The Problem Problem

People have problems. And that’s a problem.

We spend our time obsessing about the things that are going wrong – at work… in our social lives… at home… with our kids…

And if you’re into personal development you’ll already be well aware that it’s a problem, because you’ll know that a consistent focus on what we don’t want makes it harder for us to get what we do want. It means we’re not using our minds optimally.

As my friend Jamie Smart puts it: “Imagine going to the supermarket with a list of everything you didn’t want.”

There are various ways to change this problem focus.

Maybe you use SMART goal setting.

Or perhaps if you’re a Clean Language enthusiast you’ll use the Power Switch question: “And when <problem>, what would you like to have happen?”

Here’s another approach that works well for me. It takes our obsession with problems, and uses it against itself.

Again, it involves a simple question.

“What’s the problem you’d love to have?”

So, for example if you’re a struggling coach, the problem you’d love to have might be attracting too many clients wanting your help. It would be a real struggle to find a way of managing. Would you up your prices, limit your hours, hire support services…?

Then, once you have a sense of the problem you’d love to have, use your imagination (and perhaps the 2 Lazy Jedi questions) to develop your sense of how that problem will be for you. Make it big, bright and bold, if that works for you. Make it urgent, make it pressing.

But don’t solve it… just yet