I know. You woke up this morning and you have a problem. Perhaps more than one. So do I. We all do. That is the inherit suffering of the human condition. You could complain about it, or feel overwhelmed by it, or avoid it, but at the end of the day the problem(s) are still going to be there. What are you going to do?
I recommend spending a moment with your morning 365 list and ask yourself – “am I going to be bigger than this problem?” I have heard this phrase many times before, so I googled it and landed on a youtube video produced by Tony Robbins. Normally I avoid Tony Robbins’ stuff. The reason is I get this feeling of insincerity when I hear him speak. The video is here: BIGGER THAN YOUR PROBLEMS. Les Brown is the person speaking on the video. He is a former radio DJ from Ohio – pretty passionate person. The point of the video is that you are going to have struggles, that is inherit. How you react to them is what makes you great. So I take back my comment on Tony.
The larger the problems that you can handle the more responsibility you will gain. When young people start out their careers they always look to the top and inspire to get there. I laugh at myself when I think of those times when I thought I could do better than the person at the top. I never understood this concept – the more responsibility, the bigger the problems. If you are a parent, you might wonder why life seemed so easy when you were younger. The reason that you think that is that you now have great responsibility and with that comes great problems.
You might think – well then I just will not accept any responsibility – then I will not have any big problems. Exactly. That is definitely true. However, another concept that is equally true is that if you are not growing, you are dying. Personally, I do not like the feeling of dying. It sucks. I know that I am eventually going to physically die – but I am talking about mental, spiritual decay. If you are not growing, you are dying. So here I am. I pushed myself to take on a little responsibility and now I have some problems to handle. That is just reality. The more you take on, the more problems you are going to get.
How should you react? Be bigger than the problem. I am not going to let these problems tear me down. Instead I am going to get out ahead of them. I am going to walk right into the storm face first and deal with what comes. I am going to rise above the problem and see the future and figure out how to get there. Problems usually cause you to produce some poor result, problems get in your way of accomplishing what you want. Rise above that problem and figure out how to produce bigger results then what the problem is preventing you from achieving. Be Bigger.
Are you struggling with a subject in school? Perhaps got a bad grade, or had a difficult assignment? Look to the future – see the end path and figure out what you can do that would produce a even more powerful result then a bad grade. You need to perform at work – hit a certain number? If you are not hitting the number, despite all that you do, then consider what you could focus on what produce a better result next time – a bigger result than the problem. You have a disagreement with someone, perhaps they are doing something that you do not like and it is causing contention? Then think ahead – what can you work on with that person that would be bigger than the current challenge?
Forward thinking is another term for this concept. Think ahead. The carnage that is your yesterday no longer matters. What matters is the curve in the road ahead, or the steep grade to climb. Set your sites on the bigger prize and you will not be so discouraged that you did not get a prize yesterday. People with vision are inspiring, motivating, helpful, encouraging. They are always bigger then their own problems.
Yeah, I got problems. I am not going to let them get to me today. No! I am going to overcome that problem by thinking ahead and creating something bigger, better, and cooler then my little nuisance of a problem is today. The problem may seem overwhelming at the moment – but wait until that little bully of a problem sees what I have in store next time around. Problem – you got nothing on me!
Guy Reams (69)
365 Member
