Summary: Being stuck is one of the worst feelings ever. We have come to a problem we can’t solve, and usually end up giving up to switch to something else, until we face another problem, and repeat the cycle over and over. I’m going through some of this at the moment, but a problem isn’t a problem that doesn’t have a solution. What I’ve realized is what Nobel Prize Winner Niels Bohr- you know, the man that figured out how atoms work- professed: He said every great difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it. Think about ancient times when diseases killed off thousands, and all it took was a step back to find the solution: creating a vaccine that is composed of the actual disease in order to strengthen immunity. The problem WAS the solution. Sometimes this change in thinking is a SMALL leap, but it’s a leap nonetheless. What are you struggling with right now? What is the big elephant in the room that you won’t even dare look at? That elephant is the solution to getting out of the predicament you’re in. Creativity experts have long agreed that the “blocks” we experience during any task are actually what ultimately contributes to coming up with something new. The shittiness of being stuck, of slowing down, that feeling lays the groundwork for the exhilaration we feel when we actually start moving. When you’ve been slowed down to a halt, then even a snail’s pace actually feels like progress. And any momentum we experience puts us over the moon. So today, when you re-visit the problem you have, I’d like you to take a step back and ask yourself “What solution is right in front of my eyes that I’m not seeing?” I’m sure you can come up with a couple ideas to try, even if they sound far fetched. But this is good. Remember, in order to have what you’ve never had you have to do what you’ve never done. Plus, it’s good brain exercise. Even if you can’t find the solution today, you’ve just made yourself better at every other form of resistance you’ll face before the day is over. Remember: Your problem isn’t the problem, your problem is your attitude about the problem.
