How to Find Solutions to Impossible Problems

How to Find Solutions to Impossible Problems

You are stuck in a terrible situation. What in the world are you going to do?! Your heart is racing, you are on the brink of hyperventilating, and your mind is racing around like a bumper car with no brake pedal, bumping again and again against the other cars, but making no progress whatsoever…

How are you possibly going to find a way out of this impossible situation?

First step: quiet your mind and stop thinking about the problem.

Listen to this. A quotation from Richard Carlson’s brilliant bestseller You Can Feel Good Again (Plume):

“Wisdom is the quiet voice that speaks to you when you are feeling good, when you are happy, when you have your bearings…

“Wisdom NEVER comes from negativity nor can it exist when your mind is filled with negative thoughts….

“Dismiss all negative thoughts surrounding the issue and quiet down. The answer will be there.”

Listen to this wise baby, he knows what he's talking about!


My teacher Rabbi Nivin compares the obsessive negative thinking we experience during difficult situations to an overloaded computer with too many programs running at once. It is snail-like, won’t budge, frustrating and infuriating. No matter how many buttons you push, you aren’t going to be able to get that computer to go anywhere.

When you are in overloaded computer mode, you need to shut off the computer. Get calm. Get quiet. Get some distance from the situation.

And within that silence, you will, IY”H, be able to find the solution you are looking for.

4 comments

  1. totally needed this reminder today,thank you for posting!

  2. I’ve been in Rabbi Nivin’s Chabura for quite some time now, and this one still boggles me. As a slightly obsessive person, it has helped me in so many challenges in my life to just let go and let Hashem guide us…Thanks for sharing!

  3. Love the quote…I printed it out and put it on my refrigerator this morning! Thanks for sharing.

  4. I love this reminder. I also take Rabbi Nivin’s course and this has been a lifesaver for me.
    Adina

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