Imagine this: a situation arises in your personal life, at home, in the workplace, or in a relationship, and the solution to that problem is clear.  You feel confident taking steps to preempt a challenge in a way that is grounded in faith instead of fear.  You know that the other people in your life are ones you can trust when working through any difficulty.  You know that any struggles have a lasting, holistic solution.

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The four core principles of this virtue season help you heal relationships, communities, bodies, minds, hearts, or anything else! They apply to any of the little or big problems that come up in our lives.

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1. Be Preemptive:​

When you recognize there could be a potential problem, do what you can to keep the problem from happening. Don’t procrastinate this!  Take responsibility for your part in creating a solution.

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Apply this principle with wisdom and moderation. You probably can't be prepared for every possible situation and you don't want to be so focused on preventing possible futures that you're missing the present moment.

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Just do your best to enjoy the now in a way that is also a gift to your future self.

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> When has being preemptive helped you avoid or lessen a problem? When has the reverse been true?

> What can you do today that would be a gift to your future self? How can you do that while enjoying the now?

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2. Seek Holistic Solutions:​

Address the whole problem, with all of its parts and dimensions.

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It can be tempting to just try to fix one piece of what's going on and tell yourself you're taking care of things. If you can see the big picture well enough to see how all the little pieces fit together then you can do what's needed to heal all the parts. You'll really, truly heal the issue.

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Here's an example of how this might play out:

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Imagine you experience a physical injury, like a sprained ankle.  What can you do to encourage your body to heal?  It may be tempting to just kick back and rest, but our bodies actually heal better from a combination of rest and appropriate activity (such as special exercises in this case) in order to heal and strengthen those musles, hopefully preventing repeat injury.  Also, maybe there are emotional or mental injuries related to this sprained ankle, such as disppointment, fear, anger at someone else who may have caused it, and so forth.  ​It's also common to blame God when we experience setbacks.  Sometimes a current issue can bring up past grievances. 

 

If you just focus on the pain of one area of your body, you're missing the benefits of seeing the whole system. But when you look at the whole body as well as the mind, the heart, the spirit, etc., you can better heal your back and get the bonus of healing your whole soul.

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> How could the principles presented in the back pain example apply to other kinds of problems?

> When has looking at a problem from multiple perspectives helped you solve it?

> Are there any issues in your life that could use examination from a more holistic perspective?

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3. Use Effective Teamwork:​

Work together with others. Multiple people effectively working together will always be more capable than the individuals working alone.

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On the other hand, multiple people working together ineffectively can result in worse results than someone working alone.

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For multiple parts to work together well, they need to be unified and they need to use synergy; i.e.: they need to see each other’s differences as strengths. It is good that each member of the team has different strengths and weaknesses. Effective team members make up for each other’s weaknesses and then each person’s strength becomes a strength of the overall team.

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> What are the most important lessons you've learned about being a team player?

> With whom do you struggle to get along? How can their strengths balance your weaknesses and vice versa?

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4. Maintain Solutions:​

Do the follow-up work needed to make sure that solved problems stay solved. This often involves lots of small, consistent efforts made over a period of time.  Evaluate, and then evaluate again. 

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If you struggle to keep doing the maintenance needed to get the result you want, the Core Principles of Staying Motivated can help.

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> What's an example of a solution that won't get the desired result unless it's applied consistently over time?

> Is there anything in your life that you thought was solved, but actually isn't?  What steps can you take to maintain a holistic solution?

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We used to call this virtue "Solve Problems" but we changed the name because we want to focus on solutions, not problems. If you spend all your time thinking about all your past, present, or future problems, you might miss out on living your life!

Some people get an ego boost from solving problems and don't know what to do when there aren't any. They sometimes unintentionally imagine or even create problems for themselves and others so they can get the satisfaction of solving them. If you realize you're doing this then congratulations! Realizing it is the hardest step. Next step, Process the Emotions that fuel this habit.

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One more bit of advice (this one comes from Eckhart Tolle): you usually only need 15 minutes of thinking about your problems each day to solve them. So, set aside a 15 minute window each day when you do your solutioning and whenever you worry about your problems any other time, just imagine yourself filing the problem away and choose to think about something else. You can think about your problem again during your designated 15 minutes.

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Rather than be a problem solver, be a solutionist!

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> Can you think of times when your mindset escalated or created problems?
> Would you benefit from a designated 15 minute solutioning time?

> Practice solutioning time right now: write down a problem you're going to solve. How will you apply each of the four Core Principles on this page to solve it?