What’s life without some challenge right? The truth is we are bound to encounter some bump in our life, some problem to be solved. We are doing it all the time, most of the time problem solving will come naturally just like breathing air. We just see a problem, we know exactly how to approach it.

Allow me to add some additional steps on how to solve problem. A few steps that I think equally important but often forgotten..

1) Smile. The first thing you need to do is to smile. Seriously when you smile at a problem. Any problem will look easier to solve. Trust me on this.

2) Is it really a problem? Ask this question first before you attempt to solve it. Sometimes it may look like a problem, giving you stress like a problem but it really is not. An example is when you want to get a slimmer body. Before you rush to buy a diet pills, check your BMI first. You may end up knowing that you are actually at your most optimum weight.

3) Define your problem, then redefine it one more time. Most of the time the problem is not that you have an insomnia, it’s the sound of that drop of water in your bathroom.

4) Consider Do-Nothing approach. Some problem is better left unsolved. An example would be going to work when it’s raining heavily, (you have no car or a rain coat).. the best approach is just to do nothing and wait for the rain to stop.

5) Occum’s Razor Principle. The principle basically says that when all the condition remain constant, the simplest solution tend to be the best ones. Simply explained, most of the time, the solution to a problem is actually simple. You want to be rich, more saving less spending (My More & Less Concept)

6) Google. By google, I’m not saying we should search online. It can very well be offline. Human has been around for thousands of years. I truly believe any problem in the world at any moment has happened before and thus the solution is already there. We just need to know how to look for it.

7) One step backward. Usually a problem will comes with stress. The longer it takes to solve a problem, the more stressful it will become. Whenever you are feeling more stressful with the problem, stop right there. Take one step backward. Leave your thinking cap behind.

Yes, some mind work more efficiently with pressure, some doesn’t. If you are in the latter group, taking that calming step backward (literally) and observe the problem in a different way. Just like a person hiding behind a rock, When you move he move. There’s no way you can see him unless you look from a helicopter.

8] Sleep on it. For those who might not be familiar, when we sleep, our subconscious mind will work on all our problems. And that is why, problems usually don’t feel that critical in the early morning as compared to last night. The idea is to present the problem in our head. Not to think the solution of the problem before you sleep. This will only cause you to have difficulty sleeping.

9) Cryogenic the problem. In sci-fi movie, people often undergo cryogenic procedure when they have incurable disease, and they are hoping that in the future, the medical technology will be so advance that that disease will be curable. If that problem is not urgent, why not keep it unsolved for a while. Who knows, in time we will be better equipped to solve it.

10) Some problems are not meant to be solved. Do you know that there are millions of black hole in the galaxy. If one comes as close to earth as the sun from the earth, we will be sucked into the black hole. You can worry all your life about this, but why? We can’t solve this problem, so just leave it be.

11) Solution equals bigger problem? So you have found a solution. Now think again, what will this solution affect. If the solution will pose another greater problem, isn’t it better to just live with the smaller problem instead?

/end list

– I wonder –
Any other ideas on how to solve problems?

———– Personal Note ———–
I would like to welcome all bloggers from AB Blogging Pack. You know who you are. You are invited to have a look at the about page for more information about the blog. It’s always a pleasure making new friends, and hopefully we can learn from each other 🙂 Enjoy 

What would you say if I tell you that one of the most influential things in life is movies? To make it worse, these movies may have been defining how we should be happy.

I’m sure you watch romantic movies. If you do, most probably you will be familiar with these words

“You are my soul mate”
“You complete me”
“I’ve never feel whole before you”

To tell you the truth, I kind of have a soft spot for romantic movies. Only good ones, not the cheeky ones. And I love those great quotes. They are so beautifully spoken to express how special the spouse is, and how they are the ones that make you truly happy.

However I have a thought, that maybe, just maybe it’s these quotes that have been wrongly defining our happiness. Allow me to explain.

In all those romantic movies, they always try to highlight that the actor is never truly happy unless he is with the actress. or that the actress can only feel complete when he’s with the actor.

Again, don’t get me wrong.. I love a good romantic movie. But don’t you think that we should never put our happiness totally at the mercy of other people, however we love them?

And that we should always first be happy with ourselves. Anybody else, be it our parent or our loved ones will only add to the happiness?

I deliberately ask “Love yourself first?” in my summary as I myself am still torn between the idea of loving ourselves first or loving others first. What do you think? Do you agree with the idea?

—– Personal Note ——
Yesterday was quite an excitement, the mrs had an unusual pain so I quickly took her to the hospital to be checked. Apparently it was just false alarm 🙂

365 days ago, I wrote – Credit Card Scam

Photo Credit –  Osvaldo Zoom

Have you ever watched Indiana Jones where the whole structure is collapsing and he is rushing to get out of the place through a closing door. Of course he will made it just in time.

Can you see the scenario in your mind? Now imagine this..

Your house is collapsing and you’re alone in your house. You have 30 seconds to get your stuff before the door closed. What 10 items will you take?

This is so interesting for me that I actually set the timer in my cellphone and quickly run into every room of my house and scan for what 10 items to take. Try it..

Yes, I know. I can have so much free time sometimes

One interesting thing I notice is that when I really need to choose only 10 things to save, I am actually stuck at item number 6, I just don’t know what else is important after wallet, important documents, car keys, cellphone and laptop.

How about you? Were you stuck at a number? or can you easily decide all the 10 items?

Come to think about it, we really don’t need a lot of stuff to live. If not, I don’t even need to go through every room to complete the list.

Why then.. are we so stressed everyday to buy things? When the truth is we will usually not going to use it, or even cherished it.

I once saw an episode of Oprah where they highlighted one person who live in a custom made house. The house is only few metres squared in area. That is like a house the size of your kitchen. That person then said “If I ever buy an item, whenever I walk in my house, I will have to stop and decide whether that item will be put in the house or to be discarded later.”

– I wonder –
What do you think of the idea in living with minimal items?

——— Personal Note ———
I travel quite a lot everyweek to visit my mother in KL. And being a human that I am, I always forget to bring along my toothbrush, or charger among other things. So what I did, is to prepare a backpack, and put everything I will need for my travel.

Some of the items are as follows

• phonebook (in case my phone stolen)
  
• nail clipper
  
• comb
  
• fresh clothes
  
• an extra phone (actually my first phone)
  

Now, unless I forget to bring the backpack, I’m set to go anywhere anytime 🙂

365 days ago, I wrote – How To Organize Your Paper / Work

Still in a mother’s day mode, I’m going to share with you an email received from a friend. A simple story that illustrate how a genuine love would probably look like.

“Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness.

The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister.

I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, ‘Yes I’ll do it if it will save her.’

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, ‘Will I start to die right away?’.

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her. ”

/end story

You know you love someone if given a choice, you would rather die to let him / her live on. Would you give up your life if that’s what it takes to save your mother?

365 days ago, I wrote – Do You Know Uncle Pareto?

Photo Credit – Viajar24h