Fit for Life: Solve ALL your Problems TODAY‼️

Saturday, August 03, 2019

Matt Espeut, GoLocalWorcester Health +Lifestyle Contributor

I came across a great podcast the other day, and I wanted to share some of my takeaways with you in today’s article.

Here is the link to listen for yourself.

It was from a guy named Ed Mylett, and I think it will resonate with a lot of people because it contains a common denominator that we all face on a daily basis.

The topic is how to solve problems, and unless you live in fantasy land you will face several of them on a daily basis. If you own a business, or are trying to lead a group of people, you will face even more.

So, let’s dive in and try to figure out the best and fastest way to solve problems.

Problems need energy to live, so you need to spend your energy towards the solution and not let the problem grow.

Everything we do in life, both physical and mental requires energy. And in every instance, we have the power to control our energy, and how much we spend on everyday tasks.

90% of focus needs to be dedicated to the solution and NOT the problem. I see people do the opposite all the time. They foresee or encounter a problem and lose all focus on the solution.

When we magnify problems, it will take even more energy to solve them, so try to be solution based.

When a team member comes to me with a problem, I always ask what they think would be a great solution, and never sit there and dwell on the problem with them.

Look at problems as an opportunity for growth. When you solve a problem, you generally learn and grow from it.

The only way to do this is to control your emotions when faced with a problem.

Emotions not only help you solve problems; they dictate the quality of your life.

Quality of life is compromised of the quality of our emotions.

Happiness, joy, ecstasy, peace, faith, passion and intensity are winning emotions.

Depression, anxiety, stress, fear, worry, and anger are not.

Good emotions will generally equal a good life, where as a poor attitude and emotions usually equates to bad life.

Look at negative and cynical people, and how they deal with problems and issues vs open minded, happy people and you will notice a dramatic contrast in their attitudes and quality of life.

You need to attack your problems with the right mindset, and that requires that you control your emotions, and face your problems head on without carrying negative emotions with you.

So, when a problem comes along, we better be thinking it’s an opportunity to grow and not an opportunity to fail.

This will also dictate your ability to solve problems.

To break it down and give you a formula to actually implement, Ed gives his 3 steps to solving problems and after reading this, you will have an ah ha moment like I did.

1. Make a decision and make it fast. Don’t wait for the perfect plan or put your problems off to solve later. Like I said earlier, identify the problem, then start thinking of a solution right away.

2. Have massive certainty and don’t second guess yourself. An imperfect plan executed with certainty and massive action is better than a plan full of doubt or a plan not executed.

3. Take insane action. Get to the root of the problem before it grows and gets out of hand. Don’t sit there thinking what if. Just do and do it fast.

This will crush most problems. Obviously, there are problems related to health that require more time and energy, but with a positive mindset, those can be solved or at least kept dormant while you figure out a solution.

Another good tip for not only solving problems, but living everyday life is to practice on being decisive and not procrastinating.

That will give the problem time to grow and be bigger than it needs to be. When you become more decisive you stop second guessing yourself and limit your anxiety that arises from being indecisive.

You also want to give prospective to the caliber of the problem. Will this matter in 5 years? What’s the worst thing that can happen? Don’t increase stress by focusing on the pressure or what you have to lose. Eliminate or down play the fear of loss, and most of the time the problem won’t be as big as you first thought it would be.

Another huge takeaway from the podcast was to focus on your physiology.

Think of how your physiology is during a workout, walk, or are in a state of ecstasy.

You are standing strong, have your breathing dialed in and your thoughts are generally positive, and you get a feeling of accomplishment.

You can solve a lot of problems during a workout, in the shower, or during a long walk.

When your physiology is in a positive state, so is your mind so stand tall and keep moving.

Avoid tensing up, hunching over, shallow breathing and repeating negative thoughts in your head.

To sum it all up, when we are faced with a problem, we need to stop stressing on the problem. Stress is the fear of loss. When you focus more on the problem rather than the solution, your fear magnetizes the problem

Worry and stress is a misuse of energy and your imagination, and believe it or not, that’s something we can all control by implementing some of the steps listed here.

Remember that 75% of problem solving is in the psychology and 25% is the mechanics & execution, so control your emotions, control your mindset, and tackle all problems head on.

Problems are something we ALL need to live with regardless of who you are or what financial state you are in.

If you think that money solves problems, take it from Biggie Smalls, Mo money MO problems.

Embrace your problems and grow!!

Committed to your success,

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitnesss consultant for over 25 years. He is the owner of Fitness Profiles, a one on one, and small group personal training company, as well as Providence Fit Body Boot Camp, located at 1284 North Main St., on the Providence/Pawtucket line. You can reach Matt at (401) 453-3200; on Facebook at "Matt Espeut", and on Twitter at @MattEspeut. "We’re all in this life together – let’s make it a healthy one.