Two Words :: Reframe Problems

We all have them. Problems, that is. They sit there pestering us, waiting for nothing to happen, hoping to have an negative impact.
Problems are real, but they are (always) what we define them to be. That means they can be redefined. This doesn't mean the problem itself changes in a fundamental way, but our perception of it can. It's our perception that makes the difference and determines, in many cases, how we approach solving it, including getting the train in motion toward resolution.
One way to address a problem is to reframe it. See the problem as a picture and then put a new frame around it. Look at it from a different perspective.
Life is a canvas, so you can choose to change the canvas as well as the frame by altering your perception of it. Paint a picture of the problem on your virtual canvas (i.e. a visual thought.), then erase it and start over.
For example, let's say your problem is how to reduce expenses at work and you just don't know where to start. The task seems daunting. There is too much to deal with.
In just a minute, you can paint the current problem in your minds eye. For example, paint (see) this problem in your minds virtual eye as very large piles of stuff on a messy desk, with more stacks of stuff all over the office floor.
Your office is gray, with a single gray door, desk is small and filled with clutter, the walls dingy with notes taped to them. There are no pictures on the wall and there is a pathetic flickering florescent light overhead illuminating the dull space.
Tattered folders and bland binders of papers stuffed to overflow capacity represent all those expenses. The view of this is as depressing as the tattered stained carpet underfoot. The piles are so large and chaotic, you don't even know where to start.
If this is your view of the problem, then let's erase it and repaint with the following.

Imagine the entire office and your desk clear of all the clutter immediately, and one wall is now entirely glass with the most pleasant views you can imagine, a high bluff overlooking the ocean, with natural light streaming in.

The other three walls are a neutral sand color of your choosing with gorgeous photographs of sailboats. There is new furniture matching your exact taste and specifications, the desk is large and well organized with only those things you need for total productivity. The floor is a beautiful teak hardwood and the environment is conducive to problem solving in all respects. It was design for just that.

All those pieces of paper in the prior picture are not seen, but neatly organized into color coded folders stored in a credenza, and each of the expenses has been dutifully entered into a spreadsheet that clearly shows what was spent, when it was spent, why it was spent, and how much was spent, and you can quickly access both summaries and details of all expenses in each category.

NOW, how would you go about solving the original challenge? I think you know.

Photograph Copyright 2007 Joseph Allen: North Pier at Sunset