Stay With Your Problems a Little Longer

As I put more time on the blog and aim to write two to three posts a week—an audacious goal considering I only published a single post last year—, I am forced to revisit my pile of unfinished drafts and incomplete reflections.

Looking at each one, I notice that many of them could have been finished if I had only spent a little more time on them, developing ideas and completing my thoughts.

I realize that many of us, myself included, are often the same when dealing with some problems, especially those that require a lot of thinking and reflection: because we can’t be bothered to sit down and take a little more time to face them squarely, we put them in a mental drawer and hope that they simply resolve on their own.

But that never works, and instead we end up with a pile of unresolved mess that’s made more daunting each day it’s ignored.

This reminds me of a quote often attributed to Einstein:

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”

I like that quote because I remember that we don’t necessarily have to be so smart, so talented, nor so “well connected” to tackle certain issues or roadblocks at work, at home, or any other area in life.

Perhaps we just need to spend a bit more time on them.

Hopefully, in doing so, we gain the insight, wisdom, and perhaps more importantly the courage to take them on.

Your future self will thank you that you stayed a little longer with your problems today.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *