It's Time To Choose by Jim Risser

After you've came up with a number of ideas, it's time to pick one of the ideas as a solution to your problem.  This is time when we analyze, judge, and debate ideas to find a viable solution. This is the time to make up your mind and choose. sdafdsa

Choosing a solution can be difficult.  Choosing a solution can be fearful as it is a call to action, an uncertain step towards successfully overcoming your problem or abject failure. At this point we may have second thoughts as to our commitment to solving our problem; we start to think that maybe the problem isn't so serious, that maybe it will go away on its own, that we'll only make it worse if we try to fix the problem.

There's a lot of emotion involved in choosing a solution. There's no such thing as a "rational decision" or "logical choice." We use our internal rating system to rate our choices as "good," "bad," and everything in between. We make up our minds based on the emotions that we have attached to our experiences, knowledge, beliefs, and convictions.

Based on individual life experience and genetic makeup, we will all give a different emotional weight to the same idea. A person with more experience may find one solution "bad" while another individual with less experience may find the same solution "perfect." This is why it's a good idea to get others to give you feedback on your ideas even if they're not involved in the problem or the process.  In the field of emotion intelligence this is called "Reality Testing."

Since we have our own individual realities based on our own lives and being, it's a good idea to get another's perspective. What may be "reality" to us may be something totally different to someone with different experiences. While one person sees a problem as the end of the world, another sees it as an opportunity. By sharing and debating our ideas we can get a better grasp on "reality."

Have somebody play Devil's advocate -- have them break the solutions down and pick at them.  What's wrong with this idea? What are some of the pitfalls? What are the chances of it succeeding? Find people who have had the same or similar problem.  What solutions worked for them? What solutions didn't work?

As stated before, choosing a solution from your list of ideas can be difficult even paralyzing. It may take all the courage you can muster to move through this step in the problem solving process. You may be sailing in uncharted waters. It may be that this problem is new and terrifying for you. But no matter what solution you choose and no matter how the solution turns out, you have a new experience from which you hopefully learn and grow.

Even through my most dire of problems I have survived. I feel stronger and more knowledgeable for having experienced each problem.  I am more confident, secure and hopefully wiser for having gone through my trials and tribulations. History is full of stories of people who have experienced the worst of problems and survived, often times going on to accomplish great things.

I have learned to enjoy new problems because my only other choice is to go crazy with worry. By worrying and dwelling on the problem we miss the moment of the present. The present is all we have. The past is gone and the future isn't here yet. If we live in the present moment we can enjoy life. We have to realize that this is something we can't do anything about right now. We can plan, prepare, and pray but after that what's the sense of worrying? You might as well enjoy the present moment. Live life.

"Life, give me more!" is my motto. I'll face my problems head on with courage, fortitude, and faith. I know I'll get through that next problem somehow, some way. Hopefully I'll learn from the problem and become a wiser person.

Meanwhile in the present moment I enjoy life. Life is precious to me and I don't want to waste it. So I enjoy the present moment by being in the present moment. I ask myself, "What is there to worry about right now, right here?" The answer is usually nothing, so I enjoy the moment. It could be my last moment.

Next: Try Your Solution

DICTATE - Problem Solving Tool 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

Life, give me more! by Jim Risser

"Life, give me more!"

That's my motto; "Life, give me more!"

"More what?" you might ask.  More of life, of course.  More of it's ups and downs.  More of the problems, heartache, and hardship.  More of the joys, elations, and good times.  More life.

I was in my early twenties when I first developed this motto.  There was an incident where my heart was broken and I suffered greatly.  I don't remember the details, but the heartache was long remembered.  Somewhere in that experience I had an epiphany: I was always going to encounter heartache and problems in my life; I could either let problems beat me or I could change my attitude towards problems.

"Life, give me more!" is about staring down life and saying, "I can handle any problem that life throws at me." It is the attitude of extreme confidence that you can handle anything, you can survive anything, you can overcome anything. "Life, give me more!" is an attitude of that you can win!

How do I know this?  One reason is human history, full of examples of people who have overcome great sufferings and ordeals.  That power to overcome is inherent in all of us.  Another reason I know that I can handle anything that life throws at me, is because of my faith.  Another name for faith is hope.  Faith, hope, and optimism allow me to survive life. One more reason I know I can handle is that I have experience overcoming life. I have handled.  I have survived.  I have won.

What does it mean to win over life?  It doesn't mean you'll never have problems again.  Life is problems.  Problems are drops of water in the ocean of life; they are one in the same. You will always have problems for as long as you live.

To win over life is to confront it with confidence and joy. Be eager, be ready, and be joyful as you encounter life's problems.  Have the confidence that you can overcome.  Things may not always come your way.  Problems might get worse or never solved. But you will survive.  You will survive life's problems.

Have confidence, hope, and joy as you go through life.  When you are presented with a problem say, "Alright Life, I'm ready.  I asked for more and you gave me more.  I can handle this.  I can survive.  I will win!"

Next:  DICTATE - Problem Solving Tool


(c) Jim Risser/Kava Java LLC