The thought that crossed my mind on an afternoon when I was looking for something to watch on YouTube.
So many similar videos appear with the same theme or topic. They offer solutions. I was trying to figure out what exactly people are looking for in these videos (with hundreds of thousands of views). What answers are they looking for by watching them? Quick fix? One-size-fits-all solution? THE perfect formula? Harsh truth. Just admit it. There is no quick fix or one-size-fits-all solution for every life problem. I often heard the phrase “To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail” (originally written by Abraham Maslow in his 1966 book “The Psychology of Science: A Reconnaissance.”), and I couldn’t agree more.
My simple thought is this: When you try to fix a problem, do you even know what your problem really is? Or are you just so used to identifying it as a problem? Or treat it like the other problems you had with the same perspective? Or, society told you that your problem is this, or that.
Have you ever thought that you might have been chasing the worthless difficulties? Or putting your eggs in the wrong baskets? Or trying to reserve water with a leaking bucket?
Maybe the first step you could ever take is identifying and deeply analyzing the problem instead of going straight to search for the perfect solution. Then look for the proper tool. I’ll do you one better: when you have the resources, CREATE the tool(s). Yes, you can always use the cookie-cutter version of the tools. But I hope you won’t use any template blindly by just filling it with your own words. You can always customize a pre-made template to make it uniquely and authentically your own. As the saying goes, “There is always a proper tool for every job.”
I read a lot. Daily. In my youth years, I read to fulfill my curiosity and thirst for knowledge. Not to fix a thing or look for solutions. But somewhere along the way, when adulthood came, I realized that instead of enjoying the books, I became so focused on finding solutions. Searching for life’s purpose. Looking for solutions to my everyday problems.
Then, one day, I just observed and thought about it. With two conclusions. The first was: maybe they’re not really problems to be solved, but rather life lessons and experience. And the second was: there’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all solutions to all of my life’s problems. So I just read happily like I’m a kid again. Amazed by the words, curious about the next chapters, and exploring a whole new world through my imagination.
I have loved to read since I was a kid. Back then, I read literally everything from illustrated storybooks and encyclopedias to biographical books of historical figures. I found it interesting that, most often, the most amazing part of people’s lives is not the destination. It’s the journey itself.
Do we hyperbolically and dramatize the word “problem”? Do problems seem so scary, hence making us feel so small and powerless? Even for the minor things or events that occur daily? Or, plot twist: there never was a problem to be solved in the first place. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not talking about the major problems like health issues or traumatic events. I notice some people don’t romanticize their problems because they stay calm navigating through them and treat problems as life lessons instead.
The thing is, there are no two people with the exact same experiences and problems. What’s working for other people won’t always work for you.
I think it’s better to know yourself first. Research your problem. Investigate the root cause. Then navigate to look for the effective and efficient solution. I don’t say that you shouldn’t spend a hundred hours watching 500-ish YouTube videos trying to find the quickest way to solve your problems (which ironically wasting your time and energy doing so), just to be overwhelmed with too many options to solve the problem itself. Or even worse, you end up doing nothing because you get so confused and exhausted that even a single decision about which step to take first is impossible to make.
So maybe the first tiny step that you can do is to investigate the root cause of your problems. One at a time, not simultaneously working on all the problems you have. Pause, breathe, and observe might help.
If you’re still trying to start fast without deep understanding and investigating the root cause of your problems, by all means, go ahead. It’s your own life. You are the one who is responsible for it anyway. But maybe I should be the one that reminds you to think deeply about a quote that is frequently attributed to Socrates: “Understanding a question is half an answer.”
The choice is yours.