Sometimes, it feels like I’m being buried by problems. They seem to come from everyone. One after another. And since I’ve been focusing on cleaning up my thoughts this year, it’s been really interesting to catch when these highly negative and limiting thoughts pop into my head. 

Maybe you’ve thought some of the same.

I catch myself thinking that other people must have better luck or have been dealt an easier hand.

I catch myself thinking that once I get there, things will be easier. Wherever there is.

I catch myself thinking things will slow down and I’ll be able to catch my breath once I’m there.

I catch myself giving future me permission to be happier or start investing in myself when I’m there. When I reach that goal, then I can be happy.

I catch myself thinking that other people must have fewer problems than I do. They’re not always putting out fires like I am.

Life seems to be a competition and the one with the fewest problems is the winner. 

But is that true?

Here’s the thing, you will never have zero problems.

When you solve one problem, that solution creates bigger and oftentimes, more sophisticated problems.

Think of cars. They solved the transportation problem and opened up many other opportunities, but they also created many more problems: pollution, traffic accidents, drunk driving, and so on.

When you’re working a minimum wage paying job it’s easy to think those who make more money than you don’t have problems. If you could just get there, you, too, would have no problems.

But that’s not true either. Wealthy people often have the same problems, they just solve them differently.

So we can’t get rid of problems. And we can’t strive to have no problems.

We need a different approach. One that is helpful and not harmful or limiting to our success and our happiness.

What if the point of living was to solve problems? What if the human experience is actually the process of solving all those problems?

What if the way to success was to get really good at solving problems and then solve as many problems as you can in one lifetime?

How would your approach to life change? How would your daily actions change? Would you actively seek out opportunities to solve problems? Would you focus your energy on solving the real problems? Not the ones you distract yourself with?

When you get really good at solving problems, it’s easy to recognize when you’re trying to solve the wrong problem. Ironically, most people are trying to solve the wrong problem, especially when it comes to their health.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and how it relates to my mindset. I’ve been going hard on cleaning up my thoughts and this topic keeps coming up.

What’s a problem to you might not be a problem to me. And what’s a problem to me, might not be a problem to you.

Often, we can’t even imagine the problems that are going to come up in the future because we haven’t solved them yet. We can’t anticipate them because we don’t have the experience to create them.

OR, sometimes we do the opposite and spend a ton of time trying to solve problems that aren’t even problems yet. We borrow problems from the future to try to figure out. Usually, when we do this, we are actually trying to avoid solving the real problem. We’re procrastinating or trying to get ahead, thinking it will help us get there faster. That’s a high achiever problem. High achievers often get really good at solving the wrong problem. And you need a second set of eyes to catch the error.

That’s where coaching comes in! A coach can help you focus on the real problem and come up with simple solutions. When you are trying to solve the wrong problem, you are typically making things way more difficult than they need to be!

What if the solution could be simple?

I coach on this a lot in my coaching program. The solution can only be simple when you are working on solving the right problem!

Coaching is the solution to this, especially for high achievers. I help my clients do this by working on cleaning up their thoughts.

Remember…

You create your own problems.

If you want to stop worrying about money, stop making money a problem. Solve the problem. Take action and tell yourself that it’s not a problem.

If you want to stop caring so much about being judged by others, stop making other peoples’ thoughts, which you cannot control, a problem.

Is it really a problem if a loved one forgets your birthday? No. It might feel like it is a big deal because we attach meaning to that action, or in this case, the lack of action. How do you solve that problem next time? Remind your loved ones! If it’s important to you, set yourself and those around you up for success. 

It’s not a fun game to play when the deck is stacked against you.

The bottom line, you need to commit to being a problem-solver, not a problem-avoider. Then you need to figure out what problem you’re actually trying to solve. There’s no use trying to solve the wrong problem! 

Once you know what problem you are actually trying to solve, then soak it all in. Enjoy the ride, take massive [imperfect] action, and revel in the fact that you are not only solving your problem, but you’re conquering the human experience! 

Enjoy life, enjoy your problems, and love your solutions!

Sick of dreading problems? It’s time to clean up your thoughts around your health and I’m ready to talk. Did you know that I have built major mindset work into my coaching program? Why? Because your thoughts determine your results. If your thoughts suck, so will your results.

Click the button below to schedule your FREE 30-minute Discovery Call with me. Let’s get a plan together so you can start loving your food and LOVING your body!