some of the finest opportunities around. These are different than isolated petty problems, though. I'm not talking about curing a case of athlete's foot, I'm talking about changing the world with new ideas, helping others with their problems, and creating more efficient solutions.
Personal example: With this blog and my books, I try to come up with more effective solutions, perspectives, and strategies for optimal living and growth. It's problem solving, but it's not just for my own benefit.
The Final Word
The big takeaway here is not to let petty problems stop you from pursuing exciting opportunities. I'm guilty of this, which is why I'm writing about it.
Some problems are petty, and are best ignored to pursue opportunities.
- Travel despite your sore elbow.
- Write despite being sick.
- Practice piano despite feeling sad.
- Go to the gym despite being down to your last gym shirt, which is embarrassing and lame and not suitable for public viewing
- Cold call for the job despite feeling inadequate
The wrong way to go about these is to focus on the problems. Focusing on your sore elbow delays your trip. Waiting until you're no longer sick delays progress on your book. Trying to get happy again before you play piano means you won't practice as much. Refusing to wear the shirt to the gym means you'll miss a workout. Trying to feel adequate before calling for a job might not happen quickly, and even if it does, you might not get the job anyway. Sometimes it's best to act despite your problems. But not always...
Some problems are best solved in order to pursue opportunities.
- Not enough money to travel: Financial responsibility is important, and there are a number of ways to travel without destroying your finances, so it's usually best to solve this problem before you travel. First, you can travel like a budget pro! Use travel hacking to go places for cheap or free, try couch surfing for free lodging, stay in hostels for cheap and fun lodging. Second, find a way to make some spare cash. Third, set up a travel fund in which you set aside a small amount of money from your paycheck for a future trip. The solutions are numerous!
- Injured knee prevents exercise: Get surgery and/or rehabilitate the knee. Rest if necessary. Find ways to exercise without the knee.
- Not enough time to pursue side business idea: Make time for it. Shift your schedule around. Hire a virtual assistant to help. Collaborate or invest with another person who has the time to make your idea happen.
- Relationship issues prevents enthusiasm toward life/goals: Mend or end the relationship. Then you can move on. If it's not that simple, it may be something you need to ignore as you pursue opportunities.
- Want job you aren't qualified for: Get the proper training and education. Practice your skills.
The point of life is to pursue opportunities. Problems will get in our way sometimes, but not all of them are worth our attention. There are many problems that we put in our way that we can ignore. Being sick doesn't prevent me from writing words unless I arbitrarily decide to wait until I'm better to write. Having an injured arm doesn't mean you can't go out and have fun with friends.
The most successful people learn to pursue exciting opportunities despite having problems. If you don't learn to do that, you'll be the person plugging leaks your entire life, waiting for the rare moment you can leave the leaky bucket to pursue an opportunity. Unfortunately, the bucket of life will always be leaking, so let's manage it as needed as we pursue more meaningful endeavors.
If I may now put on my salesman hat, the Mini Habit Mastery sale is a great opportunity. I haven't run a sale on it in 5 months, and for the next 3 days,
it's only $29 with the coupon "save120". That's a steal for Udemy's best personal development course (as rated by students)!
If you wonder why I rarely cancel the weekly message for vacation or the holidays, it's because my mini habits keep me writing in all circumstances. And I hope you can tell how much effort I put into every message—these aren't rushed out to you thoughtlessly. Before mini habits, I wasn't consistent at all. Take the
Mini Habit Mastery course and you will learn how to be remarkably consistent like this in the areas that matter most to you. It's easier than you think with the proper strategy!
I'll talk to you next week! In the meantime, let's all look out for opportunities and be ready to grab them.
Cheers,
Stephen Guise
