problem

Do you have a problem or a situation?

Problem: has a solution. Can be solved. Requires brainstorming, problem solving, strategy.

Situation: how it is. Not solvable right now. Requires empathy, recognition, acceptance.

Sometimes we think we have problems but actually have situations. Maybe we can tell if it’s a problem by considering if we are willing to hear advice or not. If not, it’s likely a situation and we need to treat it like one.

Maybe someone will come to you with a “problem” but it’s actually a situation. Recognize it and respond appropriately.

Inspired by Seth Godin’s Akimbo podcast below where he explains this concept in more detail.

Solving “Analysis Paralysis”

“Perfect is the enemy of good and good is the direction we need to head.” – Seth Godin on Akimbo Podcast

The entire world is not solvable but there are little pieces of the world that we can improve.

Often for me, this looks like a few minutes of strategy before a big problem. Find the smallest viable goal achievable. The most approachable goal that gets the job done and then begin working towards it.

Other times it means I need to take a walk and realize I can’t fix it all and it’s not my place to fix it all. Sit in the muck and be okay with that for a bit.

Inspired by and quote above from Akimbo Podcast by Seth Godin episode “Money for nothing?“ Q&A Section (starting at 15:15). This podcast also has questions that connect to drive some people have towards high competition. How to focus that and utilize it well.

What is vs. What You are Expecting

Pro wrestling is fake.

Once we realize the reality of this, it changes the way we see the sport.

There is a difference between what is and what you are expecting.

Do we really know what is going on?

Maybe if we did, we could understand the system at play.

“Omne ignotum pro magnifico est”
I recently read this Latin phrase in A. Conan Doyle’s Shelock Holmes story of “The Red-Headed League.”

The phrase translates to “Everything unknown is taken as grand.”
Or more directly, “Everything unknown is in the place of a magnificent thing.”

In Doyle’s story, Holmes uses this phrase as he contemplates hiding his explanation of how he discovers things because it makes the solution to myster less spectacular.

When faced with a critical, complicated or complex problem we must evaluate what is true and what do we expect. It is quite possible our expectations are interfering with us seeing reality.

Often though, we stop.

We say the system is so grand, so complex, so un-understandable. And we give up.

Dig down. Do the hard work to learn.

This relates especially now to our country coming to terms with racial inequality. There is a system present to understand and break a part and dismantle. It’s not just for these big social problems but also with more localized personal problems. Why we get angry at our spouse at a certain time…why we can’t break through on a project…why we feel anxious constantly. Turn the unknown into the known.

Pro wrestling is fake comes from Seth Godin. I heard it recently on his Akimbo podcast.

Motivated by the Surprise

When we face a truly unique or difficult challenge, we are unsure of the outcome.

Some challenges, we can be certain how they will end and in those situations are they really challenges?

I’m looking for more challenges in which, I’m uncertain of the ending. I’m uncertain of the solution. I don’t know the right answer.

This propels a new motivation inside of me. One of anticipating and seeking out the surprise.

As I work towards solving a problem with very unknown outcome or path, the surprise is exciting and engaging. At the end of a working session, I will see something anew. See the world a different way. Realize a truth about myself I did not know. Distill a solution which feels original to me.

To me, these are the challenges worth investing in. Not to overcome fully but to seek the surprise and grow from it.

I heard of this idea on a podcast featuring Austin Kleon where he describes his favorite part of the creative process being the surprise during that creativity.