And Solve It You Will
Author: Wendyl K. Leslie

"Whenever you have a problem, think of it as only waiting to be solved, and know that you will bet the solution. Face your problem with faith, and bend every effort to solve it, and solve it you will."

Here's a question for you: How good are you at solving your own problems? If you think about it for a moment, you'll realize that living well and successfully is really a mater of being able to solve or overcome the problems that are as much a part of living as breathing. But of one thing you can be sure: Few people realize that they have, within themselves, for more problem-solving potential than they ever use.

Now, let's say you have a problem -- chances are, you have several problems. The first thing to remember is that to solve a problem, it must be defined, and that we should take only one problem at a time. So take your biggest problem, and define it. sit down, and on a sheet of paper, write as complete a description of the problem as you can.
Just spelling it out has a way of diminishing it. We're most afraid of what we can't see. When we see our problem written out, it never looks quite as tough.

The next step is to break down the problem into details. And don't confuse facts with opinions. Make sure you know what you're talking about and that the problem is as real as you think it is.

Now begin to list possible solutions. Write down as many possible solutions as you can think of, no matter how crazy they may appear. Then talk the problem through with someone you admire and whose opinion you respect.

If this doesn't result in the solving of the problem, begin to collect data about it -- as much as you can lay your hands on that pertains to this particular problem. And all the time, know that the problem has a solution and that you are perfectly capable of fining it.

Then, just before you go to sleep at night, read over the data you have collected about the problem, or notes you have written from it, and go over in your mind the list of possible solutions that you made earlier. Then relax, and let your mind go to work on it -- not your conscious mind, but your subconscious, or unconscious, mind. Set your alarm clock to wake you a hour earlier than you usually get up. Get up, get yourself a cup of coffee, sit down to a sheet of paper, and try to come up with 20 new ideas that might solve that problem.

By doing this, by turning the problem over and over in your mind, and by letting it incubate while you're asleep and while you're going about your daily work, one fine day, when you least expect it -- while you're taking a shower, or on the way to work, or just sitting around the house -- the solution will burst into your mind. Or, rather, it will slip in, quietly and without fanfare, and you'll be startled that the problem is solved. You'll usually find that the solution is so commonsense, so plain, so simple and perfect that you'll wonder why you didn't think of it before!

But there is one secret to success in this sort of thing that is vitally important: Whenever you think of your problem, think of it always as only waiting to be solved, and know that you will get the solution. Don't worry about the problem or be afraid of it. This will only keep you awake, interfere with your digestion and, in general, run you down. Face your problem with faith, and bend every effort to solve it and, solve it you will!

Then go on to the next one. Each time you solve a new problem, the solution to the next one will be just that much easier.

Each of us has a tendency to underestimate his own abilities. We should realize that we have, deep within ourselves, a reservoir of genius that can be tapped, if we'll just dig deeply enough.








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Wendyl, editor and publisher of The Serve to Lead Monthly Journal, invites you to tour The Serve to Lead Leadership Concepts Program at: http://www.servetolead.org and subscribe to his free monthly newsletter.

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