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Category: Thinking Clearly

Problem-Solvers Vs. Solutionists

Published on March 1, 2022

“Don’t be a “problem solver.” Be a “solutionist.” There is a difference. A problem solver spends a lot of time focusing on the problems. A solutionist acknowledges the problem while focusing on assessing the best solutions given the desired outcome.”

Samantha Postman, Twitter

And it’s even more than that for me.

Being a problem solver has a selfish connotation to it.

It confines the person—the solver of the problems—into a mindset where they need to be the one who does the solving.

So, rather than expanding their problem-solving capabilities and ideas to a broader network to include other (maybe more qualified) people and resources, they limit their focus to their own capabilities and resources which becomes a type of hindrance to the solution in itself.

This is where identifying as a solutionist can help.

Solutionists are focused on how they can help facilitate a solution. It’s a more selfless approach that taps into the bountiful resources that are available to each of us at any given moment in time.

It isn’t always easy to do this. Especially for those who see themselves as being great problem-solvers, do-it-themselvers, will-do-anything-to-help-you-ers.

But, how great are you really if you’re hindering the solution process? Or if you’re not helping in every possible way you can? Are you really willing to do anything for others—even if that means pointing them away from you?

Ultimately we can’t make solving problems about us. We have to make it about the act of facilitating more solutions for this world.

Because there will always be plenty of problems to solve.

No need to hog (or hinder) any one of them because of our egos.

Confused? Don’t Be.

Published on February 28, 2022
  • When somebody says something you don’t understand—tell them. You expand your thinking when you understand what’s being said—not when you pretend like you do.
  • When a strong feeling arises that doesn’t make sense to you—speak to/ listen to/ or read from a person who understands strong feelings. Bottling up strong feelings turns them toxic. Sharing strong feelings is how we learn to flow from signal to action.
  • When you’re solving a problem and get stuck—reach out to those who are trying to solve (or have solved) similar problems. When your network expands, not only does your thinking expand from the interactions, but your access to other brains expands which multiplies the total thinking capacity at hand for all involved.

In short: don’t keep your confusion to yourself.

Keeping your confusion to yourself is literally the act of preventing growth.

Reaching out for help when confused may be hard, but it’s the path towards growth.

If we do nothing to expand our thinking, our thinking will never expand.

And expanding our thinking is important because our opportunities in life expand in proportion to the problems we learn how to solve—which only ever fall within the confines of our thinking.

Same Skills = Same Problems

Published on February 28, 2022

There’s no such thing as a problem-free life.

Life is merely a game of exchanging and/or upgrading problems.

If you want to ‘upgrade’ your problems, you have to upgrade your skills.

For example, investing money isn’t a problem you get to solve if you’re living paycheck to paycheck. You have to figure out how to make more than your lifestyle costs before you get to solve investing.

Running from problems and/or distracting yourself from building up higher level skills only keeps you stuck having to face the same problems because that’s what your lower level skills know how to face.

It’s those who build the most valuable/ interesting skills that get to solve the most valuable/ interesting problems in the world.

And the pathway there always starts with the problems that are right in front of you first.

Criticism Surgery

Published on February 21, 2022

Want to learn how to become shielded from the unsolicited, hateful, derogatory critiques of others? Stamp this onto your brain:

Don’t accept criticism from people you wouldn’t go to for advice.

  • Someone called you dumb? Would you ever ask this person for their honest opinion on your character? No? Then why listen to them when you didn’t ask?
  • Someone hated on your creation? Is this the type of person who actually understands this type of creation and can genuinely comment? No? Then why take their comment to heart?
  • Someone said something rude or hurtful? If I told you to list your top 5 favorite people to get advice from, would this person be on that list? No? Then why let them on that list now?

And if the answer is ever, “Yes”—you would go to this person for advice—then it’s important to reflect on the following:

(1) Is this the best person for you to be going to for advice? People who give advice in hateful, derogatory, negative ways may cause more harm to our path forward than benefit.

(2) If the answer is still yes, then, assuming there is anything constructive in their feedback, we must train our minds to surgically remove the gems from the emotional weight that burdens and collapses in on what’s said.

Because here’s the bottom line: feedback won’t always come in a pretty package.

And if we can learn how to accept what’s useful, how to disregard what (and who) is not, and how to keep ourselves in mentally healthy places so we can conduct criticism surgery with precision and poise at even a moment’s notice—our growth will become inevitable.

Unlocking Productivity

Published on February 18, 2022

Speeding up when you’re busy is like:

  • Flooring it on a car that’s overheating
  • Trying to push mudded pond sediments to the pond floor
  • Opening more applications on an overwhelmed computer

When you’re busy, unlocking productivity happens from slowing down.

Not the opposite.

Optimization Happens Last

Published on February 14, 2022

Optimization is the last step of any process.

Be it building a house, starting a business, creating a new habit etc.—the fine tuning should never happen first.

  • When it comes to building a house, who cares about auto-timed lighting as a means to optimizing the house’s energy efficiency—if there are no walls.
  • When it comes to starting a business, who cares about the color of the checkout button as a means to optimizing clicks—if there is no marketing plan in place to drive visitors to the business’ website.
  • When it comes to creating a new exercising habit, who cares about the exact rest time allowed in-between sets as a means to optimizing workout pace—if you don’t even have the habit of showing up to the gym.

In today’s world, optimization is an obsession.

Many of us are constantly on the hunt for (and are being bombarded with) optimization “hacks,” fine-tuning tricks, and hot trends that can produce any kind of measurable result.

But, without the foundation set—without the “big” things already in place—it’s ultimately just wasted time.

It’s like trying to optimize a lump of coal. You can try to clean, cut, and polish it all you want—it’ll still end up mostly as it started—coal.

If, however, you subjected that lump of coal to enough time under pressure, it’ll eventually transform into a diamond.

And diamond is what gets optimized.

Wants And Shoulds

Published on February 13, 2022

Sometimes you have to sacrifice doing what you want so you can do what you should.

Not making that sacrifice means prioritizing wants over shoulds.

If that’s you, don’t be surprised when the people who do make that sacrifice get ahead.

You can’t have it both ways.