Written by How do you see the problems you face in life? Do you see problems as opportunities for growth? You should. On this Wisdom Wednesday, we discuss the proverb: “Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness”. Our focus today is on the benefits of problem solving and the benefits of being a problem solver.
See problems as opportunities
You either believe life is happening to you or for you. If life is happening for you, then every time you see a challenge or a problem, you see an opportunity to make things better. Another way you could think of it is if I’m having this problem, then it’s most likely that other people are having the same or similar problems. And as you know, businesses are designed around solving problems. In which case, the larger the problem, the larger the reward society is willing to pay you for the solution.
Bigger problems create bigger opportunities
For example, Amazon controls the majority of sales on the internet. That is the result of Amazon solving multiple problems for their customers. They simplify the process of finding wanted items. They also shortened and streamlined the shipping process. There are items you can now receive same day. We haven’t even mentioned the streaming services they offer within their Prime membership. Thanks for the many problems Amazon solves for their customers, they have been rewarded very handsomely.
The good news is you don’t have to solve problems for millions of people to be rewarded. You can solve the smallest problem and still be rewarded. If you have an entry level job, you will receive an entry level salary. You are providing a benefit and solving problems within your skillset. As you gain experience and expertise, you start solving more complex problems. Your title and salary usually increase as a result of you solving larger problems.
With greater risk…
If you work at a grocery store and help people purchase food, you will receive a reward in-line with the problem you are solving. For those who work at a restaurant, you receive a reward in-line with the problem you are solving. There is a different reward for the person who owned and built the grocery store. This is also true for the person who owns the restaurant. The business owner receives a greater reward because they are taking more risk. They are paying the staff and hoping people come into their establishment. If no one shows up, the business owner doesn’t make any money. This is different than the employee. The employee is paid regardless of who shows up.
You will notice our society is structured around rewarding people based on the problem they are solving. Therefore, you want to have a mindset of recognizing problems and thinking of solutions. To increase your economical value and the reward you will receive, you want to build a specialized skill that helps you solve significant problems for others. If you don’t like your compensation, you just need to find a greater problem to solve. Don’t see problems and curse the darkness. Light a candle… i.e., find a solution to the problem.
There is nothing greater than your time
With that said, the most valuable thing on this earth is your time. One of the quickest ways to increase your economic value is to give people back their time. When I was a kid, my parents use to take me us to Dairy Queen. The problem was the closest Dairy Queen was almost an hour away. When I was eight years old, I told my parents I was going to open a Diary Queen closer to home. In my mind, there were lots of people who loved ice-cream. And those people wished they had a closer option too. That was me lighting a candle to my darkness. My plan was to open the business when I was 18. The world wasn’t as accessible at that time (at least to me) to know I could have possibly found funding before adulthood. Now, you can watch Shark Tank and watch an eight year old get millions of dollars to fund their business idea.
The reason I say it was a mistake to wait until 18 was someone else opened a Diary Queen 10 minutes from my parent’s house. It was definitely a bitter-sweet experience. While happy to have a Diary Queen closer to home, I couldn’t help but feel they stole my idea. The funny thing is my parents would remind me when we passed by it. They would say, “there goes that Dairy Queen you were going to open”.
Final thoughts
To view the world through the prism of problem solving is so beneficial. In addition to the economic benefits, you also feel empowered to change your life. If you don’t like something about your life, you get to decide how you’ll make it better. When you are tired of the darkness, it is you who gets to light the candle. And you are not only lighting up your world, but the world of everyone facing the same problem.
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