Problem Solving
By Jeanine Austin, Ph.D.
Although I believe the joke, “Where there is a will, there is a relative”, I also believe that “Where there is a will, there is a way”. This may seem naïve to some, but my experiences over the years have consistently been, once I truly begin to open myself up for solutions, that answers begin (sometimes I admit it takes awhile) to appear. Answers may not always be in the form I desire, but some type of peace and support always makes itself available to me.
We all have had a “Yeah, but…” friend. We try to help our friend who has asked to find a solution to their problem and they always have a “Yeah, but…” answer in response. If we are honest with ourselves, many of us have been that “Yeah, but…” person.
Sometimes, deep down or unconsciously, we want to stay stuck in our problem. The problem we know may feel more comfortable than the solution we don’t know. We often resist what we don’t know, and resistance is exhausting!
By now, we are all familiar with the adage that, “The solution to our problem does not lie in the same level of consciousness that created it”. We must try to solve our problems with more sophistication that we did in developing it. Einstein said, “The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing, but expecting a different result”. We must go deeper to find our solutions and to be open to a miracle (however that may manifest), so that when our answers to our problems appear, we might recognize them. Let’s not miss the miracle(s) right under our noses! The real miracle may not, for example, be a physical healing from cancer, but from a shift in consciousness from fear to peace. In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare writes, “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
One thing I have also learned during my tenure on planet earth is that our solutions are always found in the present, not in the past or in the future. My friend Lauren, when feeling overwhelmed with a problem, will take a long walk and observe aloud all the things she sees to help her get into the healing present. From the vantage point of the present, she nearly always has a problem solving breakthrough.
©Copyright 2008 by Jeanine Austin. All Rights Reserved. Permission to publish granted to GoodTherapy.org. The following article was solely written and edited by the author named above. The views and opinions expressed are not necessarily shared by GoodTherapy.org. Questions or concerns about the following article can be directed to the author or posted as a comment to this blog entry.