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Problem Solving

Weekly Thought – June 9, 2020

Fred’s ability to ask purposeful questions was widely recognized as part of his uniqueness. He spent very little time in chit chat. When someone came to him with a problem, he quickly began the search for their recognition of the next step.

Thank you for praying faithfully for our work. It is indeed a privilege to invest hours combing through his files, searching for content which can be organized into wisdom nuggets. We appreciate your financial support which underwrites our social media, internet presence, and key people who bring this work to life for you.

Problem Solving

When people come to me with problems, I try to early on get them listing their assets. I am always careful to say it that way, not “tell me about your financial situation.” But invariably people start to tell me about money. Rarely do they ever list others.

I pause them and say, “Let’s stop and go back a little bit. “ Are you alive?” Of course they say, “Yes.” I continue “Well, you look that way to me!”

Then I go through a litany of assets never considered:

“Are you healthy?” “Do you have an education?” “Do you have work or life experience?”

After I get through a complete list of what I call real assets, we move on to the quantitative ones.

My purpose is to break through the cloud which comes with loss, blinding them to the true measure of their situation. I want them to realize the basis for gratitude. Once that occurs I have a foundation to work against their current problems.

But if they keep saying, “Yes, but…” I know my job isn’t finished yet. So, I keep referring back to their list of assets until they move past the “yes, but…” While they stay stuck in that mode, they haven’t moved on to gratitude. In reality, they are still wanting more.

Gratitude is being grateful for what you have, not for what you hope to get. Problem solving begins with an accurate assessment of what we have, then moving on to attack the difficulty. Often, our minds get stuck playing a tape of hopelessness which builds on itself, disabling our mental abilities so needed in problem solving.

Gratitude is a lubricant which can get our mental and emotional gears in correct alignment.

This week think about: 1) How do I use questions with myself and others to begin the problem solving process? 2) What gets me stuck when working through a problem? 3) When is my most fruitful time for thinking?

Words of Wisdom: “If they are stuck in the “yes,but…” mode they haven’t moved on to gratitude.”

Wisdom from the Word: “Who is a wise person? Who knows the solution to a problem? A person’s wisdom brightens his appearance, and softens his harsh countenance.” (Ecclesiastes 8:1 NET Bible)

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