Is That A Problem or An Opportunity?

Let's cut to quick on this one.  It's always an opportunity.

But, only if you look at it that way. 

Whether it is a problem or an opportunity is the result of your mindset. It's how you choose to look at the situation. It's what meaning you decide to give it.

If you look at it as a problem you take on a victim's mentality. Why does this always happen to me? Why do I have to deal with this? When your thinking goes there, you immediately become less resourceful and less able to deal with the situation regardless of who's fault it is.

When you look at it as a problem it becomes something you need to fix or neutralize so that it isn't a problem anymore. The screaming child, the traffic jam, the annoying coworker. This kind of thinking will lead you to only solving the problem and not seeing what you could make out of it or what good could come from it. And, there is always some good that could come from it. But, you need to look for it.

In every problem there is an opportunity. There is possibility. But, you have to look for it. You may need to pause and make yourself think about it. But, it is there.

Problems are opportunities in disguise. You need to see through that disguise and uncover it.

The thing about problems are that they often arrive as interruptions. The flow of what you're doing comes to a stop and you need to deal with a problem. It becomes an inconvenience and keeps you from doing what you're trying to do. But, if you think about it, so do opportunities.

Opportunities often show up and interrupt what we're doing. They are just welcome interruptions. A friend calls with tickets to the game, drinks at the new local hot spot. Somehow these interruptions are okay. They are okay because the opportunity is easy to see. And, we don't mind putting off what we were doing to take advantage of those opportunities. In fact, we often make sacrifices to take advantage of them.

But, when problems interrupt us that is a different story. These interruptions feel like setbacks, obstacles, things that delay us or stop us altogether. These types of problems will always exist. They are a part of life. So, why not take advantage of them.

How do you take advantage of them?

The answers lies in the questions you ask yourself when problems arise. Instead of why me? Try, why not me? How could I take advantage of this situation? What could I learn from this? How could I grow from this?

Of course this is easier said than done.  But, it can be done.

Stuck in a line at the store? Caught in traffic? Instead of getting upset and stressed out, use that time to do something constructive. You going to spend the time anyway. You're going to be late anyway. Call a relative you haven't spoken to for awhile. Read something informative on your phone. Listen to a book or podcast.

One of the best stories that I ever heard was about a Mom that got a flat tire with her three kids. They were stuck on the side of the road waiting for the service truck. So, to kill the time she asked each of her kids how they were doing in school. And, the Mom learned that one of her kids was being bullied. Do you think that flat tire meant something different after she learned that?

Sometimes things happen for a reason. Instead getting upset when problems come up, get curious to find out what you could do with the situation. In every problem there is an opportunity. But, you have to look for it.