The Gigging Musician Podcast

Do You Focus On Problems Or Solutions?

April 28, 2023 Jared Judge
The Gigging Musician Podcast
Do You Focus On Problems Or Solutions?
Show Notes Transcript

In this episode, Jared shares his insights on how to handle problems in life and career. He begins by sharing his recent experience of his car breaking down in the middle of rush hour traffic, and how he realized that there are two kinds of people in the world: those who focus on problems and those who focus on solutions. He explains that although life is full of problems, the ones who are going to succeed and feel great along the way are the ones who focus on solutions. Jared offers tips on how to quickly process the problem and think about the solutions to those problems. He also suggests focusing on solutions as a way to be happier and more productive. Lastly, Jared encourages listeners to reflect on whether the people in their lives are problem-focused or solution-focused, and how that can impact their own outlook and success.

Hey, what's up gigging pros. It's Jared Judge. Welcome back to another episode of The Gigging Musician Podcast. I just got back from a little bit of a vacation, my wife and I, we deserved a break after the crazy February and March that we had. So we took a trip down to Colorado Springs, which is about an hour and 15 minutes south of Denver, super cool spot, home of Garden of the Gods Park, which is an amazing, natural park that has these gigantic, like red rock formations, that you can just wander around and climb on. And super cool. Plus a bunch of other awesome things like Cave of the winds, which is a cave that you can explore, we took the little ghost tour through there with kerosene lanterns, super cool, super awesome stuff. And we just got back last night. But the crazy part was that on our way home, my car died, which was so frustrating, we actually died right in the middle of like Rush hour traffic in the middle of downtown Denver. And luckily, I was able to, you know, close the car to the side of the road. But then he had all these cars who were angry at us for like creating more traffic. And some of them were hopping at me. And you know, it's like, fine, whatever, I get it, you're, you're frustrated, traffic sucks. But it made me realize like, there are two kinds of people in the world, which, you know, have thought about this before. There are people who focus on problems. And then there are people who focus on solutions to those problems. And so, you know, most many people in the world are of the first kind the former, where, you know, things come up, they their problems, and like, let's face it, life is full of problems. But that's what they focus on, they focus on their emotional reaction to those problems. And they let that be the sole thing that takes up all the real estate in their mind. And you know, it's not just about driving in a car could be like, when you're running your band, you're gonna run into problems, tons of them. And if you're of the kind who focuses on problems, then those problems are going to feel really big to you, and they're going to feel insurmountable, Ozan sad word, like he just can't get over them. And then you'll let the emotions kind of dictate that this, these are the thoughts, you're going to think these are going to the reactions that you have, and they're not going to be well thought out solutions. It's just going to be like, How can I deal with these emotions? And how do I let those out? How do I take out what I'm feeling on the world and blame others for this thing that's happening in my life. But then on the flip side, and I like to think that I'm in this category, which is those who focus on solutions, like sure, life's gonna throw at you many, many problems. But the ones who are really going to succeed and feel great along the way, are the ones who focus on solutions, like the chair, take your time to process the problem. But as fast as you possibly can start to think about the solutions to those problems. How do I solve this? What's the next step? What are my options, and you know, there's not always one clear cut solution, you might have to brainstorm a lot. But in order to get there, you're gonna have to overcome the emotions, get past the processing of those emotions quickly. So that you can get operate from a place of logic and think through the solutions to those problems. I promise, if you are able to do that, you're going to be happier faster. Because you will see that there is a way out of your problems. There are multiple ways out of any given problem. And if you get out of them faster, you're not going to experience the pain as long. It's amazing how that happens is like, you start going down the path of a solution that was setting the problem doesn't hurt as bad. As gonna say something else. My mind just kind of drifted off thinking about that. But yeah, I'm originally back when I was teaching elementary school, which Yes, I was an elementary school music teacher, my principal, you know, the first couple of times I visited her to like, check in How was your first year as a teacher going, I would bring her a couple of problems that I had, you know, things how do I deal with classroom management, and get my kids to settle down so I could teach him how to hold a steady beat. And she would always challenge me saying, you know, next time, bring a couple of solutions to those problems that you have. And I thought, you know, that's actually great advice. Like, I could think through these that would make these conversations way more impactful, way more powerful. And we could move on to the next level of being a great teacher. If I focused more on solutions, rather than than just at the problems at hand. So, I hope that this provides you a little bit of insight into how I see the world and maybe, you know, encourages you to focus more on solutions and look in the people in your life friends, family, bandmates? Are they people who focus on problems? Or do they focus on solutions, because the people who focus on problems are, they're going to tend to drag you down a little bit, they're going to bring those problems into your world and try to make you feel that and, you know, kind of stay in a less than happy solution oriented state. o think about that. And if this has offended any of you, I apologize. But I encourage you to try to focus on the solutions, because you will be a lot happier. And you'll actually get a lot more done, if you can do that. So thanks for listening tuning in to another episode of The Gigging Musician Podcast. Remember, "You are just one gig or one solution away!". Take care everybody!