When you are fighting an enemy, real or imagined, usually the best approach is the most direct approach. Military history is full of instances where a flank attack worked, or a diversion, or some trickery but overwhelmingly the most successfully method is head on, direct toward the core target. The combatant that can put their whole arsenal and all their forces in a single direction and toward a single high value target will usually win the day. Over thinking an approach is almost certainly the principle method in which strategist will lose wars. Simple and direct is almost always the best.
So when you think through a problem or a challenge that you are trying to solve for consider as your first option the direct approach. This is almost always the correct solution. What is the problem? What would be the fastest and most direct method to resolve that problem? Well, if you can answer those two questions then you probably have your most likely candidate as far as solutions go.
Sure, go ahead and think of some alternatives. Think of ways around the direct approach, they may work, they might even be preferably for one reason or another. But know this. You can waste a whole lot of time and energy when the most likely solution was the direct approach all the time. Do you have someone causing you problems in your life? If you do, then talking to them direction and precisely about the problem is most likely the right answer. You will try to avoid conflict, we all do, but perhaps you should just think about how much misery you are going to put yourself and everyone around you through by just avoiding the very obvious and direct conversation.
If you have something causing you a problem in your life. Overeating, not enough exercise, a really bad habit then maybe, just maybe, you should ponder the direct approach as the answer. Instead of coming up with all sorts of ways to avoid the obvious, then maybe you should get right to the point and deal with the problem head on. Take the direct approach, 90% of the time this will be the path you are forced to take anyway, so you might as well get started.
Guy Reams
