Decades ago, when I was considering changing careers, a well-renowned aptitude testing organization informed me that I had (1) messy closets and (2) the ability to solve world problems. While I haven’t solved any world problems yet, I’ve been wondering if that ability is related to my frequently waking up in the middle of the night trying to solve problems big and small.
Do you see any world problems in today’s blog post?
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When I search for “world problems” on YouTube, I find this…
No matter what’s going on in our lives, the human brain seems to center on problems.
Once we solve one problem, that solution evaporates from our minds, and the brain seeks out the next problem.
As with anything, there are pros and cons to our natural focus on problems. We solve issues but we can also feel overwhelmed and negative about the future, as we never get a break from this unceasing line-up of problems.
As usual, I have a problem with how I’m writing this post, but I’m still moving on to the next paragraph.
Here’s a quote from a book I have no problem recommending:
If we take a snapshot of our inner problems, we will see that each person has what we’ll call “the problem of the day.” This is the thing that is bothering them the most at any given moment. When the current problem isn’t bothering them, then the next one pops up, and when that one isn’t bothering them, the next one pops up. That is what your thoughts are about. Your thoughts tend to focus on what is bothering you today. Your thoughts are about the problem, why it is bothering you, and what you can do about it. If you don’t do something about this, it will go on for the rest of your life.
The Untethered Soul, Michael A. Singer
People sometimes talk about “First World Problems” — acknowledging that their current problems are much less difficult than other people’s who are suffering far more.
Here’s a definition of First World Problem:
When my mind is focused on people whose problems include loss of home, limbs, life, loved ones, or a peaceful future, I have a problem sympathizing with people who have problems like the one in the definition above.
As usual, I have no problem sharing my thoughts, feelings, and recent images with you here.
It’s no problem for me to write down my story here, no matter what day it is.
I know some of my readers have a problem if I don’t include our cats in my posts, so here’s Joan!
Here’s what I find on YouTube when I search for “problems.”
That article recommends that we act like happy people — even when we’re not happy — to make ourselves happy and to spread happiness. Arthur C. Brooks suggests asking ourselves this question when we’re down: “What would a happy person do?” In other words, to fake it until we make it.
So, if I give you your first smile of the day even when I don’t feel like smiling, that’s good for both of us.
If what I’ve written so far hasn’t evoked the first smile of the day, perhaps one of these images will.
Perhaps this video of The Pat Metheny Group performing “First Circle” (with dancing parrots) will give you the first smile of the day.
The Year(s) of Living Non-Judgmentally 