Focus less on the Problem, Focus more on the Solution

Accept Life: Focus less on the Problem, Focus more on the Solution

On a recent trip to Scandinavia I was driving down a road in Finland heading to a National Park. After several hours driving, I parked my car along the road to get a bit of blood circulation into my body again.

As I got out I saw that I was parked quite close to a lake and decided to take a walk over to it. At the same time this was also a good moment to refill my bottle with water again.

I took my bottle out of my car, walked over to the lake, and while stepping onto a few rocks taking me down to the water… (do you see it coming?) I slipped, and fell. Not on the rocks, but into the lake.

Not with one leg, but completely in it (yeah, I know…).

“For after all, the best thing one can do when it is raining is let it rain.”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Tweet

Life has it’s up and downs, there are times when things go right and times when things go wrong. It has always been that way and it will always be that way. And even though we do mostly understand this, when something does go wrong, a lot of us have a very hard time accepting it.

I was lying there in the cold water with all my clothes on and my phone and wallet in my pocket. I could have freaked out, however, this was the thought that shot directly into my head: Whatever happens in life, don’t resist it. Accept it and act directly on a solution.

We waste so much of our energy and time focusing too much on, and complaining about, the problem – stressing ourselves out about something that has already happened and cannot be undone – instead of focussing our energies right away on an actual solution.

Would bitching about the fact that I was completely wet, get me dry? I don’t think so. Would swearing and being angry about it undo it? Of course not. It would only stress me out with frustration – frustration that doesn’t contribute anything to the situation at all.

Of course, there are far worse things that can happen in life than falling into a lake. The loss of a loved one for example. However, any situation requires the same method – Acceptance. And no, this isn’t always easy, it can be very hard at times. But you have to – for your own sake, learn to accept the things you cannot control in life.

Just as you have to understand, that continuing to worry about the problem doesn’t resolve anything, so don’t waste energy on it. Learn to immediately act on a solution.

It’s really all a matter of understanding. Life becomes a lot easier, when you stop focussing on that which you cannot control, and instead on that which you can – the outcome.