Safe problem. Quality problem.
You know that problem that’s been kicking around inside your head for the past 3+ months? C’mon… you know the one. It’s the first thing you think of in the morning and the last thing in your head at night. Yea, that’s the one… that’s a Safe Problem.
Safe problems are lingering issues that are within our control such as: procrastination, hesitation, overeating, blaming others for your troubles, avoiding commitment to a relationship or avoiding making a decision.
On the other hand, a quality problem is much different - you’ve had plenty of those before as well.
Quality problems involve a risky forward-thinking decision such as: changing jobs, starting a business, committing to a relationship or leaving a relationship etc.,
The safe problem allows us to not make any decisions, and as a consequence we don’t know what the results would (whether they be positive or negative). It doesn’t allow us to progress professionally or to grow personally. So how can we deal with it?
If you have a safe and lingering problem, you can overcome it by giving yourself lots of consequences for staying in your old behaviour/lifestyle. You need to break your habits and take responsibility for what’s happening right now. Instead of asking yourself “who created this problem”, try asking yourself “who can fix it?”.
'Responsibility and fault often appear together in our culture. But they're not the same thing.' … ‘Fault is past tense. Responsibility is present tense. Fault results from choices that have already been made. Responsibility results from the choices you’re currently making every second of every day.’
Remember that you risk not achieving what you want by not taking action - this is the inherent risk of a lingering problem. Regardless of whether it’s a safe problem or a quality problem, you’ll need a strategy to effectively move forward. Taking massive action is a good start, but that doesn’t mean taking a massive risk, which is what many people assume. To learn more about dealing with risk - click here.
