Find Better Quality Problems

44 Lessons For A Life of Impact (Section 2)

I can’t afford it.

Its a problem faced by billions of people. 

Let’s dive into the sentence a little more and expand it.

I don’t have sufficient financial resources to purchase that item or service.

But is that true?

Every time you had said the words “I can’t afford it”, have you really not had the financial resources to make the purchase?

Could you borrow some money?

Could you sell something?

Sell your car?

Sell your house?

Have you tried everything possible to come up with the resources to make the purchase?

No. So stop lying. You might not realise you are doing it in the moment, but you are being dishonest.

By lying, you are creating a low quality problem.

A low quality problem is one that, when you solve it, really doesn’t have any meaningful long term impact.

In our lives, we will constantly be solving problems. Some small, some big. Some meaningful, some meaningless. 

The universal truth is that our lives will be filled with problems from the day we are born until the day we depart this world. If we want to get ahead in life, our goal should be to upgrade the quality of our problems. To solve bigger challenges so that we can move on from solving meaningless problems to solving meaningful problems. 

So how do we do that?

Go back to the first line and follow the trail.

I can’t afford it… but if I could afford it, how would I make it happen?

To find better quality problems, you need to ask better quality questions.

Whenever you come up against a challenge that appears to be at a brick wall, change directions.

“... but if I could… how would I do it?”

This sentence structure is one of the most powerful tools you will ever encounter on your journey to uplift your life. Wherever you use it, you seemingly break through brick walls and overcome roadblocks.

Ready to try it again?

“I don’t know where to begin.”

“… but if I did know, where would I start?”

Again.

“I don’t know how.”

“… but if I wanted to learn how, where would I look?”

Again.

“I can’t do it.”

“… but if I could, how would I do it?”

We have the solutions to lots of problems. We are resourceful beings. Sometimes the biggest thing standing in your way is your own self.

By asking better quality questions, we will present ourselves with better quality problems. With better quality problems we can solve bigger challenges. Continue this pattern so on and so forth and you will take life to a new level.

“I can’t afford it” becomes “I can’t afford it but if I really wanted to, where would I come up with the money?” 

This flows into “I don’t know where to find that kind of money.

Great, we are making progress.

“If I was the kind of person that could come up with that money, how would I do it?”

“I would run a business”

“I don’t know how to run a business”

“If I wanted to figure out how to run a business, where would I start?”

“I would talk to someone who is successful in business”

So on and so forth. 

The original problem was “I can’t afford it”. Now, our imaginary person has decided that they will start a business so that they can be the kind of person who “can afford it”.

This is the power of upgrading your problems. A simple problem that has no solution can turn into a better quality problem that will result in a better solution. Instead of getting stuck, our imaginary person has gotten unstuck and, in fact, inspired to create a meaningful solution.

The next time that you tell yourself that you can’t afford it, remind yourself to…

Find better quality problems.