Chapter Nineteen

Face Challenges Squarely

Most people think that they will lead a problem-free life in future. They don’t realize the fact that problems exist as long as people exist. Most people think that they alone have problems, not others. They must understand the fact that others may have much bigger challenges than them. Most people avoid or postpone problems. This is not a proper way to deal with problems, as in most of the cases postponing the problems may complicate life further. Life is all about problems and prospects. But the truth is that when you encounter more problems, you tend to develop a sharper mechanism to move out of it. In addition, you generate more solutions to resolve the problems and you become tougher and wiser with experience.

Man and His Problems

Man is responsible for most of his problems. He often blames God for all his problems, for which he alone is responsible. Most of the problems that man faces are due to his rotten attitude. When man approaches another person negatively with a rotten attitude, he invites more problems for himself. Sometimes he develops envy and breaks relations with others. Ultimately he blames God for all his problems. As long as man has pleasures he forgets God, and the moment the pressures start he recalls God and holds him accountable for all his problems. Man must adopt a stance of gratitude towards others and God, instead of blaming God endlessly.

In addition, most of the times man reacts to the problems in an adverse manner. He does not immediately try to look for a solution to the problems. Man blames other individuals for all issues without looking at ideas for resolving them. Man often wants to have an easy life and success. When he has to compromise on several things, he blames God for the consequences. Hence, man must learn to act rather than react.

The 90:10 Principle

When one of my students wanted to share with me the 90:10 principle, I requested him to share it in the presence of other students, so that they would also benefit from this knowledge. My student said that 90 per cent of the problems can be solved by acting, rather than reacting to the situation. He further added that 10 per cent of the problems were beyond human control. Therefore, we should not worry much about 10 per cent of the problems that arise out of the external environment. We need to take a quick look at 90 per cent of the problems that can be tackled easily with a proactive attitude and approach. Treat every problem as a prospect and treat every lesson as a path towards your success.

HALT Your Decision

We all make decisions in life. All decisions may not deliver fruitful results as some decisions succeed while some fail. If we take precautions while making decisions, the probability of success will be higher. But how do we make smart decisions? This is a million dollar question. There is no magic wand to make sure that all your decisions will be successful. However, what you can do is to HALT your decision. HALT is the acronym for Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tensely. All these words make sure of a higher success rate in decision-making. Here is how HALT goes:

When you are hungry you tend to make biased decisions as you have a strong appetite. When you are in anger you make decisions impulsively. When you are lonely, you make decisions based on your emotions without consulting others. Finally, when you are in a tense mood you are in a panic state and any decisions taken at this moment are influenced by your mental state.

For successful decision-making, it is vital to use your head and your heart. People either use their heads or hearts; rarely do they blend both to achieve the desired outcomes. When you go by your head, you go by logic and reason but you may not have any concern for other people. At this time, you go by task orientation. In contrast, when you go by your heart, you go by emotions and feelings with a concern for people. Precisely, you go by people orientation. However, if you want to have the cake and eat it too, it is essential to blend your head and heart. This will ensure that your decision takes into account the care for people and also the demand for the outcome, so that you can achieve the desired goals by considering all aspects in view.

There are people who often brood over problems and depress themselves. In fact, when thrown into a problem, you must learn to accept the problem boldly and look at various solutions to resolve it. Above all, count your blessings, not your blisters. When God gives you problems, he probably gives you opportunities as well to seize and explore options for resolution.

Life is all about problems and prospects. Learn to face them squarely. Halt your decision when you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tense and blend your head and heart to make sound decisions. Have a positive, right and strong attitude and learn to act rather than to react to the situations. Above all, have an attitude of gratitude towards God.