The Problem with Boring Problems
If you’ve been struggling with a problem long enough to be bored by it, I guarantee that you have spent more time thinking about this problem or actively avoiding thinking about this problem than you have spent thinking about how you could solve this problem and what your life could be like.
And that’s normal.
Our boring problems are familiar. Your subconscious interprets familiar as safe, and it thinks that safety is good. If fact, it thinks safe is good EVEN when it causes anxiety and stress. Your subconscious won’t push you to get beyond your current problems if you have been surviving with them for a long time.
If you are bored with your problems you either have a “Repeat Problem” or a “Stuck Problem”.
The Repeat Problem
The Repeat Problem is when you repeatedly find yourself with the same problem. Examples of this could include being inconsistent with fitness and getting in and out of shape, finding yourself in a cycle of getting in debt and then paying it off, or even recreating negative personal dynamics with different people or in different places.
Problem repeaters often get stuck in the trap of using the same approaches, telling themselves “this worked last time I had this problem” while failing to remember that whatever worked the last time clearly did not create a permanent fix.
The Stuck Problem
The Stuck Problem is when you’ve had one problem for too long. Examples of this could include being uninspired or downright miserable in your job or feeling unsatisfied with your work/life balance but not being able to change this.
Those who are stuck with a problem for a long time are often unconscious masters at coming up with reasons why this problem is unsolvable. Typical reasons are:
- No time right now
- Need more money
- No energy
- No opportunities
- Need more information
- Don’t know how to fix it
- Tried to fix it but it didn’t work
- People are dicks…
Are you Bored Enough of the Problem to Fix It?
The key is to get really clear on what you actually want because that’s the first step that will inspire you into action. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to pull it off yet, as long as you think that it could be theoretically possible. This sounds easy, but it can be a challenge if you’ve been stuck a long time, or if you have the type of brain that rejects any solution that doesn’t have a guaranteed plan that comes with it.
Let’s get real, a life without problems isn’t an option, but it is possible to replace your boring problems with some shiny new interesting ones!
No matter how big, or how bored you are with the problem, if you decide it’s time to do something, you can. It might not be fast and it may require effort, but I urge you to do it.
You deserve big shiny new problems.
P.S. Find out how to work with me if you're ready to break the patterns keeping you stuck and get out of your own way: Let's talk.
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