The "Problem" is NEVER the Problem

Yes, you read that right. The "problem" is never what you think it is. The real problem is ALWAYS what you are thinking about the situation that makes it seem like a problem. Change the way you're thinking about it, and it will change. Because it must. 

Something else to keep in mind is this: Every so-called problem has a solution (or two or twenty or two thousand!) inherent in it. And every solution that is generated by a "problem" is proportionate in size to the problem. Meaning that if it's a small problem, the solution generated by it is small, too. If it's a huge problem, the solution is the same size. 

What if we could remember this in the moment? (Ha! I'm asking this of myself, too, as I'm currently experiencing a handful of things that feel like real - and big - problems to me.) 

That's really the hardest part - remembering this BEFORE we react without thinking. "Thinking," meaning this: Reminding ourselves that there's no such thing as a problem without at least one fabulous solution inherent in it. When we can remind ourselves of this before taking any action, we are far more likely to get it handled in a timely and intelligent manner, rather than having a knee-jerk reaction that causes the situation to snowball out of control.

Albert Einstein said, "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the level of thinking that created them." If we can remember this in the moment that we find ourselves facing what appears to be a significant problem, then - right there in that moment - we have a significant opportunity to look deliberately to the solution level of thinking, which means we can bypass the "snowball" completely!

This is a super-useful thing to know, and I encourage us all to look to the solution level of thinking the second we remember that we have that option available to us!