Tackle or tolerate?

Last night I read the book “What Do You Do With a Problem?” with the boys.

A great story for kids AND adults about a boy who realizes he has a problem...It grows & grows, begins to eat away at him & ultimately becomes all he can think about.  THEN he decides the only thing to do is attack it, which is when he realizes it’s ACTUALLY an opportunity.

As we read it, I asked the boys questions.  At one point I asked if they had ever felt the same way the boy did when THEY had a problem. 

The funny thing was, they couldn’t think of a problem, & Izaak actually said, “I’ve never had a problem.”

“Really?  Sooo...you didn’t have ANY problems this week?  When you were doing school at home with me & Dad?  Zero problems?”

Then Miles decided, “Well, I guess it IS a problem that you made me stop playing with my legos because it was time to get ready for bed.”

“Well, ok.  Yeah, I can see how you would think that might be a problem.  Maybe more of a frustration though, huh?

So I reminded them of the derecho we had in August.  Because CLEARLY, it was necessary for me to highlight a PROBLEM for my 7 & 9 year-olds just before they crawled into bed for a good night’s sleep.

“I know.  How about when we had the derecho this summer?  That was a problem, huh?”

“Umm...No, not really.

“Really?  It wasn’t a problem when we didn’t have power or water for a few days?”

“No...We just did stuff in the dark with flashlights & candles.  It was fun.”

Fascinating.

So I kept asking questions, as I usually do, & Miles finally announced (with a smirk) that he actually did have a problem.  “My problem right now is that you’re not finishing the book.” 🙃

Clearly, my sample was QUITE limited.  But it made me wonder...What causes the change between childhood & adulthood?  Are kids more likely to jump immediately to opportunity mode?   

It seems as adults, we’re often quick to recognize problems.  But because our brains prefer to keep us in comfort mode & because we THINK we’re supposed to “figure it out on our own”, we tolerate.

We mask our challenges with... 

“I’m fine.” 

“I’m just grateful to have a job.”  

“This is life as an adult.”

“Could be worse.”  

But “fine” is a four letter word.

We can be grateful & still want more.

“Life as an adult” doesn’t have to suck.

And yes, of course, things can always be worse. But they can also be BETTER.

So I encourage you to consider the problems in your life & consider the opportunities within them. The opportunities to make life better.

Is it a problem that your leggings you’ve been wearing every day for the last nine months are the only things that still fit?  

If so, is this an opportunity to lose weight?  To eat better?  To work out?  To order more leggings? 😂

Is it a problem that you hate your job?  Are you tolerating it because this is “life as an adult”?  Is it “fine”?  

Is "fine" really enough? Is this an opportunity to determine what you REALLY want to do?

What are the opportunities?  And will you choose to tolerate or tackle?🙂