Problems, Problems, Problems
That’s how life goes, is it not? Solve a problem, and move on to the next one. While that can be true, I believe it’s a matter of perspective.
Sure, you can go about life like that. You can be a problem solver. Nothing wrong with that.
However, I also believe that some people can be influenced negatively by adapting this mindset. I say that because problems are an inherently negative thing.
So if a person was to view their life as a series of problems, then that could lead to not actually enjoying life.
So is there a solution to the problem of problems? I believe there is. As I said in the beginning, it’s a matter of perspective or rather, a change in that perspective.
Even the most positive thing can be viewed as a problem, and vice versa. The thing is, I think most people put unconscious effort into viewing positive things as problems, and not enough effort into viewing problems as just slight annoyances.
And ironically enough, I believe that’s a problem. That’s because, there’s a much greater shift if you twist a positive thing into a problem as compared to viewing a problem as a slight annoyance.
The first turns a good thing into an inherently bad thing, the second turns a bad thing into much less of a bad thing, but doesn’t negate the inherent negative tone of it.
For example: Me having no idea what to write about is a problem indeed. However, instead of just focusing on the problem, I viewed it as a slight annoyance that will resolve itself if I do something else that is productive.
So I resorted to engaging with articles on Medium, then reading fiction, and then writing fiction, and the ideas came to me.
I did something productive while dismissing the problem, because it’s not that big of a deal (therefore it’s an annoyance, not a problem), there are infinite things to write about. I knew that at least one idea would come to me if I’m engaging in spaces where ideas can be found.
It was annoying to have nothing to write about, but it wasn’t that big of a deal, that is to say changing perspective in this case doesn’t change the (negative) tone of it.
However, if we turn the tables and say that I turn a positive into a problem, even without an example it’s obvious that the tone switches from positive to negative, which is a much more powerful shift than negative to less negative.
So if you twist one positive and turn it into a problem, it’ll take a hundred times more problems viewed as annoyances to balance it out.
It’s a very slippery slope because I believe it’s much easier to twist a good thing badly, than to view a bad thing as a bit easier than you thought.
So be mindful of what you view as problems, that perspective change controls how you feel much more than you think.
