The Microsoft Encarta College Dictionary that sits on my desk in my office defines “problem” as a “difficult situation, matter or person.”
“Challenge” is defined as “an invitation to compete in a fight, contest, or competition.”
And “opportunity” is defined as “a chance, especially one that offers some kind of advantage.” It also says that an opportunity is a combination of “favorable” circumstances or situations.
It seems that everybody has problems-big ones and small ones. The problem with problems is that they seem to slow us down, drain and block our energy, leave us stuck.
I like to think that I am free to choose to describe a circumstance or situation that I meet as either “difficult” (or not) or “favorable” (or not) and that the difference between the two really is just interpretation, made up in my mind. If that’s the case, I might as well choose an interpretation that gets me unstuck, serves me, works for me, moves me forward toward my goals, and gives me positive energy.
So, one solution that I have found when I am facing a problem is simply to re-name it.
I used to substitute the word “challenge” for “problem.” It somehow gave me more courage to persevere and plow through the problem once it had been transformed from a problem-a “difficult situation”-into a challenge-an “invitation to compete.”
More recently, I’ve come to see events and situations that I used to describe as problems or challenges as “opportunities” for action, for personal growth, and for positive change. I believe that choosing to believe a circumstance or situation is an opportunity, rather than a problem or a challenge, has the potential, at least, to significantly influence the outcome I experience.
Opportunities inspire me to take action. Viewed from that perspective, I welcome the situations I used to dread when I described them as problems. Now that I think of them as opportunities, I am grateful for them and I am curious as to what new advantages they might provide me as they inspire me to move forward toward my goals.
The next time you see yourself faced with a daunting problem, choose to think of it as an opportunity for personal growth and positive change. Chances are that you will have more energy to deal with the circumstance or situation before you and you will be surprised at how positive the outcome will be-just because you have chosen to embrace an “opportunity” instead of dealing with a “problem.”
Philip J. Daunt, Esq.
