I love problems
and so should you
Life is full of problems. Today I walked my puppy in the rain — he wouldn’t walk. When we got back we were both sopping wet and he shook all of the rain and mud onto the floor of the apartment. Good times. At work, a deal fell through. AWS went down (along with half the internet). Someone left their lunch in the office fridge for 2 months and it grew into a tree.
Accountants have problems, engineers have problems, entrepreneurs have problems. To start, let’s look at the macro case of a business, where problems abound. How often have you heard people in a business, or any organization for that matter, complaining with incessant negativity about all the problems they have? If you’ve ever worked in one, I’m sure you’ll agree that the answer is all the time.
Heck — you don’t even have to look at work. The next time you’re out having a jolly good time with friends, notice what percentage of the conversation ends up being about the problems everyone has. And not only about the problems, but also how annoying/difficult/unreasonable Joe’s mother is being for cutting off his potato chip allowance.
The problem with problems
As someone who’s started a business and has also worked in a startup, I, like pretty much anyone, have been overwhelmed by problems before. They’re always there, prowling about and sometimes it seems like whatever strength you can muster to solve one only ends up creating more.
Here’s what we know for sure.
- There will always be problems, you’ll never solve’m all.
- Humans’ innate response to a problem is negativity.
We’re wired to see problems as inherently bad things. It shouldn’t come as a surprise — problems are problems because they are obstacles between us and something we want. If I’m driving and there’s construction on my way home, of course I’ll be unhappy with the obstacle because it now affects my goal of making it in time to let my puppy out before he pees all over the floor.
Sounds like a lose-lose situation. What a bleak picture. You mean there will always be problems and we’re wired to gripe and moan about them?
As with all problems, there’s another way to look at this one. In The Obstacle is the Way, Ryan Holiday breaks down a problem into 2 parts, the objective and the subjective. What we can’t change is the problem itself, but what we can change is how we perceive the problem. Often times, that makes all the difference.
No money? No problem
Here’s one way to look at business problems specifically. People in businesses always look for the absence of conflict through solutions. We are solution-oriented, always solving problems looking for a state where there are fewer problems to be solved. In a startup, team morale will shoot sky high whenever we overcome a huge obstacle, but then also comes crashing back down to reality when a huge competitor makes a move to crush us.
But why?
If we had no problems, we’d have no business. And if no business, then no jobs. No jobs, and I’d have to cut back on my Mars bar budget. Wouldn’t want that.
So really, we should be overjoyed with the fact that we have an immeasurable number of problems to solve. If you look at it this way, the problems you’re faced with can often seem less daunting.
Life without problems sucks
Have you ever watched a TV show where nothing goes wrong? No you haven’t, because if you had it would have been the worst show you’d ever watched. How about a show where a romance plot takes center stage? Think Grey’s Anatomy, Downton Abbey, etc. Here’s a secret— it’s the writers’ jobs to manipulate your emotions.
Let me ruin every future romance for you. Two people want to be together, but the world keeps them apart (problem). Once they get together and overcome all of the gut-wrenchingly insurmountable problems first presented to them, the audience is overjoyed. The problems have been solved, the heroes have won, and all is good. Except — if it stays that way, nobody will keep watching. Because guess what — life without problems is horribly boring.
So what do the writers do? They throw wrenches at the perfect situation. The girl finds out the guy cheated on her with another guy. She discovers she’s allergic to his pet gerbil. They realize they’re related. Whatever it may be, there has to be something to cause more problems to be solved because if there isn’t, the show loses viewership. If the show loses viewership, they go out of business, people lose their jobs, Mars bar budgets have to be cut. Oh the horror!
Sorry for ruining every TV show ever for you. But if it makes you hate problems less, hopefully it was worth it.
The opportunity lies in plain sight
The truth is, there are also so many good things that can come from problems. Not only can you make them seem less bad, but you can even spin them into opportunities. If you’re able to not freak out when the stock market is in the red and keep a cool head, you’re already in a better position than everyone else to make a great decision.
While the market crashes around him and everyone runs around like chickens with their heads cut off, billionaire Warren Buffett has always looked at the sea of red as a chance to “buy on discount”. What a perspective shift!
We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful. — Warren Buffett
Only if you’re able to separate what’s objective from what’s subjective — the market crashing from your perception of it — will you be able to spin such a terrible problem into a huge opportunity. If we can look at problems simply as what they are — obstacles to be overcome, we’ll be able to adequately prepare ourselves ultimately for what will be a lifetime of them.
Let’s revel in the fact that we have overwhelming problems to solve and tackle them with a positive ferocity rather than a pessimistic cower. Remember, it’s all just a matter of perspective. Enjoy the journey (because the problems will never stop coming!)
If you liked the post, please give it a ♥ . If you loved it, follow me for more thoughts on life, design, entrepreneurship and Mars bars. Good luck bettering yourself, and have fun no longer enjoying any romantic TV show ever again. I don’t regret it, sorry.
