What Can I Do About It?

Greetings,

Interesting question huh? The first question that will be asked of me with regard to this particular question is "What can I do about what?" There is a very simple response to this, but one that needs a little bit of qualification and explanation. From this there are questions about actively doing things and what this will require of the individual, and also some processes that you can go through to get there. Now, these are just my ideas applied to things in a generic fashion, each problem will require its own approach.

What can I do about what?
The simple answer to this is "everything". Everything has a solution and everything can have something done about it. In some instances what can be done about something is simply the wisdom to know whether you can actually do something about it. There is no point in wasting energy beating against a problem you can actually do nothing about. On the other side of this is also knowing the difference between those things you can do something about and those things which you cannot do anything about. If you can't do anything about it, there is also no point in focussing on it, leave it alone and move on. If you can do something about it, you then need the courage to stand up and actually do something about it. In some instances it will be easy, in most it won't.

Taking charge
Taking charge is about not sitting around waiting for a solution to be dropped into your lap. Taking charge is about actively going out and seeking a solution to a problem yourself. It is important that you do it yourself and not rely on other people to do it for you. Your problem, you need to be doing something about it. Go and find out what you can do about it, and then actually do it. There are always options available, one of those options is doing nothing, the other options are sometimes not the best to choose from, but if they are what you have, then they are what you have.

Doing things yourself
Doing things yourself is an important aspect of problem solving. Problems are often best solved by ourselves and in our own ways. Other people can help us with it, but in the end it is really a "do it yourself thing". With regard to doing things yourself, the first thing is that you have to find what works for you. For some this means taking the problem head-on, for others it means skirting around it and doing a little at a time. You need to figure out what is going to work for you. This approach can even be modified by the problem itself. The next part is making sure that you do not push too hard too fast. You need a measured response to the problem and a measured approach to the solution. There is no point in burning yourself out otherwise it will just make things harder for you later.

Focus on "can" rather than "can't"
Many people are too busy focussed on what they can't do to realise the great lot of things that they can do. It is important that you focus on those things that you can do rather than those you can't. This way you will find more things that you can do and this will improve things for you. This is an attitude thing more than anything. You need to focus on the positive side of things and find those advantages you can use to aid you. Being positive is a great advantage.

Importance of positivity
Being positive is important especially in problem solving. Attacking a problem with a positive frame of mind allows you to see what you can do more than what you can't do and this will assist you greatly. Positive thought will also have a positive effect on your emotional state as it will allow you to have more positive emotions, and thus more positive emotional responses. This has a strong link to the mental side of things which is also strongly effected by a positive or negative approach to things. If you are mentally more positive it is more likely that you will find more things that you can do. This is because you will be actively seeking them. A negative attitude will limit your mental approach to the problem solving and will restrict you. The positive approach will also improve you physically as well. Positive feelings will help you feel much better than if you are being negative about things.

Asking for help
Asking for help can sometimes be a problem for people. Some people feel that if they ask for help they are showing weakness and this will reflect negatively on them. In the case of very independent people this can be a real problem as they do not really know how to ask for help. Asking for help is not and admission of failure in any way, shape or form. It is just an admission that some assistance will further you toward your goal. You need to know how to ask for help and also when to ask for help, as most people will actually quite willingly give you assistance if they are able. The other part of this is that unless you do ask for help, do not expect any. People are not mind-readers, they need to be told that you need assistance.

In writing this, some will ask "What right does he have?" I will say, "None really, just giving advice." These are some of the things that I have found myself when it comes to problems. As anyone who knows me will confirm, I am one of the worst for asking for help, and as such I should really take my own advice, and I do try to. The important thing here is that we all need to look at problems and see what we can do about it, and if we can to actually do something about it. Have a look at the situation. Figure out what you can do about it. If you can, do something about it. Figure yourself out a plan and work at it, and don't forget to ask for help if you need it.

Cheers,

Henry.