<h1>DICTATE - Problem Solving Tool </h1><p>by Jim Risser

To win at anything you need certain skills and tools. In baseball one needs catching and throwing skills and the tools of the trade: gloves, balls, bats, etc.  In life it's no different, we need certain skills and tools.

Life, of course, is full of problems,  We can't get away from problems in our lives.  From the time we wake up in the morning we encounter problems: What to wear, what to eat, what to watch on TV.  These may not seem like problems, but the process of deciding where to go on vacation is the same as solving a life-changing problem:

1. We define the problem (e.g., Which movie to watch).  
2. We get ideas (e.g., Read the movie listings). 
3. We choose (e.g., We choose which movie to see). 
4. We try our choice (e.g., We see the movie).  
5. We analyze (e.g., Did we like the movie?). 
6. If our analysis is negative, we try another idea (e.g., We don't like the movie so we see another movie).

Above is a simple tool for solving problems.  We've used this tool thousand of times without ever giving it a thought, without being aware that we were using it, it's second nature to us.

I've developed a problem solving tool that you can use to solve any problem in your life. The tool goes by the acronym of  DICTATE:

• D - Define the problem.
•  I - Ideas, generate lots of solution ideas.
• C - Choose a solution.
• T - Try the solution.
• A - Analyze results, did the solution work?
• T - Try another idea if the solution didn't work.
• E - Enjoy; life is full of problems so you might as well enjoy them!  Life, give me more!

"Life, give me more!" is the attitude that I want you to have when facing problems. Confront problems head on and without fear.  You are in control.  You dictate how problems affect your life.

Next: Defining the Problem