The Problem Is Not the Problem. The Problem is Your Attitude About the Problem.

I love this quote from Pirates of the Caribbean. I have no idea who wrote it, I only know Captain Jack Sparrow said it in the first installment of the franchise.

​This quote sums up so much of what the real problem almost always is: how we view it, who we think is responsible, and what, if anything, we think can be done about it.

​For example, I will oftentimes think I cannot achieve or get a certain thing because of someone else. I can't get that job - someone else is more qualified! I can't win that contest - too many other people will enter too, and the odds are against me. And so on and so on.

But the truth is, the only person in the way is me. My doubt is the problem, and not the other people. My fear of being seen is the problem, and not the people I want to work with. When I ask myself if there is something within me I can resolve rather than trying to change things outside of me, I usually find both an answer and a feeling of relief.

​Next time it feels like you are stuck in a deep, frustrating problem, take a moment to sit quietly. Ask yourself where the root of the problem is, which can be difficult because it means transferring responsibility onto yourself, but if you can do that, you will find life doesn't feel so out of control. Instead, it feels like a series of inner challenges, each one leading the way to greater freedom, success and ease.