In your life, you will inevitably face problems.

You will have hard decisions to make. You can’t change that fact.

Luckily, many times, you can change the type of problems and the kinds of decisions you make.

In this post, I hope to show you that you have the ability to choose any of your problems.

I also hope to demonstrate that not all problems are created equal. There are bad problems and there are good problems.

We want good problems. As you read this, write down any things you can act upon.

At the end, I’ll give you some action items myself, but it will be more effective if you write some down that is specific to you.

Before we go on, go ahead and check out our other articles. We have a lot to offer and we’d love to hear what you think.

Inevitability

Problems are a fact of life.

No matter what happens, you will face challenges. It is unavoidable.

Even by our very metabolic biology, we will face problems.

Our bodies burn food to create energy in order for our organs to function. This inevitably creates a metaphorical vacuum of need.

We need to eat, otherwise, we die.

That is an inevitable problem.

Other problems are similarly inevitable.

We need to work. We need to eat, and most of us can’t live off the generosity of our parents forever.

We will, therefore, need to work in order to eat. To some degree, there is an inevitability surrounding the problems we face.

But are all the problems bad?

Can we choose what kinds of problems we face?I believe that we have a lot more agency in the types of problems we face.

Proactivity

Because we all must eat, we all (or most of us) seek employment. Often, I’ve found myself with a misguided idea.

I’ll submit a job application, get the interview and wait to hear back, and in the meantime, not apply for any other job.

I’d feel, incorrectly, beholden to the company I was waiting to hear back from.
That was a mistake on my part. Let me show you.

Which problem would you rather have?

Too many job offers and you don’t know which one to choose, or no job offers and you are still searching?

The answer is obvious, of course, we’d want more jobs even if it makes for a less clear decision.

That’s the point.

Too often, we make excuses for why we don’t actively shape our reality. Let me give you another example.

Which problem would you rather have, you are exhausted because you woke up early to go workout and keep yourself in shape and you don’t know how you are going to keep it up, or you are depressed because your physical condition is not what you’d want it to be?

Again, the answer is obvious.

Why don’t people choose that then?

I think it comes down to decision making.

Decisiveness

Too many times in my life, I’ve relegated decision making power to other people.

I may have not wanted to affect their decision or maybe I just didn’t want to be responsible for making the choices that affect my life.

But that has to stop.

For all of us who find ourselves with the worst problems, we need to start acting in a way that leads toward better problems.

If you have a lot of debt, and you have more month than money, that is a bad problem.

If you have to pay a lot of taxes because you have more than enough money coming in, that’s a great problem.

Start acting in ways that lead you towards a better problem.

In future posts, I’ll try and give you more action items that you can do, but this is crucial:Decide to change your mindset TODAY to start moving towards the best problems.

Would you rather have an argument with your wife about not being able to find work, or an argument about spending less time at work and more time with your family?

Ideally, you won’t have to do either but err on the side that gives you more options.

Don’t limit yourself just because of a perceived problem that is actually worse than it seems.

Maybe I’m the only one who has ever thought this way.

I don’t think so though.

The key then is to simplify and expedite decisions.

The trick here is to do this well without skipping over any important information.

It’s a skill and it takes time to practice and implement correctly. In time, it becomes, like a muscle, strong.

Authorship

What this comes down to is really the idea that each of us are the authors of our own story.

We get to write it, sometimes go back and edit things we don’t like, but ultimately, we have the final say over our actions.

Action Items:

Grab a piece of paper.

Write down 3 of the most pressing and important problems you are facing.

Think for a moment if you are neglecting actions or choices that could give you better problems.

Write those things down.

Pull out your phone and schedule when you will take those actions.Now go tell someone you are close to about those actions.

Let them know to expect you to do the things you have committed yourself to doing. Now, when the time comes to fulfill those actions, do it. If doing this is hard, then focus on one thing.

Sloppy minor action beats inexistent major action every day.

At least do something.

If you want more ways to take action and do, subscribe to the podcast. We come out with new episodes every single Monday and Friday. Don’t miss an episode.