“Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution.
If you don’t have any problems, you don’t get any seeds.”
– Norman Vincent Peale
Right now, where you are, imagine a life with absolutely no problems. Initially that sounds amazing, but what if we understood that great achievements in our life are often sparked, inspired or preceded by problems and adversity? What if we understood that the great achievements in our lives often don’t happen during perfect conditions?
The thing is, without rainy days, the sunshine loses its significance. Life would be boring without any struggles because adventure and learning happen when we overcome adversity.
In our consumer-driven society, ‘I want it and I want it now’ is our motto. We try to avoid discomfort and problems wherever we can, it’s not easy to embrace and engage in conversations about our challenges. But, ironically – the seeds and solutions to our problems can only be found by addressing them head on.
We often see problems as obstacles, but how about a mindset shift? When looked at through different eyes, external problems are an important part of the growth that gets us the life we want. A caterpillar needs the hard work of breaking through its chrysalis to emerge as a butterfly. A plant needs to break through its hard husk, to meet with resistance from outside, in order to grow. Likewise, when we come up against obstacles, our thinking is challenged and we can develop new solutions that take us higher.
A family who aspires to build enough wealth to live in total financial security may face several problems or challenges to this financial security.
They may have debt, want to retire well and give their children great opportunities, but struggle to get their income to stretch to cover their monthly expenses. Spurred on by their goals to overcome their obstacles, they work with a financial adviser who is able to help them see the seeds of their solution inside of the obstacles that they face. They are able to overhaul the way they spend money, the way that they invest and how they communicate with each other about what their priorities are for the future.
It’s not always easy to see the solutions to our problems, this is why it’s valuable to have an adviser who we trust, someone equally committed to helping us succeed on our journey of life.