The Benefits of Shifting Your Mindset from Problems to Opportunities

The solution won’t be found in the problem you are having, the two things exist separately to each other yet we love to hold tight to our problems, hoping that squeezing them tighter will somehow cause the solution to pop out. 

Our brains are actually wired to focus on problems, this is actually helpful in some situations such as when we need to be able to recognise that a stick is actually a snake that could kill us, this primitive part of the brain's job is to keep us alive, being focused and alert to problems is the quickest way to ensure we stay alive. 

In these modern times where there are less threats we have less need for that primitive part of the brain but there’s a bit of an evolutionary lag that means were still mostly wired to focus on problems 

There’s good news though, we can train our brains to shift focus to focus on opportunities rather than problems

The problem matters less than you think. Yes, it’s good to identify what the problem is so we know what we want to change but we don’t need to put the problem under a microscope, repeatedly tell anyone who is listening, examine it as if it is a rare disease.

A powerful way to begin to shift your view is to ask yourself this one question “Am I focused on the opportunity or the problem?”

Focusing on the problem keeps you rooted in the past, a place you will stay until you start focusing on the solution which can be found in the present, the only place you have any control over. 

Focusing on the opportunity allows you to take a broader perspective and come up with future facing solutions.  

Here’s a couple of examples using the same scenario but with a different focus:

Scenario: You want to apply for a position that is a level above from where you are now

🚪 Problem focused view: I’ve never held a position like this before, I don’t have experience so probably won’t get it

🪟 Opportunity focused view: While I haven’t held this exact position before, I have performed some of the tasks they are looking for, this role would give me the opportunity to expand on the skills I already have

Scenario: You’ve migrated to another country

🚪 Problem focused view: Everything is so different here, I don’t think I’ll ever fit in

🪟 Opportunity focused view: What skills did I use to help me migrate here and how can they help me to fit into my new home? 

Have you ever heard the saying “what we focus on grows” well it couldn’t be more true here, if you want more opportunities than problems, you know where you need to focus.