(1) Getting clear on the essence of the problem

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to solve a problem when everything else's in your life is going really well?

There are exceptions, of course, for instance when the one problem you have has a strong influence on many other areas of your life, or if you, unfortunately, have more than one problem.

Whatever your situation is, keep reading.

The point I want to make is that a problem is not an island.
There is enormous value in considering our life as a whole when solving a problem. Our life has many aspects and many areas in it. Every area has unique resources in it for you and also its unique history, opportunity, and challenges. 

Think about your health, your career, your romantic relationship, and your personal development just to mentions some of the areas of your life.
In each of those areas, there is a micro-universe of information about you, who you are and who you want to become, what you already have and what you want to create in your life.

Imagine making a map of your life, of all areas that you feel belong to your life and using it to navigate your way to the solution of the problem you are confronted with currently.

Can you see it in front of you?

For each area of your life you can summarize the role that area has with regards to your problem. It doesn't matter if it is an area where the problem is most felt or if it just the opposite, an area where you find resources to solve the problem.

What you are achieving is collecting useful and relevant information that will enable you to make informed decisions about your next step.

When you approach a problem in this way, you take your problem out of isolation and you integrate it into your life.

This is an excellent way to identify risks that you may have previously underestimated, related to your problem,  that you can now address properly.

On the other hand, in your life there are also many resources that can help you tackle and solve your problem. A holistic look at your life allows you to see those too, much more clearly.

In conclusion, it doesn't matter if your problem is small and nicely confined to one area of your life, or if it is taking over your all life, looking at the bigger picture will create more space for a creative solution and for a better understanding of the essence of the problem.

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