Simple Steps for Effective Problem Solving
Whatever is business, work, relationship or personal life, problems and challenges are always behind the corner ready to welcoming us.
It could sound a bit catastrophic and overwhelming, but it's totally true. Our life is a series of problems that need to be solved on a daily bases, and if we don't take the right actions to overcome them we could end up losing some great opportunities that could positively alter our life path.
If fact, it's said that problems are the bridges that separate defeat from success, and it's up to us to move in the right direction in life.
Therefore, the following problem-solving strategy will help you see your problems through broadened observation, because as Albert Einstein once said: “We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them”.
Step 1: Define the problem clearly.
Ask yourself: “What exactly is the problem I'm hardly trying to solve?”. Most of the time we waste so much energy on trying to understand why something in particular happened in our business or life instead of defining the main and real facts that brought the actual problem up.
For example, when few years ago I realized that my life was a boring routine of “Eat, Work and Sleep”, I needed to figure out what really caused me to have such sort of “awakening”, if I really wanted to live my best life.
During that time, I was convinced that life was just an order of events and that we can't control what happens around us. I was convinced that my possibilities were limited and I couldn't do anything else than working in a restaurant for the rest of my life.
So, my real problems were my beliefs. The little, but powerful bias were slowly “blinding” me of the amazing opportunities that constantly unfold in front of us.
Therefore, the key step here is to think clearly about your problem and identify its roots. That's really important if you want take control of your life and live on your own terms.
Step 2: All problems are the same, but just packaged differently.
When trying to overcome problems is extremely important to become open minded. Opening your mind allows you to experience new ideas and thoughts, and change how you think and how you view the world around you.
Brainstorming is actually one of the best practice you can use to let your creativity and thoughts flow naturally without interruption, so that you can find easier to create original and useful solutions to your problems.
Step 3: Test all your solutions
Problem Solving Skills Activities
Once you've figure out a bunch of solutions that might fix the problem you're currently facing, the next step is to test them all and see which is actually producing the best result.
Simple and very effective.
So, if you want to take your life to the next level, you must be prepared to constantly face HUGE problems and obstacles. Solving problems involve: preparation, searching and seeing beneath and beyond the problem itself. You need to develop the ability to see well-beyond the obvious and approach your problems and challenges through a lens of opportunity.
If you lack this attitude, if you only see your problem as a defeat, you'll never be able to grow and use the great opportunities that lie within the problem.
Success is achieved by knowing how to intelligently and creatively solve a problem, so don't give up during though times, just keep pushing, because everything is “figureoutable”.
