So what is your problem?
Published: Tue, 01/07/14
At the start of a new year I find myself thinking. 'How can I
make the next twelve months better than the last twelve?' What
is going to make 2014 the year when life really flourishes? It may
be that everything is just fine for you and you can just carry on
as you are perfectly happily. Good luck to you if that is the
case. I personally am aware of various problems which I need to
overcome, or at least manage better, if 2014 is going to be a
successful year. My big question is. "Can I tell the
difference between the 'real' problems and challenges and
the personal issues which are causing problems in aspects of life
such as business, relationships and finance?"
If a tile blows off the roof of your house and the rain comes in,
not an unlikely scenario the way the weather has been recently,
then you have a real problem with your house. So you either go up
a ladder and replace the tile, or get someone else to do it who has
a better head for heights than you do. Either way, problem solved.
But if your house is so full of junk that you can't move and
have no space then I would suggest that the issue is your tendency
to hoard and this tendency is impacting on the habitability of your
house. In business there are going to be problems and difficulties
every day. Successful business owners see problems as challenges
and see overcoming problems as their purpose in life. It could be
suggested that many businesses exist for the purpose of solving
problems for other people. A problem with getting a package to
Glasgow? Call a courier company. Leaking roof? Call a Tiler.
Bad back? Go to the Chiropractor and so on. Competently run
businesses can come unstuck due to problems which are too difficult
to solve. Perhaps a fire destroys the business premises or some
change of legislation makes it virtually impossible to carry on
trading. These would be very real problems but may still just
challenges to someone who is determined, flexible and ingenious.
Having a cash flow problem because a customer has gone unexpectedly
bankrupt is a genuine problem. Going bust because of persistently
undercharging and failing to collect due payments because of
timidity is a personal issue which impacts upon the 'real'
business. A spouse having an affair is probably a real problem
with a marriage. Being jealous and possessive with no real
justification is a personal issue which can easily ruin an
otherwise perfectly good marriage.
So if you are looking towards 2014 and wondering which single
factor is going to have the most effect on the year think about
this. There will be genuine problems that are going to challenge
you this year and you will have to deal with them. However, first,
see if you can identify the personal issues which cause problems in
your 'real life'. If you were someone else living your
life at full effectiveness what would be different? I know the
temptation to blame my difficulties on other people and fate. Yes,
there are going to be plenty of genuine challenges, but first look
at yourself and see what you can do to start making your life
easier and more successful for yourself.
If training in Stav is one of the things you intend to do in 2014
then the next day course is on the 18th of January in Salisbury,
see http://www.iceandfire.org.uk/train.html for details. If you
are curious about the Stav Centre I have updated
http://www.somersetstav.co.uk and we will have a day course there
on the 15th of February.
regards
Graham