No Credit for Finding Problems

It’s easy to find problems. It’s hard to solve them.

What if instead talking about what’s not working, I didn’t open my mouth until I had something to offer? What if I stopped mentioning problems altogether and instead just brought up solutions? What if we all adopted this attitude toward everything? How would the world be different?

It takes more energy to point out solutions than to point out problems because you have to think. You have to be vulnerable. You have to put yourself out there and accept that nobody may like your suggestion. You run the risk of looking stupid if they don’t.

But problem seekers aren’t hard to come by. Problem solvers are the rare breed.

Bringing a problem to someone’s attention is rarely helpful unless you have a proposed solution to go along with it.

Don’t be that person who points out all the litter on the beach. Be the person with a trash bag in hand picking it up.

There’s no merit in pointing out issues. Only in pointing out solutions. The world doesn’t need more people announcing what’s wrong. It needs more people finding ways to make things right.