Moving beyond the 'problematic' mindset: Embracing possibility in work and life

During my time in academia, I lived deep in what I call "The Land of Problematic". Every day was spent entrenched in a culture of "unpacking," "problematising," critiquing, and exposing everything that was, is, and will always be ‘a problem’.

(Also, academics are specifically trained to problematise, critique and evaluate - it’s literally their job to look for the problems. It only becomes a problem when they can’t recognise when/where it’s no longer helpful or necessary to do this.)

Don’t get me wrong; questioning the status quo is essential for collective growth and improvement, and we should hold people and institutions accountable for what may truly be problematic.

But I started to notice the tendency to get stuck in this cycle without much of a desire to actually move forward towards improvement or change.

There’s a point where constant problematising goes from being insightful to limiting. After years of dwelling on the “problematics”, I realised that it wasn’t helping me create a better, more expansive life at all. It was just making me more frustrated and resentful; the more I focused on the problems, the more problems I noticed. It was an incessant, persistent vicious cycle.

I eventually left academia, but this problem isn’t specific to the institution of course. It’s more of a mindset thing. And breaking that cycle has to start with each of us wanting to shift that mindset.

Here’s how I moved from the Land of Problematic to the Land of Possibility. I also share some practical tips that might help if you’re also feeling weighed down by the weight of “all that’s wrong.”

Acknowledge what’s problematic but don’t get stuck there

The first step is being able to acknowledge what’s problematic without getting consumed by it. Awareness is vital for us to identify issues that genuinely need to be addressed, but too often, we let this awareness tip over into an unending loop of critique.

To counter this, set boundaries around your negative thinking. Establish limits for yourself on how much time or mental energy you spend on problems. Ask yourself:

• Is this something I can change? If not, does thinking about it help or hurt? (And who specifically does it help or hurt?)
• What’s my motivation for focusing on this issue? Is it constructive or just a habit?
• How much time am I willing to allocate to this? Set a timer, give yourself permission to air your frustrations, and then let it go.

The goal is not to ignore problems but to prevent yourself from getting stuck in them.

When you put boundaries around negative thinking, you create space for solutions and forward movement.

Recognise and move toward what is possible

Here’s where the magic happens.

Once you’ve acknowledged the problems, start shifting your focus to what is possible instead - and I promise you, there is always something that is possible, even if that something is tiny at first.

Allow yourself to vision forward into the things you can do rather than getting dragged down by what you can’t. If you keep your attention only on what’s wrong, you risk missing out on the many things that are right and the much better opportunities that would be available to you if you just widened your focus a little.

In a world that is so fixated on and obsessed with bad news and grumbling, it’s a radical act of defiance against this ‘problematic’ mindset to start envisioning a life filled with expansion, possibility, and potential. It can even feel uncomfortable at first - like you’re being too naive, too idealistic. But when we give ourselves permission to notice and move toward what is possible, we move from being passive ‘victims’ of a problematic world to active creators of a better one.

Don’t just endlessly ‘unpack’ - decide how you’ll act on it

In academic and corporate settings, there’s a lot of emphasis on “unpacking” and “problematising.” But simply “unpacking” isn’t helpful unless we’re ready to move toward actionable steps. In fact, this endless analysis can be counterproductive, leaving us feeling more frustrated, hyper-conscious of the problems and hopeless.

When you catch yourself unpacking or ruminating over an issue, follow up with a question that prompts practical, doable action, such as:

• What’s one small step I could take to address this?
• What would happen if I put this problem aside and focused on something I can control?
• What resources or people can I connect with to help solve this?

These questions can act as a gentle push, taking your mindset from “I’m so aware of the problem” to “Here’s what I can do about it.”

You’ll find that sometimes, even the smallest action step can bring about a powerful shift in perspective.

Stop trying to make everything ‘perfect’

The flipside to being hyper-vigilant of all that is problematic is the compulsive need to ‘right’ everything and make things ‘perfect’. The frustration we experience arises largely because we feel we’re out of control and the situation isn’t exactly the way we would prefer it to be.

To counter this, it can be helpful to really sit with the belief that sometimes ‘good enough is good enough’. You don’t need for everything to be perfectly fixed to still live a good, fulfilling, successful life.

Sometimes, acknowledging where things are good enough and celebrating your current position is as valuable as pressing forward.

Start with this question:

“What would it look like if I decided that today, just as it is, is good enough?”

This practice helps ground you in the present moment and gives you a break from needing to spot the problems and to fix or improve them. In fact, you’ll probably find that when you’re okay with “good enough”, you’ll start noticing other possibilities and opportunities much more easily too - and actually be able to enjoy them.

Vision forward into possibility, potential and expansion

When you’ve balanced acknowledging the problematic with moving toward the possible, you’re ready to start envisioning a more expansive future. This isn’t about being unrealistic or overly idealistic. It’s about giving yourself permission to dream into a bigger, better life and to start taking the actions that can tangibly lead you to that dream.

“Possibility-thinking” isn’t na?ve - it’s a necessary approach to creating any kind of meaningful change. It’s about setting our sights on what is possible, of staying weighed down by the limitations of what isn’t.

At the end of the day, life is too short to get bogged down in an endless loop of problematising - what a colossal waste of time!

We can’t change everything overnight, but we can choose to look forward, take actionable steps, and lean into what’s possible. Even if that action only takes us 1% forward, that’s still more and better than staying stuck at zero.

So here’s my invitation to you today:

What one better-feeling thing can you do today to get just that 1% closer to possibility?