Success Strategy: The Ten (10) Step Technique to Universal Problem Solving

How to Solve ANY Problem

Are you presently facing a “problem” that appears to have no solution?  Yes?  Good.  This Post may be just what you need.

Throughout Life, we all face what we commonly refer to as “problems.”  In fact, many individuals view Life itself as a series of problems – one after another – some large, some small, but all problems just the same.  Some unfortunate Souls actually perceive Life itself as one giant “problem.”  How sad!

People “struggle” with “problems.”  And, that is quite unfortunate, because it really doesn’t have to be that way.

In fact, I would suggest that there are no such things as “problems,” and that there doesn’t have to be any “struggling.”  “Problems,” in and of themselves, are nothing more than mere creatures of the mind; they have no existence on their own, and to the extent that we “struggle” with them, that is of our own doing.

Stay with me here . . .

Of course, if you presently face a significant challenge in your life (notice that I did not use the word “problem,” thereby already changing the meaning and significance of the undesirable and unwanted set of circumstances that most would refer to as a “problem”), you may find little comfort in such Wisdom.  After all, these few simple words will likely not provide the resolution or solution you seek.  It is, however, a start.

Indeed, there is a magical, surefire way to solve or eliminate ANY “problem” that may be plaguing you.  Follow these Ten (10) Steps – honestly and diligently – and I assure you that you will realize one of the following three (3) outcomes: 1) You will solve your “problem,” 2) The problem will resolve itself, or 3) You will simply no longer view the “problem” as a “problem” – it will simply seek to exist.

Regardless of which of the three outcomes you experience, the result is the same: Freedom from the “problem.”

It is really quite simple and the beauty of it is that – IT WORKS!  I personally use this technique consistently and it has never, ever failed me.  It has been thoroughly developed, re-tooled and time-tested, and it is powerfully effective.

Step One: Every Problem Has a Solution

Every “problem” has a Solution.  Not some, not most – ALL.  All “problems” have Solutions and are resolvable.

In fact, there are likely many possible resolutions to a particular undesired set of facts and circumstances.  More than one possible solution may even be optimal.

The First Step in resolving any “problem” is to know, understand and believe that there IS a solution, there is an answer.  To realize the ultimate Solution, all that is required is that you increase your personal Level of Awareness to discover the possible Solutions and then implement the one that provides the greatest benefit towards your Desired outcome.

You MUST understand and accept this fact – that every “problem” has a Solution – as TRUE.  If you do not accept this proposition as the Truth, the likelihood that you will realize the Solution is highly unlikely.  Think about it: if you do not believe that there is a Solution to your dilemma, what are the chances that you will attempt to realize it?  You won’t.  And, your “problem” will remain unresolved and continue to fester.

The simple fact is that, at present, you simply do not see the Solution.  For if you did, then the “problem” would no longer exist; it would be resolved.  Simply start with the unconditional Believe and Faith that your “problem” has a solution – many solutions – and all that is needed is for you to discover it.

Step Two: De-Personalize the “Problem”

Having accepted the Truth that there is a Solution to your so-called “problem,” the next step is to “de-personalize the problem.”

What does that mean and why is it important?

What it means is that YOU are NOT your “problem” (okay, sometimes we are our own worst enemies, but you get the point).  You are separate from your “problem” – it exists entirely outside of you.

Wait a minute – didn’t I just say earlier that “problems,” in and of themselves, are nothing more than mere creatures of the mind; they have no existence on their own, and to the extent that we “struggle” with them, that is of our own doing?  Yes, I did.  To avoid undue confusion, let’s immediately reconcile these concepts.

First, we must define what we mean when we use the term “problem.”  After all, “problem” has many meanings (e.g., “Did you finish your math problems in your homework assignment?”)  Essentially, what we all commonly refer to as “problems” are mere UNDESIRABLE conditions and/or circumstances.  “Undesirable” to whom?  The person who claims them to be a “problem.”  What may be one person’s “problem” may be another persons’ joy.  In other words, the nature, level and extent of a particular “problem” are in the eye of the beholder.

As such, we must understand that the undesirable events, conditions and circumstances are EXTERNAL to us; the identification of those events, conditions and circumstances as a “problem,” on the other hand, is INTERNAL – a product of our thinking, beliefs and conditioned habits.  The latter is a creature of our Mind; the former is simply a set of facts without any inherent meaning – they just are.  The only meaning of those external events, conditions and circumstances is the meaning that we ascribe to these facts internally in our Mind.

And that is where we need to draw the line and depersonalize the “problem.”  The undesirable events, conditions and circumstances are external facts.  They are not us – they just are.  So, as part of the Second Step, we need to distinguish and understand that the nature of the “problem” is something outside of ourselves; how we perceive a problem, contrarily, is internal and a function of Mind – something over which we may assert control and change.

We must depersonalize the “problem” and personalize the Solution.  The “problem” lies without; the Solution will be realized within.

Step Three: Open Your Creative Mind

Some “problems” may be resolved through simple, deductive reasoning (e.g., 2+2=4).  Other “problems” are not that easy – there are too many intangible variables – and, therefore, more is required.

Most so-called “problems” require something more than deductive reasoning, for if it were that simple (relatively speaking, of course), then “problems” wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) linger on without resolution – assuming that one is making bona fide attempts to resolve the “problem.”  So, how do we resolve “problems” that elude conscious analyzation?

The answer is to open your Creative Mind, your Subconscious, to the Infiniteness of Universe and all that is possible.

We have already accepted the fact that every “problem” has a Solution (Step One).  And, we have depersonalized the “problem,” and have further accepted as Truth that the Solution must come from within (Step Two).  If you don’t have the Solution now, and you have been working on resolving your “problem” for some time, from whence shall the Solution come?

When you open your Creative Mind to what is possible, you allow the answer to come to you.  Let’s face it: our Conscious Mind is not always the best “problem” solver; in fact, it probably gets us into “problems” more than it gets us out of them.

The Wright Brothers had a firm belief that they could build a flying-machine. The ability to build a “flying machine” – today a fact not even questioned – has been in existence as long as the Universe, and the Wright Brothers knew that. It (the Principle of Flight) merely required that man finally achieve the requisite Level of Awareness where the principle of fixed wing flight could be realized.

Think of the Wright Brothers and their firm belief that they could build a flying-machine.  People at that time thought the Wrights were crazy.  Moreover, their own father, a minister, harshly admonished them, claiming that they would burn in hell merely for suggesting the idea!  Yet, the ability to build a “flying machine” – today a fact not even questioned – has been in existence as long as the Universe, and the Wright Brothers knew that.  It (the Principle of Flight) merely required that man finally achieve the requisite Level of Awareness where the principle of fixed wing flight could be realized.  Nonetheless, the Principle of Flight, and the scientific laws governing that principle, always existed.

In fact, every law and principle of what may be possible in the future already exists here and now – simply waiting to be discovered.  Think of it: a unified theory of the Universe, from the grand to the subatomic, which has eluded scientists since the time of Einstein already exists.  We just don’t know it – yet.  As a race (human race), our Level of Awareness requires greater Understanding.

The same holds true for the Solution to your “problem.”  You just don’t know it yet and the way you will discover it is to open your Creative Mind.

Step Four: Remove Obstructions to Overcome Obstacles

So, how does one open his or her Creative Mind?

The crucial first step is to remove all Obstructions.  You will not realize the proper Solution to your “problem” if your Mind is clogged with needless, destructive clutter - Obstructions.

What are “Obstructions?”  Fear.  Doubt.  Worry.  Anxiety.  Negative thinking.  These are all States of Mind (mental states) that not only will fail to resolve your “problem,” but will actively and affirmatively work against realizing a Solution.  As long as you harbor Obstructions, the likelihood that you will solve your “problem” is very, very slim.

Obstructions such as Fear, Doubt, Worry, Anxiety and Negative Thinking literally clog the channels of your Creative Mind.  You cannot think in a constructive, creative fashion when you are focused on the negative and gripped with Fear and Worry.  It is simply not possible.

Moreover, Obstructions are just that: Obstructions.  They block the flow of Creative Spirit through your Conscious and Subconscious Minds.  If you were so ensconced with Fear and Anxiety – to the point of paralysis – do you think you would hear God whispering the answer to you?  God rarely shouts, and outside of Biblical accounts, I don’t know of anyone to whom God appeared or spoke accompanied by bolts of lighting and fire. 

God speaks to our Heart and the way to hear God in this fashion is to quiet the Mind.  Obstructions are anything but quiet and can produce compulsive thought and action.

In Step One we accepted the uncontroverted Truth that all “problems” have Solutions.  Truly knowing that – with unconditional Faith and Believe – is usually sufficient to instill a Peace of Heart that clears the Obstructions.  If you find yourself still hindered by these negative States of Mind, work (but don’t struggle) to remove the blockage.

Step Five: Understand that Obstructions Are a Result of Ignorance

So, how do we remove Obstructions with Peace and without struggling?  Through Understanding, Knowledge and Awareness.

We must increase our Level of Awareness, gain Knowledge and Understand the causes of Fear, Doubt, Worry, Anxiety and Negative Thinking.  While tomes may be (and are) written on the subject, it is critical to UNDERSTAND that such destructive Mental States are caused by or a result of Ignorance.

Ignorance of what?

First, not knowing WHERE the answer or solution lies.

Consider.  A young couple is deeply in debt and they both lost their jobs.  With each passing month, they sink deeper and deeper into debt.  Their levels of Fear, Doubt and Worry increase.  Negative Thinking persists.  They see no way out.

Therein lays the problem: They see no way out.

Suppose I had a bona fide magic crystal ball and could convince the young couple that the crystal ball really could show the future.  Taken a step further, I consult my crystal ball and show them the winning multimillion dollar lottery numbers for the following week.  All they would need to do is play that winning combination of numbers on the right day and they become instant winners of $50 million.

What do you think would happen to their Doubt, Worry, Anxiety, Fear and Negative Thinking (at least with respect to their debt and unemployment “problem”)?  It would immediately vanish into thin air!  Why?  Because they now see their Solution!

When we see the Solutions to our “problems” – even if those answers are not immediately available – the levels of our Obstructions immediately drop, if not completely dissipate.  As such, it is the Ignorance as to the Solution that gives rise to the Obstructions.  We fail to see from where the Good that we Desire is going to come and that fuels our Obstructive Mental States.

If we can begin to truly and honestly Understand that there IS a Solution (or multiple solutions) to our “problem,” and all that is required is that we raise our Level of Awareness to realize the Solution, an immediate effect is that we begin to overcome the Ignorance giving rise to our Obstructions.  Just knowing that there IS a solution already begins to bring Peace, which, in turn, opens our Creative Mind to receive the answer!

As long as we remained locked in the Negative, we will not see the Positive.  We need to clean the House of our Minds, and like a skilled surgeon who removes blockage from diseased arteries, we must remove the Obstructions of our Creative Mind and allow Life to flow freely.

Step Six: Reframe the “Problem”

All along, I have been using the word “problem” to describe and define the undesired set of conditions and circumstances.  Step Six is to “reframe” the nature of “problem,” including the very word “problem.”

We may start by no longer using the word “problem” as the definition or indicia of the undesired conditions and circumstances.  The term “problem” immediately delivers a negative connotation – almost signifying a situation to which there is no Solution.  That is why I have been using quotes with the word throughout this article – to establish the significance (or, more appropriately, the insignificance) of the actual word.

Instead of the word “problem,” use either the terms “Challenge” or “Obstacle.”  Immediately your perspective changes towards the undesired conditions and circumstances, for both words convey a more positive meaning and both inherently suggest that there exist solutions or answers.

Think about it: who likes “problems?”  In fact, we try to avoid “problems.”  It is human nature to run from “problems” (who awakes in the morning thinking “Boy, I can’t wait to deal with the scourge of my problems today!”)

“Challenges,” on the other hand, are an invitation for Action! (Some definitions for the word “challenge” include: “an invitation to someone to compete or fight, especially in a sport; to invite someone to compete or fight; used in the names of competitions, especially sports competitions; to test someone's skill and abilities”).  Who can turn down a legitimate Challenge – whether from someone else or ourselves?

Really, reframing the term “problem” to “Challenge” or “Obstacle” should be done as soon as one begins thinking that he or she has a “problem.”  In terms of actual timing, therefore, Step Six should be tackled right along with Step One.  Thinking of your undesired conditions or circumstances as a Challenge or mere Obstacle ab initio will do wonders for your Mental State and accelerate your progress in realizing your optimum Solution.

Next, it is highly important to understand – and further reframe the undesired conditions and circumstances that we now call a Challenge or Obstacle – that ALL Challenges or Obstacles are invitations to Growth.  Yes, indeed!  When faced with a Challenge or Obstacle, your present inability to solve or find the Solution stems from your present Level of Awareness.  In Step Five, we explored how this Ignorance gives rise to fatal-thinking Obstructions and how they must be eliminated.  This MUST be true, for if your present Level of Awareness was sufficient, you would already have the Solution.  As such, to realize the Solution, you must Grow your current Level of Awareness.

The fact that you don’t have the Solution is evidence that you must increase your present Level of Awareness.

Understand that reasons for Growth are usually irrelevant, for Growth is inherently Good.  Nature is always seeking further Expansion, Expression and Growth.  By Growing – whether intellectually, Spiritually, emotionally, physically – you are fulfilling one of the greatest of our human duties.  We were born to Grow and it is God’s calling that we all Grow and live to our full Potential.  Face it: We were not born to spend our lives on the sofa watching television.

It is therefore critical to Understand that whatever your Challenge or Obstacle, it is an invitation to GROW.  And, in some strange fashion which we may not readily comprehend, it may be a Divine mandate to do so.

When you realize the Solution to your Challenge or Obstacle, you will necessarily be at a higher Level of Awareness.  And, if the nature of your Challenge or Obstacle was most difficult – perhaps oppressive – your Level of Awareness will be even higher.  You may have even developed Character along the way, one of the greatest of all personality traits.

Lastly, keep in mind that all Obstacles are mere stepping stones to achieving a greater Good – a certain Goal or Success.  In order to achieve any objective, you must necessarily face and overcome the Obstacles or Challenges along the way requisite to attaining that Success. (See Posts, "Success Strategy: Converting Obstacles to Stepping Stones: The Key to Victory," March 7, 2010, and "Success Key 5: Embrace Obstacles, the Stepping Stones to Success," January 23, 2010).

Step Seven: Take Action

Step Seven is simple: Take Action.

What kind of Action?  Any Action.

The key here is that you need not necessarily know precisely what to do to – just begin.  If you knew the precise set of Action Steps to realize the Solution, you would have already taken that course and the Obstacle resolved.  What is important is that you begin solving the Obstacle by taking any Action – as long as it is not impulsive and based on irrational emotion or Obstruction.

Action is Empowering.  Action increases Levels of Awareness.  Action creates Opportunity.

Once you have taken that first Action step, you are on the path to finally addressing the undesired conditions and circumstances.  Even if those first Action steps are just tiny steps, you are nonetheless on the way and knowledge of the simple fact is quite empowering.

It is important to note that, while the initial Action Steps may not lead you in the right direction, valuable information – in the form of feedback – is always gained.  At the very least, you will discover what doesn’t work – and you may move on to Plan B.  No Action taken ever results in failure; valuable information is always obtained.  The key is to keep trying, keep moving, and keep taking Action.  You will find the way!

Sometimes taking Action is 50% of the process towards realizing the Solution.  You may think that attaining the resolution will take much time and effort, but then after taking that first Action step, you come to realize that the Challenge is not as substantial as you previously thought – perhaps it is even easy.  I cannot tell you how many times that the “bark” that I feared was actually worse than the “bite.”  The so-called “problem” turned out to be an easy, no-brainer and I regretted the fact that I had not taken Action earlier – it would have saved me significant time, energy and resources.

You will usually discover as you take Action that what you perceived to be insurmountable isn’t, and that solving the situation will not be the effort that you imagined.  You will not come to that realization, however, unless and until Action is actually taken.

Roll up your sleeves and get started.

Step Eight: Time and the Law of Gestation

Everything has its season and the Universe works in cyclic, rhythmic fashion.

If your present Challenge is to find a way to feed your family today, the solution is not planting corn.  There is the Law of Gestation: after planting, the corn seed must geminate, sprout, grow (and grow and grow and grow) and bear fruit.  The fruit, the ears of corn (really a grain) must properly mature and then you must harvest it.  All of this will take a certain amount of time over which you have very little control.

All seeds – including Seeds of Thought and Greatness – have a gestation period.  There is a Law of Cause and Effect, but there also is the Law of Gestation, which states that the Effects of the Cause will take the time that the Universe (Nature, through our Infinite Creator) requires.

Depending on your particular Challenge or Obstacle, and the Action steps that you take – and the ultimate Solution desired – there will be the factor of time as determined by the applicable Law of Gestation.  Often, we don’t know how long it may take for fruit to bear, but as long as we remain steadfast and true to realizing the Desired result, there will be fruit.

This is also another reason why it is important to be consistent – and persistent – with our Action steps.  With continued Action, Persistence and Perseverance, it is possible to accelerate the process of realizing our Solution within the confines of the Law of Gestation.

For example, suppose that realizing the Solution to a particular Challenge by a particular individual necessarily must require a total of fifty (50) hours of bona fide, consistent Action (by application of the Law of Gestation).  If the individual only dedicates one (1) hour per day towards that objective, it will take fifty (50) days before she finally realizes the ultimate Solution .  However, by devoting two (2) hours of bona fide, consistent Action per day (instead of only one hour), she can accelerate the process and realize the ultimate Solution in half the time: twenty-five (25) days.  Now, if she was really motivated and determined, in theory, she may dedicate ten (10) hours of bona fide, consistent Action per day towards overcoming her Challenge.  Assuming that fatigue, Obstructions, and other inhibiting factors are kept at bay, she can further accelerate the process and realize her ultimate Solution in a mere five (5) days!  So while the Law of Gestation may establish certain time constraints over which we have no or little control, we may accelerate the overall process by more continuous, consistent and persistent Action.

Another insight to understanding the Law of Gestation is a quote from Anthony Robbins: “God’s delays are not God’s denials.”  In other words, God works on a different calendar and clock than we do.

Why is this so important?  Because when many individuals fail to realize the Solution to their Challenge or Obstacle immediately, they simply quit.  Give up.  Abandon ship.  When that happens, one thing is for certain: they will NOT solve the Challenge.

Quitting is “game over.”  Failure.

If you do not immediately realize your Solution, keep trying, keep taking Action steps, keep working these Ten Steps.  You WILL realize the solution.  Chances are that the mess you are in didn’t happen overnight, so it may be unreasonable to think or expect that it may be cleaned up overnight.

Time itself may be just another aspect or feature of the Challenge that you face, so view it as such.  Reframe the nature of the Challenge or Obstacle to further include the time variable.  Don’t make the issue of time another, separate “problem.”  Patience may be required and that virtue is yet another characteristic of Growth.

Persevere.  Persist.  Work it.

Step Nine: Have Faith

The importance of Faith – Faith in yourself and Faith in God – cannot be overstated. 

We could write volumes on the significance of Faith to finding a Solution to your Challenge or Obstacle; time and space do not permit that here.

Napoleon Hill has stated many times, “The man who can is the man who thinks he can.”

If you already accepted the notion that every Challenge or Obstacle has a Solution (Step One), then why not accept the Faith and Belief that you will realize that Solution?

“Ya gotta believe, baby, ya gotta believe.”

If you do not Believe or have no Faith that you will realize a Solution, will you honestly pursue the Solution?  If you answered this question in the affirmative, then you must fancy in chasing ghosts.

Step Ten: The Attitude of Gratitude

Finally, as Step Ten, despite the nature, level and extent of your Challenge or Obstacle, remain Grateful for all that you have.  Seek the Good in your Life and by doing so, the significance of the Challenge or Obstacle will diminish.

Relinquish resentment.  Drop jealousy and envy.  Adopt the Attitude of Gratitude.

Studies have shown that patients with the most severe illnesses fair best in treatment when they are grateful for the Good in their lives – despite the illness – and they reject negative attitudes such as resentment, anger, jealously or envy.  Such mental states are nothing more than Obstructions, discussed in Steps Four and Five.  They not only block your Creative Mind, but they stain your Spirit and become a focal point of your concentration.  This eventually leads to self-absorbed self-pity – and there is no way you will overcome your Challenge or Obstacle if you are engaged in that game.

Be grateful.  Rejoice in the Good all around you!  If you focus on the Good, more Good will come; contrarily, if you focus on the Negative, then you will receive more of the Negative.  This is the Law of Attraction, pure and simple.

If you have trouble seeing the Good and finding Gratitude, grab a notebook and pen and find a quiet, comfortable place to sit by yourself for an hour or so and begin writing all that for which you are grateful.  It may take a little time to get started, but once the juices start flowing, you will be astounded at how much you have written – how much there is in your life for which you should be Grateful.  By the time this exercise is done, you will feel profoundly different and view your Challenge or Obstacle in an entirely different light.

When I feel overwhelmed by a Challenge or Obstacle and see myself starting to slide in a negative fashion, I work my “Gratitudes” by stopping whatever I am doing and spending some time with my children.  An hour of building blocks, reading or just playing with them – and seeing the unconditional Love and excitement of Life in their eyes – has an amazing impact.  Problem?  What Problem?

Adopting the Attitude of Gratitude with honesty and sincerity is the quickest way to jump start out of a “stuck” position.  It works – every time.  But, you need to actually work it, and if that requires some quiet time in isolation with your thoughts and a notebook, then do it.

Conclusion

That’s it.  The Ten Steps to Universal Problem Solving.  With continued practice and patience, you will find these Ten Steps will work Miracles in your Life.

Believe.

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