Problems Be Gone! Opportunity Knocks.

Have you ever noticed how some words seem to come with emotions already attached ?

"Balloon" is one of those words. Don't you always think happy thoughts when the word balloon comes up?

"Yes" is a happy word too. Something good always seems to happen when we hear that word.

"Problem" is just the opposite. When we hear there is a "problem" most of us know it's not going to be good. It's likely we're going to get anxious, upset perhaps, and maybe even angry when that word "problem" comes up. Problems tend to get in the way of what we're trying to do. They're an obstacle that we must go through, around, or over in order for us to get what we want.

Just look how much emotion is tied to that word "PROBLEM". You can feel it's emotional power.

But we don't have fall prey to it's power. Fortunately, at birth we were blessed with a brain that can think. Thinking gives us the ability to attach meaning to words. It also gives us the ability to choose the words and the meanings that make sense for us. We can choose the words we use and we can alter their meaning as well.

Here's one of my favorite quotes on problems from a guy who certainly has attached a better spin on the word:

“The problem is not that there are problems. 

The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking
that having problems is a problem.”
- Theodore Rubin

It's how we think about problems that IS a problem!

Without problems we could never prosper. It is only by solving problems that we prosper.

Problem are not obstacles - they are opportunities!

Opportunities to make money. Opportunities to learn. Opportunities to grow and serve.

Problems don't appear to stop us, they appear to test us. Only when we show the universe that we can handle the "problem" are we allowed to progress to the next level of achievement. Then, after we've solved the "problem" a whole new world is shown to us in reward for passing the test.

Imagine the young child for whom the door is his first obstacle or problem. Once he overcomes that obstacle by turning the doorknob, behold a new world that opens for him. And now he has the skill and confidence that can open another door as well.

But somehow, as folks get older, they let obstacles or problems get the best of them - they let "obstacles" real or imagined keep them from achieving what they set out for. But by looking at the word "problem" from a new perspective, as just a simple test, many can get back on track. And a few will prosper greatly as they take on, without fear, "problems" no one else has the courage to try.

Change today! For the next week instead of seeing problems as "problems," see them as opportunities. Imagine each is a test you must find a solution to. Then take action immediately to remove that "obstacle" and watch how your life will expand and new doors of opportunity will be opened for you.

The Puddle Family above is from page 40 of my book, "Building Blocks of Prosperity"  Just looking at the photo makes me think of all the opportunities a puddle represents. Boots, raincoats, hats  - someone had a job making all those clothes. And delivery men in trucks had to get them to the store where salesclerks waited on the customer who bought them. I imagine folks using brooms and mechanical pumps to remove the puddles and all the jobs created for the broom makers and pump builders. I think of fishermen gathering worms as bait for catching fish, and the opportunity for a Prince or Gentleman to gain favor from his beloved as he places his coat over the puddle for her to cross without soiling her gown. Writers and cartoonist who create these characters have all benefited from viewing the "problem" as an opportunity. And for kids, they're an opportunity for just plain old fun!

Do you see puddles as opportunities or obstacles? Remember, you're human. You can choose what you think.

On the road to prosperity, those who solve the biggest "problems" reap the biggest reward.

And those who lie down at obstacles, never progress at all.

Robert Schwarztrauber