Is The Problem Really THE Problem?

Level 3: Master of the Mundane

Two weeks ago I published “Master the Function of Learning¹”, and in that article was the seed of another idea ...

Blank Slate, Open Mind.

I'd actually started that article with this idea, and it quickly morphed into something else. Something I hadn't seen until I started writing.

But the reason the "Blank Slate, Open Mind" idea came to me is because of this one particular ... problem.

The problem is,

That you often don't know what the problem is, but you think you know the problem, and that creates a new problem.

So most people (who think they know their problem) go into things trying to solve a specific problem ...

Like an event.

Or a course or any other bit of information.

But going in thinking you're trying to solve a specific problem means you are highly susceptible to coming in with preconceived notions and ideas both about what that problem is, and how it should be solved.

So,

We have a problem.

The problem is that focusing on a problem which may not necessarily be THE problem thus creating an entirely new problem.

And then we have to ask ourselves,

IS THIS ALSO REALLY THE PROBLEM?

HELP

ALL PROBLEM AND NO PROBLEM MAKE HOMER PROBLEM PROBLEM

Let's rewind a bit.

What in the hell are we really actually trying TO DO here?

Like,

Why even bother solving problems, man?

I mean … It’s not that I’m lazy, it’s that I don’t care.

Oh.

Right, we’re not living in a movie.

And, you want to achieve something in life, I suspect? You want to accomplish things? You want to reach your goals?

Fine fine.

So here we are, trying to achieve our goals, get the life that we desire, heading towards what we want (or what we think we want) and following all the paths to get there.

That's what "goal achievement" is, after all, right? Setting the endpoint that you are headed towards, figuring out the path to get there, and then moving along that path toward your goal until you reach it. That's what society presses upon us.

Keep moving towards your goals. Find the problems/challenges along the way, solve those problems, step by step, and you'll get there. You'll achieve your goals if you just set your mind to it and work hard!

Found this lovely bit of vintage “motivation”

(By the way, if you want a practical resource for real Goal Achievement, start with Dr. Jeff Spencer’s Champion’s Perfect Day²)

Along this path ...

We're dealing with the constant pressure of limiting resources.

We only have so much time, influence, money, energy, reputation, etc. Feel free to put in any resource acronym you like there (that one, T.I.M.E.R). So naturally as we're trying to achieve our goals, we end up developing intermediate goals surrounding resources.

Usually that's acquisition. And most commonly that's money.

It's the easiest one to see.

"If I only had 10 Million Dollars I would be able to live the life of my dreams!"

"If I could only just consistently make $10k/mo with my business, I would be living the life of my dreams!"

"If I could just get one more client, I'd be able to live the stress free life I desire!"

No doubt the Guardians reading this are quietly snorting and/or having a little breath-chuckle knowing the absurd truth of those perspectives.

The folly of chasing more. Of not realizing what you really want in life and that it may be actually achievable right in front of you.

But, let's put that aside for the moment.

No matter what your perspective, understanding, and proclivity toward achieving your goals, all of us have to face the challenge presented by limited resources. Along the path we must face this acquisition and management, and inevitably that issue becomes goals we seek and/or problems we think we need to solve.

So no matter what we do, we face "problems."

From where we are now to where we want to go can be a path, but almost always there are going to be obstacles along the way.

And that brings us back ....

To the problem of preconceiving the problem we think we have (because we can't seem to reach be at our goal and thus there must be a problem in front of us to solve) thus creating a new problem that's not at all the problem we want to be dealing with.

INSTEAD OF ...

Running at this from the front trying to solve the problem,

Let's go from a different direction.

And figure out what the outcome is ultimately that we need or want.

NOT THE GOAL

The goal I find is often something which we conceive of because it creates or means outcomes we think we want.

"I want to own a business" is a goal.

But WHY

Maybe the freedom. Maybe the control. Maybe the uncapped potential income.

You can see how there's layers and layers of that onion to peel all the way down to your fundamental desires and needs and how you see serving those.

There's a way of living which underscores the goal.

Then you might also see how focusing on *the goal* might have you overlook easier or possibly better solutions to providing the actual end desired outcome.

(This is all Function over Form³ stuff)

Ok how about a practical example of thinking through this.

You might think you need to make an extra $2k month (because you have a limiting resource issue and now you've either made a new revenue goal, or identified the missing revenue as a problem to solve).

If you think your problem is you're making $2k less a month than you want right now, you're gonna start looking for ways to increase your monthly revenue by $2k.

(1+1=2 - I'm here for all the obvious observations today)

BUT,

This can lead you down some problematic routes ... like taking on a long term retainer (obligation - a topic for another time), that inhibits your abilities to do things.

If you go into that problem without a focus on what you think the problem is - especially if you have a mirror to bounce the problem off (like anyone at a TGA event, or in The Arena), you might then discover that you don't actually need $2k/mo ... you need an additional $12k in the next 6 months.

Or maybe an addition $24k this year.

NOW ... the problem we're solving is different. There are more possibilities for solving THAT problem.

You might also dig deeper and figure out that there are resources other than money which actually solve the deeper problem - you just assigned money as the resource to figure out other problems you have.

(One day I'll tell you the story where I barter traded 6 months of dinner with a chef)

You might ask yourself ... why do I need another $24k this year?

This might lead you down some different paths. Maybe you think you need $24k a year, but actually you "need" all that to pay for a bunch of stuff which, if you scrutinize ... you might actually not need.

(And THAT is basic Resource Engineer⁴)

OR,

You might discover those needs can be resolved with different resources.

That above may be a "made up" scenario ... but the problem isn't - I pulled it right from one of our Arena members (thanks buddy, you know who you are).

I just stepped backward from what it looked like the problem was (not having enough resources each month) to explore what "the real problem" in that scenario could look like. What it looks like to step into a situation letting go of what you think the real problem is.

And perhaps you can see how going into a situation trying to solve the problem you think you have, can easily shoehorn your potential for solving the real problem (or keep you from solving it altogether).

Of course,

If you're doing this all on your own, it's much more challenging. Easier to go into a situation like one of TGA's Events or The Arena, or even The Comments of our articles here, where we have structures specifically for figuring this out and experienced people who can help you unpack the truth of what you're really trying to figure out.

And if you DO have the opportunity to put yourself in that kind of situation ...

Letting go of any preconceived notions you have, and entering with A Blank Slate and An Open Mind can lead to much more effective and useful answers to you.

And that's why I went down that whole other rabbit hole in "Master the Function of Learning," getting clear on what behavior you want to modify when assimilating new information, because if you can master behavior modification and get clear on a behavioral level what to develop, I think it makes everything else fall into place.

If you're on your own ...

This is one of the reasons we cultivate a practice of focusing on The Most Immediate Constraint.

What To Focus On Next [ 1 of 3 ]

In short, The Most Immediate Constraint is the problem you can solve which has the greatest likelihood of returning resources or revealing more resources.

One of the nice things about The Most Immediate Constraint is if you get the problem WRONG, as long as you get your resources back (or find new resources), you can still keep going. And in the doing you can discover whether that is the problem you want to be solving or not.

And that brings me to my favorite framing around all this.

• Set your goal.

• Figure out the best path from where you are right now to where you want to be.

• Figure out your most immediate constraint.

• LET GO OF THE GOAL

• Solve the constraint.

From the data of Engaging the Field to solve the constraint, figure out if that was the right problem, if that really is moving you toward your goal, and if your goal really is still your goal.

Nothing outside of what you can do in front of yourself right now really matters when it comes to figuring out what to do. It might help inform direction ... but that can all change. And if you're dead focused on solving the problem you think you have, you might miss the better path that reveals itself once you start moving forward.

Is the problem you have really the problem?

Be Useful. Be Present. Love the Journey.

Joseph Robertson, CMO The Guardian Academy

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1. Master the Function of Learning

2. Dr. Jeff Spencer’s Champion’s Perfect Day

3. From Form to Function: How To Think Your Way to Clarity

4. Arena Prompt #1: Resource Engineering 1.1: Money