SBW 163: Turn Your Problems into Possibilities
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We are living in an unprecedented crazy time. As I’m recording this, the coronavirus situation is getting more intense by the day. A lot of things are going wrong for a lot of people. The most helpful thing I can do right now is helping you see “negative” events from a different perspective.
Of course, writing is important … but without the right mindset behind our writing and our business, it’s all in vain anyway. That’s why I talk so much about our thinking and mindset on this podcast.
Take this past week, for example. Here are three problems I faced:
- We had a big family argument on Thursday night. (The biggest one in a long time.)
- A book ghostwriting project I had hoped to start in May was put on hold indefinitely.
- I had multiple tech problems when I was editing a podcast episode on Friday.
At first glance, these all seem negative. But it’s important to not view things as they ARE, but rather as they COULD BE. Or to put it another way: How can you take your problems (which we naturally view as bad) and turn them into possibilities for growth and success?
Here’s how I tried to do that with the three situations:
- The family argument.
My son was asking for something, and my wife thought it was a good idea. I strongly disagreed with both of them, and the “discussion” ended with everyone being mad at me.
(I thought I was right, of course. Why couldn’t they see it? As I recall, I literally said, “How can you not see this?!” A classic sign of arrogance.)
About an hour went by and I started to realize I had not really listened to either one of them. I talked to my wife and son, heard their point of view, and changed my mind. In addition, I apologized because I had reacted emotionally instead of calmly listening.
The problem of the argument ended up being a possibility for growth because I bonded with my son and showed him that real men apologize when they’re wrong.
- The book that’s on hold.
I’ve been working with a prospective ghostwriting client for the last three months. They had given me a green light to begin in May. But after communicating again this past week, it turns out that the COVID situation has forced them to put the project on hold for a while. (I’m not sure if the “hold” will be a matter of weeks or months.)
After my initial disappointment, I realized that the extra time gives me a chance to continue building my client base, work on my podcast, and work on my next book. So the problem of having a book put on hold ended up being a possibility for growth because I will have time to develop a stronger business and client base.
- Tech problems.
I was editing some podcast episodes on Friday and was having trouble importing a certain file type into Audacity, my audio editing app. I spent about 45 minutes trying to download the right plugins to let me import the files, to no avail. I was starting to get pretty irritated because I’m usually good with technology. (There’s that arrogance again. You’ve probably noticed a theme running through my week.)
Then I noticed that I didn’t have the most recent version of Audacity. Once I downloaded it, I was able to import the files with no problem. Plus, I was now able to avoid an extra file conversion step I had been doing for years!
So the tech problem ended up being a possibility for success for a couple of reasons: 1) It forced me to start using a newer, more reliable version of Audacity, and 2) I’m now going to save a few minutes every time I edit a podcast episode since I don’t have to do the file conversion.
As Andy Andrews writes in The Noticer, “Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective.”
What problems are you facing right now? What are some of your frustrations? What do you see as an obstacle, a wall, or an impossible situation?
Is it possible that this problem or “roadblock” is going to force you down a side trail that can lead exactly where you want to go?
Could the frustrations you are facing be pointing you to solutions and opportunities for growth that you have not anticipated?
And is it just a teensy-weensy bit possible (as it was for me this week) that your arrogance has blinded you to a possible solution that is staring you right in the face?
I know it’s hard not to be angry and frustrated right now. We all just want our normal lives back. And all the regular problems we have in life are only made worse by a global pandemic and all the disruption that goes with it.
But your anger is not serving you well. You’re much better off directing that emotional energy toward something productive. (I’m preaching to myself here!)
Take a step back, take a deep breath, and try to look at your situation through a different lens … the lens of POSSIBILITY. What do you see?
