7 Universal Principles that can help manage any problem

7 Universal Principles that can help manage any problem (Episode 1)

 Every living human being has problems. You do too. 

These principles you are about to read are an excerpt from the book,“Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do!" written by Robert H. Schuller. 

If you have a problem today—any problem, these principles can help you efficiently manage them.

Let us quickly explore these principles.

1. Don’t underestimate.

Don’t underestimate the problem, or your potential power to cope with it creatively. Unquestionably, many problems are never resolved or managed effectively because they are not taken seriously enough. We must avoid the temptation to underestimate the seriousness of problems that on the surface may appear slight. Problems are like a pregnancy. They will grow until their presence is obvious. No one is just a little pregnant, and no problem is unimportant enough to ignore.

Never underestimate a problem or your power to cope with it. Realize that the problem you are facing has been faced by millions of human beings. You have untapped potential for dealing with a problem if you will take the problem and your own undeveloped, unchanneled powers seriously. Your reaction to the problem, as much as the problem itself, will determine the outcome.

2. Don’t exaggerate.

Instead of underestimating the problem, your often first reaction is to exaggerate it.

 Put that problem in its proper perspective. The seriousness of it will pass.

Ask yourself these questions: What could be the possible worst thing that can happen to me? Can I handle that?

If you will play it down and pray it up, God will give you the ability to cope with the worst that will happen. Stop exaggerating the possibilities of the problem.

The one battle most people lose is the batter over the fear of failure…

try…

start…

begin…

and you’ll be assured you won the first round.

Click here to download This Book

3. Don’t wait.

There is a time and place for patience—after you have tried every avenue possible and have planted as many seeds of solutions as you can. Patience is not a virtue if you sit back and wait for your problem to solve itself. And many problems have the built-in capability to grow more serious with the passing of time. To wait quietly for God to do something or for someone to come to your rescue could give the problem time to multiply its negative fallout.

If you want to solve your problem, don’t wait for somebody else to help you.

Tackle it yourself. You alone are personally responsible for managing your problem. Don’t expect anybody else to do it for you. If you expect others to rescue you, you will only be disappointed. 

4. Don’t aggravate.

We have the power to make any problem better or worse. We do this when we react positively or negatively. The normal reaction would be to feel threatened by the problem. Threatened people become angry people. Fearful people reflect hatred. Hatred and anger only aggravate the problem. They are not positive reactions. They will not help solve the problem.

Coach John Wooden, Coach of Los Angeles basketball team, University of California, once said, “Nobody is defeated until he starts blaming somebody else.” “Don’t fix the blame; fix the problem.” You begin fixing the problem when you begin to control your negative emotions.

If you’ve got a problem, don’t add to it. Don’t make your problem worse by aggravating it with self-pity, jealousy, cynicism, hatred, anger, or lack of positive faith in the future.

5. Illuminate Your Mind.

Illuminate your mind. Get smart and then get smarter. Ask yourself some questions:

- “Has any other person faced my problem and overcome it?”

- “What really is my problem anyway?”

- “Is my problem unemployment or is it early retirement?”

- “Is it a lack of money to meet my needs, or is it boredom?”

If you think your problem is finances, think again. Is it really finances, or is it a problem of managing what you have? You probably need to pare down some of the expenses that you have taken for granted. Remember: Nobody has a money problem; it is always an idea problem.

6. Motivate Yourself.

When you consider all of the positive reactions, you will be motivated to take positive action. “It takes guts to leave the ruts,” 

7. Bait.

He wrote: when people ask me, ‘Dr. Schuller, how do you raise a million-dollar gift?’ my answer is, ‘How do you catch a marlin?’ ” I was born and raised in Iowa, where the largest fish I ever caught was a five pound walleyed pike. But when I came to California I learned that California fishermen caught glamorous, flying marlin, which could weight more than three hundred pounds! I decided that I wanted to catch a marlin sometime in my life. And I have! In the process, I learned something about catching marlins. First of all, you don’t stay in Iowa; you go to where the marlin are probably off Catalina Island in southern California or off Kona Coast in Hawaii, or in Cabo San Lucas in Baja California, Mexico. Then you get into a boat. You’ll never catch a marlin from the shore or on the pier. You have to head out for the open waters, cruise, and throw out bait. Need a job? Go to where the jobs are. And then throw out the bait. Put in your application. Put ads in the paper. Let people know you are available.