May 25, 2021
Today we’re on Pillar 5 of the 12 Prosperity Pillars, and the topic is I Focus On Solutions. Many of us need solutions to some major problems that are happening in our life right now.
Zig Ziglar said, “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.”
That's right! If you can dream it, you can achieve it, especially if you focus on solutions!
Your Perception of Your Problems is the Key
So today is all about shifting focus a little bit and we need to start talking about your perception and the way you look at situations. Then we'll circle back around and talk about how to create and focus on solutions.
Your perception of problems is really going to be a roadblock, or a sticking factor in keeping you from creating solutions. You really need to become aware of that because it's not the problem itself, it's the meaning that you attach to the problem.
Let's say you're at a football game. There are always two different teams, there's always two different perspectives going on. One play could be an unbelievable play for one person and a devastating play for another person. That’s strictly because of the meaning that we attach to the situation…the play.
So, step back for a moment and realize that the meanings you attach to situations are going to dictate where your mind is going to be. And whether or not you're going to be productive at creating solutions!
Another Key is to be Aware of Your View of Success vs. Failure
Success versus failure is a really important topic for you to think about. If you're constantly focused on success, and failure is a bad thing to you, then you are 100% wrong. ARTICLE
You need to realize that failure takes you closer to your success. When you begin to perceive failure as a stepping-stone to success, then you will not be stopped or held back from creating, acting and moving forward with your life.
Here is a Crazy thought…Problems Can be a Good Thing!
Problems can be a good thing when you begin to view them differently. Now you may be thinking, “George, how can problems be a good thing?” Here’s how ...
If we didn't have problems and we didn't have circumstances and we didn't have obstacles and trials … we would never learn to overcome them. We would never grow! Let that sink in a bit.
If you don't lift heavy weights, you'll never stress your muscles enough for them to grow. It's that stress and that recovery that is needed in order for you to go to the next level.
Unsuccessful people want their problems to be smaller. Successful people want to be bigger than their problems. What do you want to be in relation to your problems??
Make the Decision to Change How You Look At Things
As you start to look back on the tapestry of your life, your perception changes. In the specific moment, a situation may be completely overwhelming. But as time goes by and you look back on that situation, generally you're going to find that you grew, you learned, and you developed.
So, if we can identify that our perception will change or dictate how we view a problem, that's a key step in being more and more successful.
With a fresh Perspective you can Start From Solutions
Now we can move on to how to create solutions? One of my mentors told me that he always likes to start any conversation from solutions. He always says, “I don't want to deal with the problem. I want to start from solution.” I think that's a great habit to take up! Thanks Jason Brown.
I know it's hard to find solutions in the moment. I understand it is tough. We all get overwhelmed and overcome with the difficulty that we're dealing with. But you need to realize something that's really important: you are not your mind; you are not your thoughts.
You’ve got to Learn to Train Your Mind, just like any Tool.
You can train your mind to be able to perceive things a certain way and lead you to solutions. Have you heard of the concept called neuroplasticity? Most people think that as you get older, it's more and more difficult to create or change habits. Actually, science has proven through neuroplasticity that the pathways in your brain are hard wired based on repetition.
So, if you start to train your mind to stop reacting, and start being proactive in looking for solutions, the more often you do that the more that habit will be an ingrained pattern into your mind. The neurons that fire together wire together…it really works…trust me on this one.
Focus on Solutions, and Start Focusing On Your Goals
Start the process of reprogramming your mind by finding ways to interrupt that negative and old pattern you always fall into. The #1 way to do that is to focus on your goals. When you have your goals, your dreams, affirmations and desires in front of you on a regular basis ... as a problem comes up, your dreams can be bigger than the obstacles in your life. Vision creates clarity.
REMIND YOURSELF: Your goal to be bigger than the obstacles in your life
Your Strategy Needs to be Focusing On Solutions
So, to review: begin to look at how you perceive the problems and situations in your life. Then start to focus on the solutions.
The mind that's overcome with all of the obstacles is not the mind that can help you create solutions. It's a mind that's focused on solutions that will take you far in life.
So, here’s your strategy to implement today:
- Find something in your life that is an obstacle or challenge.
- Write down a minimum of 10 possible solutions to that problem.
It might be overwhelming to find 10 possible solutions, even if they're crazy ideas. But see what happens with your mind as you start to focus on solutions. You’ll find that simple things will come up that you may say to yourself, “Why didn’t I think of that already?”
You have greatness inside of you. I want you to remember that it's never too late for you to be begin living the life that you were meant to live. Start by focusing on solutions.