Are your problems real enough?
What if not dealing with problems right away led to more permanent solutions?
Hello dear friend
What’s your first instinct when you’re in some pain or discomfort?
If you’re like 96% people, you’ll immediately rush to seeking a cure, so you can numb the pain and feel alright again.
This approach might feel like it saves you, but in reality, all it does is address symptoms, not the root cause.
Which brings us to the topic of today’s newsletter: the reality of our problems.
What if we sought to address the root cause of our problem and not run after instant pain-relief? This way, we can seek truly innovative and life-changing solutions, instead of tackling things on the surface level.
Let me start with a brilliant quote to set the tone:
“Whenever I run into a problem I can’t solve, I always make it bigger. I can never solve it by trying to make it smaller, but if I make it big enough I can begin to see the outlines of a solution.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower
Let’s first start with upstream thinking
In the words of Libby Willkomm from ILR School, Cornell University,
There is a parable that tells the tale of two people walking by a river when they notice babies floating down the river. One starts grabbing the babies out of the river, while the other runs upstream.
The first asks, “Where are you going?! We have to save these babies.”
The other replies, “I’m going to see who’s throwing babies in the river.”
When we’re caught up in a problem, our senses get overwhelmed. We lose track of everything we need to solve, that we forget we have more power.
We forget that if we tackle the root cause, we’ll stop the problem from happening ever again.
This is what’s called upstream thinking — solving problems before they happen.
So, what’s a real problem and what’s a recurring one?
The most helpful question you can ask yourself to identify this is:
Is this a new problem, or have I dealt with similar problems before?
If the issue feels familiar, you know it’s a recurring problem. To find a solution, you need to look upstream.
“If a problem recurs, you didn’t understand its root. You were working on symptoms, not the source.” - Rich Litvin
What’s your take on upstream thinking, and the real vs recurring problems that we discussed today? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment or reply to this newsletter.
That’s all from my end today. I’ll see you again soon. Till then, stay strong. Keep smiling and be awesome.
With love,
Anangsha.