Today, I feature a guest post by Garret Kramer:
The Problem-solving Fast
Track
By Garret Kramer
Author of Stillpower: Excellence with Ease in Sports and Life
Track
By Garret Kramer
Author of Stillpower: Excellence with Ease in Sports and Life
In virtually every
business, organization, or family in the world today, people are doing their
best to solve problems. And that's admirable. Yet, in my opinion, they are
working way harder than they should. Even me, at times.
business, organization, or family in the world today, people are doing their
best to solve problems. And that's admirable. Yet, in my opinion, they are
working way harder than they should. Even me, at times.
Yesterday, I absentmindedly
scheduled two meetings for the same hour and didn't know what to do about it. I
racked my brain searching for the solution, and, before I knew it, my head was
spinning. So I resigned myself to the fact that at least one client was going
to be upset, possibly two. Funny thing, though, the minute I did that my
thinking slowed and the answer to my supposed dilemma appeared. Since both
clients were members of the same organization, I offered a joint training where
insights could be shared freely. It worked, and both clients thanked me for
what they learned that day.
scheduled two meetings for the same hour and didn't know what to do about it. I
racked my brain searching for the solution, and, before I knew it, my head was
spinning. So I resigned myself to the fact that at least one client was going
to be upset, possibly two. Funny thing, though, the minute I did that my
thinking slowed and the answer to my supposed dilemma appeared. Since both
clients were members of the same organization, I offered a joint training where
insights could be shared freely. It worked, and both clients thanked me for
what they learned that day.
Here' the way 99 percent of
us approach our problems:
us approach our problems:
We perceive a circumstance
as difficult, so we conclude that the way to solve it is to think about it some
more.
as difficult, so we conclude that the way to solve it is to think about it some
more.
Here's the way we should
approach our problems:
approach our problems:
We perceive a circumstance
as difficult, so we conclude that the way to solve it is to see that we are not
thinking correctly.
as difficult, so we conclude that the way to solve it is to see that we are not
thinking correctly.
That's right — to solve a
problem, you must understand that issues always exist in your thinking, never
in your circumstances. From a clear head — a state of thoughtlessness
— no circumstance is problematic; answers and revelations abound. From a
cluttered head — a state of overthinking — all circumstances are problematic;
confusion and roadblocks abound.
problem, you must understand that issues always exist in your thinking, never
in your circumstances. From a clear head — a state of thoughtlessness
— no circumstance is problematic; answers and revelations abound. From a
cluttered head — a state of overthinking — all circumstances are problematic;
confusion and roadblocks abound.
In other words, just
because you can't find a solution at that moment, doesn't mean a solution
doesn't exist. All of us have experienced struggles that appeared to be the
result of a certain situation, only to later ask ourselves: This situation
isn't so complicated, what in the world was troubling me? Contrary to what we
are led to believe, problems are never the cause of a disquiet mindset; they
are a symptom of a disquiet mindset.
because you can't find a solution at that moment, doesn't mean a solution
doesn't exist. All of us have experienced struggles that appeared to be the
result of a certain situation, only to later ask ourselves: This situation
isn't so complicated, what in the world was troubling me? Contrary to what we
are led to believe, problems are never the cause of a disquiet mindset; they
are a symptom of a disquiet mindset.
The bottom line is that we
in a thought-created reality, not a circumstance-created reality. Therefore, it
makes little sense to think more about a problem that is the result of too much
thinking to begin with.
in a thought-created reality, not a circumstance-created reality. Therefore, it
makes little sense to think more about a problem that is the result of too much
thinking to begin with.
How do you get on the
problem-solving fast track? It's pretty simple, actually. Realize that all
experiences (including perceived problems) are born from thought — not from
the world outside. This understanding alone is what activates the minds natural
ability to find clarity, and answers, without any effort at all.
problem-solving fast track? It's pretty simple, actually. Realize that all
experiences (including perceived problems) are born from thought — not from
the world outside. This understanding alone is what activates the minds natural
ability to find clarity, and answers, without any effort at all.
© 2012 Garret Kramer,
author of Stillpower: Excellence with Ease in Sports and Life
author of Stillpower: Excellence with Ease in Sports and Life
Kramer is the founder of Inner Sports. His clients include
Olympians, NHL, NFL, MLB, and collegiate players and coaches, and he often
conducts seminars about his “inside-out” paradigm for performance
excellence in athletics and business. Garret has been featured on ESPN, WFAN,
FOX, and NPR; and in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and
Sports Illustrated.
Olympians, NHL, NFL, MLB, and collegiate players and coaches, and he often
conducts seminars about his “inside-out” paradigm for performance
excellence in athletics and business. Garret has been featured on ESPN, WFAN,
FOX, and NPR; and in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and
Sports Illustrated.
