Every problem is a gift – Anthony Robbins

‘Every problem is a gift – without problems we would not grow.’

Anthony Robbins

Problem is a Gift:

This article is dedicated to the many problems we face on a daily basis. You can call it almost a passion to find out how people respond to these problems/issues/challenges. There are instances where problems drown us into hopeless situations and make us weak/terrible and helpless. There are also numerous examples where the very problems have helped people to come out of these and shake out a new life for themselves. 

I am not going to make this post about why it is great to have problems. We all know that it sucks to have these problems and we want to get away from them. A general motivation is to get rid of these problems at the earliest. But, before we get to the solution making front, there are some hurdles we need to pass:  

The Investigation Phase

The moment we are faced with a problem – our minds immediately go into an investigative mode. The mind almost wants to find the source of this problem. It is only logical right?

The source has clues. There is however a trap here. Sometimes, it makes no sense to be trying to get to the bottom of them. The question however is – how long are you willing to spend there?

And how can you be sure of getting closer?  

The Self Pity/Helpless Phase:

This happens more often than we want to. These problems not only manifest as a challenge, but have an associated meaning with them. Very easily –combine these with pride, expectation and sympathy – we have got a magnified problem at our hand.

How do we simplify such a scenario?

It is not just about appreciating a problem; it is about getting to the next stage.  

The Blame Phase:

Once you know the problem, there is a phase of assuming responsibility. It is fascinating to see how many times it is the responsibility of someone else. Or rather, it becomes a common pattern to blame someone else. Truth is – it doesn’t matter. The problem is affecting you.

That’s the bottom-line. If someone has cheated you – the reality is, they have. No matter how much bad mouthing you do about this person, it is not going to change one bloody thing. 

You still have the same problems you did. No matter how tempting it is to stay with the problem and feel better – that’s not the bottom-line is it? You need to solve the problem, not just feel better about it.  

Every Problem is a Gift, Without problems we would not grow! It is easy to hold problems responsible for our misery. But, is that going to make our life better?

Problem is a Gift: Listening to your Problems

Yes – it is a challenge. But what is the problem telling you?

If we move to the core of Anthony Robbin’s sessions – the first response about emotions is – emotions are a signal. They are a piece of communication trying to tell you something. What is the problem trying to tell you?  

And please – it is rather easy to fall into the trap of a problem telling you that you are incapable/stupid/inefficient or it always happens to you. It doesn’t matter! That’s not what the problem is trying to tell you!

It is telling you that there’s an issue which you need to resolve. Instead of over investigating and running away on a guilt trip – you ought to trim it down. It is just there; you’ve got to accept it.  

The Solution Phase:

Ultimately, it all boils down to this. No amount of moaning, feeling sad or sorry for yourself doesn’t help. The problem/ challenge is quite simply demanding an action/ resolution. As much as we want, it will not be going away any time soon. If we want this to go away, it needs to be tackled with adequate action.

If you are not engaging your brain into the solution mode – then you are still running further away from the problem.  

Any problem is not going to go away by itself. In fact, there is an opportunity lurking in the corner of a problem – just like every other problem. You can make whatever you want out of it. If you really want the solution, you ought to be spending most of your time there. The other things are mere noise and they ought to be treated that way sometimes.