This is another chapter from my latest book, Simple Realities (The pathway to happiness and success), which is now available at Amazon.com and on Kindle.
Did you ever notice that course assignments or tests in subjects other than math tend to use Question 1, Question 2, and so on; but in math it’s Problem 1, Problem 2, etc. I had enough trouble with math without this extra psychological hurdle, so in my own mind I always renamed them Opportunity 1, Opportunity 2, and so on. I rationalized this change as follows: if I knew the answer, it was an opportunity for me to strut my stuff; if I didn’t know the answer, it was an opportunity for me to learn something.
Sometimes the problem is that you think something is a problem when it really isn’t.
The first step in solving any problem is to begin.
Anticipation prevents problems.
Just because it’s not your fault doesn’t mean it’s not your problem.
A sure way to mishandle a problem is to avoid facing it.
The cost of solving a problem is usually less than the cost of ignoring it.
If your problems at work were less difficult you wouldn’t be making as much money
Problems help us understand the failures of others.
It isn’t always that people can’t see a solution; it’s often that they can’t see the real problem.
A road with no potholes probably doesn’t lead anywhere.
A new problem is sometimes as good as a day off.
A problem is an opportunity to succeed; unless, of course, it’s one you’ve had before.
Real problems can be overcome; it’s the imaginary ones that can’t.
90% of the people who hear about your problems don’t care about them, and the other 10% are glad you have them.
The best way out of a problem is through it.
Problems are opportunities in work clothes.
If you don’t have the will to overcome a problem, you better have the wits to avoid it.
Problems may intimidate the weak, but the strong use them as stepping stones.
To be able to solve a problem you have to believe that it can be solved.
The answer to “what should I do?” is always “what needs to be done.”
Assigning blame doesn’t solve the problem.
Solve the little problems and there’ll be fewer big ones.
It’s rare for an unresolved problem to just disappear.
It’s always better to be someone dealing with a problem than it is to be a problem someone has to deal with.
The first step in solving a problem is often to ask questions; you’ll rarely regret a question you ask, but you’ll often regret questions you didn’t ask.