The Second Step is Admitting You Have a Problem
In an earlier
post from this BLOG I wrote that I ask myself three
questions when faced with an decision having alternative choices.
In that post, I zealously detailed the first question, which was
“What would I do if I was not afraid?” And in
this post I will make a grand attempt to explain the second question.
The Second Question…
The second question is one that I regrettably failed to ask myself for
much of my life. I would make a choice
based on notions such as, what seemed to be the most fun, what seemed the coolest thing to do, what was trendy, what
others were doing, or what was the easiest.
Paradoxically, the result was often a spectacular success…by
somebody else’s standards. As can be
seen in the right column of this BLOG under My Life Philosophy, I state that success is “accomplishing your
goals.” The “your” in that statement is
the key, the secret, the epiphany. Your
goals. Your needs. Your problem.
Thereby, the second question I ask myself when making a
decision is “What problem does that
solve?”
As difficult as it is to concede, there is a major error in
many of our decision making processes.
We rarely - on a conscious level - ask if the chosen solution solves our problem. Or to put it differently, will the outcome
actually be meaningful or benefit us in any way. And for those getting your unmentionables all
twisted right now, I am not advocating anyone to think egocentrically here. The problem this solves could very well
be for a friend, for your employer, or for your customer. After all, solving someone else’s problem is
solving yours in much the same way as us doing altruistic actions for others brings
us more pleasure than the recipient.
Consequently, if no goal is accomplished, no need satisfied,
no problem solved, and accordingly there is no meaningful outcome - then your
action was in futility and should not have been taken.
Example: I am a fitness fanatic, which really means I love the
exercising, but really have no convictions as to precisely what I do. I just love the feeling, the atmosphere, and
the camaraderie that goes along with being a fitness enthusiast.
Thusly, I will be doing my normal routine and see someone
doing an unconventional exercise or new machine and think to myself that I should do that. Most recently, there was a trainer at my gym
doing some cross fit type routine (a comprehensive overall cardio, agility, and
weight lifting routine) and I was quite intrigued. I thought that what he was doing was really
neat and looked both fun and difficult.
It seemed to be a workout with “real world” applications.
I wanted to try it, so I talked to him, and he said I could
train with him the following Monday. I
was super excited, but was immediately figuring out in my head when I was going
to fit in my normal training regimen for that day.
It was then that I had the epiphany that the cross fit
workout seemed cool and exciting but, unless I was on the savannah running from
lions, or if I was getting ready for an MMA fight, or if I was training for an
event that combined cardio fitness with strength and agility, it really served
no purpose for me. In other words, it
did not solve my problem of maximizing my strength and muscle, minimizing my body
fat, and being in running shape. Hard
weight training solved my size and strength problem and running on the
treadmill solved my body fat and running problems. The cross fit training would get me in great
overall shape, but would not have solved my specific problems or addressed my
self-imposed goals. It was the metaphoric shiny new toy for me to play with.
Assessment
If your action does not solve a problem or help you attain a
goal you have set, then it was likely not the right action to take and you
should have chosen a different action among your choices or you should have
given yourself a different set of actions to choose from for a different goal. You don't have a set of goals? Well then, that is for another post.
So, when facing a situation, opportunity, dilemma, problem,
or realistically any choice I ask:
1) What
would I do if I was not afraid?
2) What
problem does that solve?
3) …..for
a later post.
Enthusiastically scribbled by,
Jason Riemens