doug smith training

Maybe it didn't turn out \exactly as you planned. Maybe the problem is still clanking around in the background or even right in front of you.  There you are. Calm. Focused. Centered.  Centered problem solvers are OK even if their problem is not yet solved. -- doug smith  

Simply buying some one's solution solves one problem but it might not be yours that it solves. Consider the source. Consider the agenda. Consider the ramifications. Centered problem solving could take longer, but you'll like the results more. -- doug smith 

We tend to claim that we don't want problems. Let's just keep it smooth. Let's not rock the boat. And yet, worry and anxiety and low self-esteem can produce an unlimited amount of concern. There must be a problem, right, because there always is a problem? It's hard to talk yourself out of a problem that you talked yourself into. What do you tell yourself about your problems? Maybe that's a place to start. -- doug smith  

Problems are discouraging. They slow us down. Often a problem will confound us. Problems can polarize us into immobility if we let them, afraid to make any decision because it might make the problem worse. Keep solving. Keep analyzing. Keep working on better choices. A problem won't stop you if you don't stop. Keep going. -- doug smith  

 Problem solving builds strength and clarity. -- doug smith

Be careful of an answer that feels automatic. What if the obvious solution is an illusion? Problems seldom create their own solutions without magnifying the problem.  Just because you can't see an agenda doesn't mean that there isn't one... -- doug smith 

Ever work on a problem so long that you've got a half of a dozen solutions buzzing around like bees near a flower? What if those bees are really wasps? What if the value of your solutions is less than the lessons of the problem? Yikes! We can't solve a problem until we let go of the solutions that don't work. To get started, let go. -- doug smith  

How does it feel when a problem lasts for a long time? Have you ever had a problem that lasted so long that it seemed like it would always be around? When a problem is not solved or managed it must be endured. We can do better than that. -- doug smith  

It's amazing how many problems stop being problems once we are centered and calm. -- doug smith 

Take your problems seriously, then take them away. Find out what it is about the problem that is standing in your way. What is it that you really want? What is your goal? Once you convert your problem statement to a goal you've opened the door to a thousand new possibilities. Your answer is in there. -- doug smith  

That extra tough problem might need multiple solutions -- in fact, its probably does. -- doug smith  

Problems need not prevent positive outcomes. It's what we do with them that matters. -- doug smith  

The change we embrace is the change that solves our problems. Maybe not the first time. Maybe not the second time. But, eventually. Problems need change. -- doug smith

We can't hide from a problem. It will find us. Every single time. -- doug smith  

Sometimes we have to avoid the problem in front of us to solve the problem ahead of us. -- doug smith

Beyond the present solutions there are even better solutions to nearly every problem. -- doug smith  

  Every problem contains a promise.  That promise is a solution that leads to improvement, that leads to satisfaction, that leads to success. It's not guaranteed, of course, but the promise is there. Why hide from it? The promise of a problem sparks the seeds of success.  Find the promise, it will pull you toward the solution. -- doug smith

'It's irksome to get blamed for a problem. That can raise emotions that make solving the problem even more difficult. If we can center ourselves first, breathe, and release the blame, maybe we can see what path to take. We can solve the problem. Getting blamed for a problem we didn't create doesn't prevent us from solving it. Let go of the blame, wherever it came from. -- doug smith   Action Step: The next time you catch yourself blaming anyone for anything, just let go of the blame. 

The first cause you find to a problem is probably not the last cause or even the main cause. Keep digging. -- doug smith  

A seemingly random solution to a problem is still a solution. -- doug smith