The obvious value of the ability to solve problems makes any explanation of its usefulness gratuitous. But and still many people go throughout their life without developing this skill. The skill is the same; however, there are endless ways to apply it. There are problems of faith, problems within marriage, problems in child-rearing, and problems with employment. Businesses owners often have problems pivoting their models in light of new innovations, like Block Buster or Radio Shack. Also, Jesus himself told his disciples, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33, NIV). Problems in life are more certain than life itself; however, many of us are like flags on a pole, affected by the winds of chance and change.
What is a problem?
The word problem is somewhat subjective. Just as one person’s trash is another man’s treasure, one person’s problem is not a problem for another at all. So, problems are relative to a person’s knowledge, ability, and beliefs. But what do all problems have in common for all people? All problems are situations that are not desired, disadvantageous, or damaging for those aware of them. All problems will either make an individual uncomfortable, harm them, or place them in a less favorable status. We can simplify further and say that problems hurt us either emotionally or physically. The loss of a job is a problem because it prevents one from providing basic needs of food, shelter, and clothing. It also hurts emotionally because of the unfavorable status. It affects one’s self-esteem.
Can you develop problem solving skills?
Surely, there are better ways to deal with a problem than others. The person who seeks to build trust with his wife due to prior infidelity would not be prudent to avoid all measures of accountability. By hiding information, the spouse will have reason to doubt the trustworthiness of his actions. Thus, problem solving skills are skills.
What kind of skill is problem solving?
If we agree that the ability to solve problems is a skill, then it would shed light on our development of such skills to see what kind of a skill it might be. We know that skills come in varieties. There are, for instance, cooking skills, and shooting skills, and speaking skills, and skills with an instrument, etc. What kind of a skill is problem solving? All skills involve a goal. This goal is some desired outcome or execution. A guitarist might want to play a pentatonic scale with 32 notes to improve his speed. Thus, his object or aim is set. Now, he must develop a methodology to achieve it. But if all problems involve an undesirable affect or outcome, then the goal of problem solving would be the skill of achievement what you do desire. Hence, the skill of problem solving just is the skill of goal setting and achievement.
How this helps
This is exciting news because by identifying problem-solving skills with goal-setting and achievement skills, we are better able to identify a pathway to solve our problems through action!
Three Steps to Solving Problems
Identify the problem
This step is really the same as identifying your goal, for if you directly identify a problem, then you indirectly identify a goal and vice versa. For example, if I know that my son struggles with comprehension and identify this as something undesired, then I indirectly know that my goal is for my son to comprehend his reading passages in school.
This skill so important because it can aid you in being solution oriented. Our minds are so drawn to negativity that we can be obsessive about the problems that we don’t want and unclear about what we do want. Further it is important to describe what we want in observable terms. This allows us to measure our progress and alter our methods. For example, one shouldn’t set the goal to be an amazing father. How would you know when you achieved it? Rather you should set goals to do the things that amazing fathers do. These are things that are observable, like spending quality time with your children.
Formulate a solution
In formulating a solution, what you’re doing is developing a method for reaching your goal. You can do this through expert opinion, research, or reverse engineering the goal. What things should be done prior to reaching the goal? For example, if the problem is reading comprehension, what should my son know prior to understanding the text? He should know how to pronounce each word on the page, know the meaning of the individual words, and blend the concepts together to grasp the relationships between the words. Thus, this would be the methodology for solving such a problem.
Measure your success
This is a critical step. It is one of the most obvious ones as well. We do this almost unconsciously when attempting to solve problems but there is a added advantage in intentionally measuring the success of strategies you have implemented. First, this provides you with the opportunity to alter you tactics or solutions if you find yourself falling short of your goals. Second, it provides data or knowledge that can help you solve similar problems in the future.
In conclusion, by applying this skills to all of your problems, you’re bound to, not only solve your problems, but increase your self-esteem and, as a consequent, your personal happiness, knowing that you are a conqueror of life’s challenges.