Solving the Problem

You cannot solve a problem by focusing on the problem.

A problem is, by definition, still a problem no matter how long you look at it.

The solution exists in a separate space. To solve a problem, you have to shift your attention off it and focus your mind on the idea of ‘solution’.

It might not be ‘rocket-science’ but it is the way scientific leaders at NASA work.

Listen to Dr. Nicola Fox, Head of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA, explain it: “Our approach is, can. Space is hard. And that means there is not a lot of time for people messing around.”

NASA’s approach is that solving a problem is a shared mission in which “we all march in the same direction without a lot of drama,” Fox told Britain’s Daily Telegraph in a recent interview.?

And there’s no time to allow a problem to get so big it overwhelms.

But it’s a challenge to drag our attention away from a problem that’s worrying us. And that’s why people get stuck, frustrated and sink into despair.

There’s a process to all of this: Acknowledge there is a problem, and shift attention onto finding a solution as quickly as you can.?

Accept that you cannot find a solution inside the problem. Solutions live beyond the problem.

The clues to the solution may be in the problem, but what is really required is the ability to think from the successful outcome, rather than the current situation.

To observe the jumbled mess of the problem and then, using imagination, to see the ideal, completed picture in your mind, and work from there.

This applies to any problem, no matter what it is or how big. When you can shift your mindset to think about the future where the problem is resolved and all is going well again, then the answers come more quickly.

When we get fixated on how bad things are, our mental energy drains away and negative emotions begin to dominate us. In that state, fixing the problem gets a lot harder.?

Engaging your imagination to think about how this might get solved actually lifts your mood. Hope begins to show up. Followed by determination. At that point there is room for new ideas to enter your mind. Or it may require the help of others if you can’t see an answer yourself.?

Thinking-from the expectation of a solution actually causes it to appear.

How do you apply this idea?

• Being aware and accepting there is a problem is the first step
• Acknowledge what the problem is and then set it aside and ignore it
• Decide what the ideal outcome is and begin to think from that
• Use the power of your Imagination to see how you want things to be
• Then ask internally how you might get to that outcome, using your Intuition to receive insights and answers.
• Brainstorm with yourself, on paper, or others, and speak or write any idea that comes to mind to capture it while it is still fresh
• The list should provide some ideas for solving the problem. If not, go through the process again

The answer to any question always comes in time. Believe that there is an answer to every question and you will find it.

Want a simple but effective process for focusing on finding solutions?

Download the 333 technique for brainstorming solutions from PGI @ #ThinkingintoResults

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