Does this ever happen to you? You have a problem – maybe it’s just a niggle or perhaps it’s a full blown issue – and you simply don’t know where to begin to solve it? You stick it in the back of your mind as best as you can, but of course it’s still there – gnawing away at you.

Little niggles have a way of chipping away at your happiness. They keep returning and take up a lot of valuable headspace. Bigger problems eat your time and energy, snowballing and creating knock-on effects in other areas of your life.

If you’re used to complaining about problems or burying your head in the sand and hoping they’ll go away, it’s time to get proactive.

No more blaming your kids, your partner or your parents. If things aren’t flowing as smoothly as you’d like, it’s time to own your problems and TAKE ACTION. Get to the bottom of things before they start spreading like wildfire into other areas of your life. Reframing problems as challenges is an important life skill that will serve you in your daily life – forever.

Here’s your Project Me 3-Step System for Figuring. It. Out.

1. Identify

What’s the challenge?

2. Ideas

What ideas do you have to solve it? Where can you source good ideas?

3. Action

What actions can you take? When will you take them?

You’ll be amazed at how often it really is that simple. Problems in our head seem huge, but on paper and with possible actions written beside them, they shrink.

Scheduling solution-time is crucial. No matter how busy you are, taking the time to pause and assess is always worth it.

The Project Me Challenge Solver Action Sheet is your most valuable tool for figuring things out.

Print several copies at once so you’ll always have one handy, or use a notebook to write out the questions.

To start developing your new Figure-It-Out Super Power, here’s your assignment this week:

Thinking of your 8 Key Life Areas on the Project Me Life Wheel® – what needs figuring out so you can move forward? Grab a Challenge Solver Action Sheet and fill in the blanks.

Get specific about what the issue is. Continue writing onto the back of the page if your thoughts are flowing freely. This is where the magic happens.

How is this making you feel? Overwhelmed / confused / worried / frustrated / angry / anxious/ hurt / guilty / disappointed / stressed / nervous / sad / annoyed / ashamed / disrespected…

What’s this problem costing you? You can go into specific detail or choose some simple words such as: time / energy / happiness / connection / peacefulness / joy / love / fulfilment / sanity…

How will you feel to have this solved? Close your eyes and imagine it first, then take a deep breath, let it out and write down whatever comes to you.
How will you feel if you do nothing? This is a powerful question to ask yourself.
What ideas do you have? Brainstorm some possible solutions. Remember, the best answers often come from within. Listen to yourself. Trust yourself. ‘What ideas do I have?’ ‘What has worked before?’ ‘What hasn’t worked?’ ‘What could I do differently?’ Don’t worry about how crazy or impossible they seem, just write freely.
From your ideas list, choose something to try. What will you do? Get specific. Always remember to break it all down into small, manageable chunks. How long will it take? (Often it’s less time that you think.) When will you do it? Move it over to your Ideas Into Action sheet and schedule it in. This is crucial. One small step at a time will get you there! You can do this!

Still stuck? Ask yourself, ‘Who else might know?’ ‘Who seems to have this nailed?’ ‘What would they do?’ Seek inspiration. Google it! Pro Problem Solvers know when it’s time to ask for help. Asking for help is not a weakness. Often it takes an outside perspective to shed some fresh light on your situation. At the end of the day, you will still be in charge of deciding whether any advice offered feels right for you.

Sometimes the conclusion really will be to let it go. If this is what you choose to do, relish that sweet feeling of surrender and don’t let it take up anymore headspace.

TAKE ACTION!

COMPLETE THE ACTION SHEET: Challenge Solver
MINDFUL MAMA TIP: Relax your forehead. Take a deeeeeep breath in, hold it for a few seconds, then let it all OUT with a big whooshing sigh! Repeat twice more. Tell yourself ‘I’ve GOT this’. (Like you mean it.)
LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW: Does it work better for you to figure things out on paper vs in your head? What do you do when you need to solve a challenge?

Thanks for being a part of the Project Me global community of women who are taking charge of our own happiness.

Positively yours,