Problems grab us where we are weak. They’re a call to get strong & master that area of our life. – Tony Robbins and here
What does that mean?
To me, it reminds me that no matter what we have achieved, there is always room for improvement. Problems, such as they are, usually catch us in the places where we are weak, unprepared or otherwise vulnerable. Once we get this wake-up call, we can get to work on the things that are holding us back, to work on improving that portion of our life.
Why is strength important?
By strength, I don’t necessarily mean physical strength, although that may be where you need improvement. Here, I use the word strength because it is referenced in the quote, but might as easily be replaced with a mix of courageous and committed.
Courage, because even with all the practice I have had over the past two decades, I still prefer the familiar to having to change. This takes strength and courage to overcome the lack of momentum and get the object at rest up and moving.
Commitment, because it’s easy to talk the talk, but after a few days, do you still walk the walk? This level commitment is needed because change requires a constant pressure and consistent action to achieve the desired result. Do you have the strength to make it happen?
Most of us have the strength to make it happen, but many of us don’t have the self-discipline to actually keep the commitment or the courage to continue after the eleven-teenth failure (yeah, I just made up a number).
As most of us know, strength (muscular or otherwise) comes from repetition. Doing it once just ain’t going to cut it. Take some time and do it again and again and again and…
Where can I apply this in my life?
We all have problems. I usually don’t use that word, as it has too many defeatist connotations for my liking. I prefer to use the word challenges, although you might prefer to use a different word. As the quote uses the word problem, I shall use it for the purposes of this post.
Unless a task is trivial, or you get really lucky, things aren’t going to go according to plan. The place where we are most vulnerable is the place where we are weakest. Recently, I was blindsided by an issue with the title to my old car. I hadn’t thought of it. I was embarrassed to talk about the oversight, as I am the one who plans all details meticulously (and has at least a Plan B for any foreseeable challenges or potential rough spots). I spent a few days doing research, and I am now fairly certain that the issue can be favorably resolved with only a minimum of hassle. Here, my weakness may have been pride, or being a bit sloppy when I outlined all that needed to be done.
When you have difficulties, challenges or problems in life, what are you going to do? There are a number of posts here and elsewhere on the net to assist you through this rough spot, but what about next time? That’s really what this saying is about. Not just getting past the problem, that’s just patching a leak. You’ve gotta dig deep and pull it together. Find the source of the problem and get to work fixing it.
Finding the source will involve some introspection. It’s easy to say you got a ticket because the Police Officer was there, and it’s his fault that you got the ticket. I hope I picked an example that was sufficiently obvious. No, it’s not their fault, it’s your fault for not obeying the limits. That’s what you have to learn about life, the only thing you can truly change is yourself. You can try to influence others, but you can only change you, no one else.
Once you have an idea as to what within you is deficient, it’s time to brainstorm some ideas as to how to improve that aspect of your life. If you keep missing aspects of a project, you will probably need to apply a bit more patience and thoroughness in the planning stage. If you keep getting tickets, you need to determine why you are in such a hurry. Or determine what belief you have that allows you to think you can either handle the greater speed, or to get away with speeding.
Now that you have an idea as to what is wrong and why, it’s time to brainstorm all the different ways you can improve yourself, to master this weakness. Then pick the most promising path, and create a plan with a strategy to accomplish the plan and the tactics to use to implement the strategy. Be sure to remember to use courage and intelligence to help you keep on the path.
The final step is to be strong. You have a plan, now it’s time to get busy. Take the first step immediately. Then the next, and the next. Strength, courage, commitment, stick-to-it-iv-ness or whatever you want to call it, that’s what is needed. You are strengthening yourself, improving yourself, overcoming a weakness. That’s going to take a little time and a constant effort, to come to fruition. Are you worth it? That was a rhetorical question, by the way, of course you are!
If you’ve been following along and working a specific ‘problem’, you should now be ready to go. What is your first step?
From: Twitter, DavidRoads
confirmed at: lots of posts on twitter, and my own ears, years ago – is that good enough? 8)
