Happy Monday! Are you dreading it? Do you have a feeling there will be problems today? On one hand, I hope this day will go well for you. But on the other hand, I encourage you to embrace the benefit of problems, for there are a few.
“Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.”
Alfred A. Montapert
That quote may not sound optimistic. You may be asking, “Why should I expect problems? Aren’t they the reason I’ll have a bad day?”
My answer is that we need problems to grow. Every problem is a challenge and every challenge is a learning experience.
We have this mistaken notion that when we are in school, our goal is to answer enough of the questions on a test so that we never have to solve another one. Where did that come from? When school is done well, it prepares us to answer problems. A test in the classroom can prepare us for tests out in the real world.
Problems Exist
Problems exist, and that is good! Every opportunity came from a predicament that needed to be solved.
- Thomas Edison had no need to invent the light bulb if gas lights were safe and efficient.
- If a horse and buggy was fast and cheap enough, there would be no need for automobiles.
- If humans had brains as fast as computers and we could handle all the data ever created, there would be no need for the electronic kind
That doesn’t mean all trouble is good or that it will make us feel great. There are some headaches that are out of our control. But there are others that have an answer within reach if we remain determined to stick it out and address the issue.
When trials come, consider if this is an opportunity. Is it something that requires a short-term or long-term solution? Instead of dreading them, let’s embrace the benefit of problems and eat them for breakfast!
