You Can Choose to See Problems or See Solutions
Problems or solutions – the choice for what you see is yours.
It is all too easy to see problems in the world.
Spend any time whatsoever online and you’ll be bombarded by problems. Financial issues, pandemic issues, politicians being terrible, good people suffering due to bad people, and so on. Problems are everywhere – you hardly need to look for them.
Yet most people do. A great deal of our conditioning is problem-based and problem-oriented.
Problem-solving, for example, sounds like a good thing. And on the one hand – it is. But on the other – the focus is automatically given to the problem.
When your life is in neutral – shifting out of it tends to be all about where you are in relation to this problem or that. Find a problem and solve it.
What we fail to see is that all the focus on the problems makes them much more apparent. And, even more than that, we direct our attention to seeking out problems. Then, when we find them, we are easily overwhelmed by them.
One of the hardest things to do when learning to be more consciously aware and mindful is to shift focus away from problems. This tends to be my largest issue.
Though overall I am good at staying mostly positive and working to control my thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions – sometimes I get drawn into problems. More often than not this involves finances.
When that happens, the problems always seem to compile. That then leads to frustration, anger, doubt, and tons of negativity.
When this happens, I need to remember to shift my focus away from problems and instead look to solutions.
We have the power to choose
When you go looking for problems you will find problems. Like attracts like. That’s the Law of Attraction in action – whether or not you believe in it.
Ever notice how, if you focus on and give your attention to a problem, inevitably you find another. Then, lo and behold, yet another crops up? And before you know it there are problems everywhere?
That is the Law of Attraction at work in its rawest, unchallenged form.
Yet the truth is – we have a choice. We can allow our programming to draw us down the primrose path of problems – or instead choose a different path. Maybe the serendipitous street of solutions or another solution-oriented approach.
No matter what you may be dealing with, experiencing, or contending with – there are ALWAYS solutions to be found. So long as you are living you can find something to choose as a solution to any given situation.
Granted, there are times when all solutions you see are less-than-desirable. The lesser of two evils, choices between bad and worse, and so on. But you have a choice. And so long as you are drawing breath, few choices are permanent nor unchangeable.
Whatever you might have going on – you have choices. You can choose to look at problems or choose to look at solutions. Because of the nature of our culture, the former is easy, while the latter takes much more effort.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t do it.
How do we change our perspective?
The answer will shock you! No, it won’t – it’s mindfulness.
Practicing mindfulness involves being in the present moment. Then, in this moment, be consciously aware of your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions.
This is not hard to do. It involves direct questions of yourself like,
- What am I thinking?
- What am I feeling?
- How am I feeling?
- What do I intend with any action I am taking?
All those questions – especially when asked aloud – make you consciously aware in the here-and-now. And that is practicing mindfulness.
When you are aware of your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions – you can direct if you are looking for/at problems or for/at solutions.
How do you tell the difference?
Often, it simply comes down to approach. For example, I can look at my bank account and focus on the problem of the amount in it being too low. That, in turn, leads to looking at the problem of insufficient book sales, which leads to the problem of creating effective marketing, which leads further down the primrose path of problems rabbit hole.
Or, instead, I can look at my bank account and focus on seeing the low number as a call to action for new solutions. That can lead to the solution of working to improve my writing, which can lead to the solution of doing a different marketing approach, the solution of finding a good additional income source – and on and on.
Looking at the problem is all about lack, scarcity, and negativity. On the other hand, looking at the solution is all about potential, abundance, and positivity.
What, how, why, and where of any approach we take can be a choice. Especially when we practice mindfulness rather than allow our problem-inundated subconscious to do the driving.
There are always solutions
Despite seeming elusive sometimes, there are ALWAYS solutions.
They might be hiding behind the façade of a problem – but they are there. We can choose to look for them or look for problems. That’s up to you and me.
I know that my tendency – based on old conditioning – is to look at problems. And then, shocker, I find more problems to look at.
But being mindful of this, I am going to put more effort into choosing to look for solutions instead. I will ask myself about my thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions more frequently and be more deliberate in seeking solutions – rather than exploring problems.
This will require focus and intent on my part. But I believe that seeking solutions instead of looking at problems is a better and more productive approach.
It’s up to me to break past my cultural conditioning to seek more solutions rather than see more problems.
Problems or solutions – the choice for what we see is up to you and me.
Finding and/or creating solutions isn’t hard
It begins with mindfulness of our thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions.
Knowing that you control your thoughts, feelings, actions, and intentions – you can choose to focus on problems – or – instead turn your thoughts to solutions. When you seek to find and/or create solutions, you work with abundance and positivity rather than lack and negativity, and that ultimately empowers you.
When you are empowered, your mindfulness increases, you become more aware overall, and that gets reflected and spreads to other people. This creates a feedback loop of awareness and positivity – a feedback loop everyone can take part in.
Then, together, we build more positive feelings and discover further reasons to feel positivity and gratitude. That becomes the impetus to improve numerous aspects of our lives for the better, help overcome the overwhelming negativity of any current situation, and generate yet more positivity and gratitude.
An attitude of gratitude is an attitude of pure positivity. That positivity can generate even greater positive energies – and that is ultimately empowering for all.
Everyone is worthy and deserving of all the good we desire.
This is the three-hundred and ninety-eighth entry of my Positivity series. It is my hope these weekly messages might help spread positive energies for everyone. Feel free to share, re-blog, and spread the positivity.
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