[Neurons] 2008 Meta Reflections #19

[meta]

From: L. Michael Hall

2008 Meta Reflections #19

April 28, 2008





GIVE ME PROBLEMS!





"I want problems! I want good problems, well-formed problems, solvable problems, challenging problems, stretching problems, fascinating problems, and impossible problems."

That's what I said and when I said it to a friend the other day over coffee at Starbucks, he immediately responded by saying,

"What's wrong with you? Why in the world would you want problems? What have you been drinking? Are you nuts?"

My next response, I think, was even more surprising to my friend:

"No, not at all. I'm just trying to live a self-actualizing life! I'm just want the context that brings out the best in us humans, the context that causes us to reach down deep within ourselves for resources, and the context that activates the untapped potentials."

Then he said,

"Well, I've got some problems you can have!"

I'm writing this Reflection to follow up the previous Meta Reflections. In #15 I wrote about Creative Problem Solving and Self-Actualization and in #16, Are you the Problem or the Problem-Solver? What I'm learning from my ongoing studies in self-actualization is that we human beings need problems. I mentioned this in Unleashed! (2007) in Chapter 20 "Capitalizing Problems" where, following Maslow's lead, I referred to how he discovered that self-actualizing people have the unique skill of capitalizing on their problems. They turn them into intellectual and emotional capital for resources, discovery, learning, and wealth.

And while problems play that role in our psychology, I'm discovering something else about problems. Namely, that problems play an even deeper and more profound role. That's because as negative as this may sound, loving and longing for problems fits our very nature. It's what makes us grow! It's what turns on our brains. It's what activates our creative powers. It's what makes us feel more alive.

When you think about it, effective teaching involves creating fascinating problems that kids will love to solve. In school we train and evoke and develop minds through math problems, geometry problems, language problems. Putting a person to a test that's appropriate to age and skill calls forth that person's potentials and resources thereby enabling growth.

It is so much in our nature that we seek problems even in our entertainments. After all, what are "games," but controlled problems that we're called upon to solve? And the best games are those that put us or our team to the test! There's no fun to play against those who we can devastate and wipe out. That's not the point. We want to go up against a team that will call upon everything in our team and then succeed! And if you play tennis or golf or some other sport, you want someone to play with you at your level or even a bit better.

And what about movies? What's a movie if there's no plot of challenge? The movies that keep us on the edge of our seat are those where the heros cannot possibly win, and yet they find a way! Movies where everybody loves everybody, and where people are enjoying a great job in a growing industry who are people who are friends to each other and so on-are boring. We want drama. We want suspense. We need a significant problem. We need a Darth Vader who turns out to be our dad who seems all powerful and ready to take us over to the dark side!

That which is won easily and without a struggle is seldom valued, let alone treasured. It is what we win through struggle, effort, discipline, and team work that we value, that calls for a celebration. It is the problem that matters, that makes a difference, that opens up new possibilities and new worlds-those are the problems that are worth solving, worth devoting yourself to, worth a full commitment for a lifetime.

And what about business? What business is "business" in anyway? Is it not the business of problem-solving? Why do you need any business? From the grocery store and the department store, to companies that provide electricity, water, security, education, training, etc., every business is in business to solve problems.

And the bigger the problem, the more critical and important the business. Given this, what do we spend money on? Solutions. Creative solutions to problems is what creates wealth. Solve a problem that bothers people, that undermines their peace of mind, well-being, health, family, etc. and you have a source of wealth. All you need now is to package and frame it as a commercially viable product or service. Then you have a financial engine that you can use to build financial independence.

The problems that have been solved now exist as part of the time-binding wealth of our race. These problems are those that don't need to be solved again and again (although we can do so to learn about how they were solved and the solution process itself). These are formula solutions. These are among the solutions we learn in school and when a problem that fits these formats or structures, we only need to pull out the formula and solve it. Lots of everyday problems are like that. No creativity is needed, just a basic education in the area of the problem.

Then there are the new problems. And this is where the excitement begins. These are problems that we are either discovering or creating today. Science seeks to discover new problems in order to solve them as scientists and engineers discover new questions for new explorations. Then there are the problems that we create that need solving. Recently there's been a lot of concern over the solution of creating fuel from corn because when e devote more corn fields to growing corn for energy for cars rather than food for people, this creates new problems- higher food prices, then food shortages, then starvation in some parts of the world.

This demonstrates a systemic principle about human life: With every solution, we create new problems. New problems which you face individually, and new problems which we all face as human beings, are due to the complexity and systemic nature of problems. And for that we are doing to need more and more creative problems-solving. But more about that next time.

For now, Are you ready to unleash your creative problem-solving? Ready for the Creativity and Innovation workshop?

-----------------

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Telephone: 617 5530 6652

--------

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Module I: 

April 4-6, Portland Or. at Apositiva. 

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 Oct. 18-20, 2008. South Africa 
Pretoria, South Africa. 

   Contact: Cheryl Lucas at People South Africa 

cheryl at peoplesa.co.za 

 Cell : 083 267 1412 Tel: 012 362 6542 Fax : 088 012 362 6641

Skype: meta coach www.psacoaching.co.za 

Website: www.meta-coaching.org 









L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.
Neuro-Semantics Ltd., Executive Director
ISNS - International Society of Neuro-Semantics
P.O. Box 8
Clifton, Colorado, 81520 USA
www.neurosemantics.com 
www.meta-coaching.org
www.self-actualizing.org 

Email: meta @onlinecol.com @acsol.net @mindfocus.co.za
(970) 523-7877
(970) 523-5790 FAX
(877) 686-2867 toll free in the USA only
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