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Problem Solving Techniques

There is nothing wrong in making a mistake the first time around; just don’t let that mistake stop you from achieving your goal. Try, try, try again!

  1. Identify the problem
    2.

Be sure to state or define what is hindering your progress in achieving your goal. Don’t mistake contributors to the problem as the actual problem.

  1. Assess your available resources / options
    2.

Look at all the things you can do to eliminate the problem and list all the resources available to you to use in resolving the problem.

  1. Set objectives

Determine what results you want to achieve or what is beneficial to you as the outcome.

  1. Plan development
    2.

Select, one by one, the resources you will test and get all available information about the resources so that you can eliminate the least helpful ones and make a selection.

  1. Implement the plan
    2.

Now that you have made your decision on which resources serve you the best, it is time to implement your plan. Plans or strategies are of little value if you do not follow-though to work the plan you have developed. This is the test period also to see if you made the best selection of your resources.

  1. Evaluate the results

Obviously, some results are immediate and therefore evaluation will be easy. You will be able to see that you made the right decision because you are able to begin achieving your goal. However, if you are dissatisfied with the results/resources you choose after a reasonable period of time, then start over again and make another selection using the same procedure as before.

Don’t be afraid to fail

You’ve failed many times, although you may not remember.

  • You fell down the first time you tried to walk.
  • You almost drowned the first time you tried to swim, didn’t you?
  • Did you hit the ball the first time you swung a bat?
  • Heavy hitters, the ones who hit the most home runs, also strike out a lot.
  • Macy failed seven times before his store in New York caught on.
  • English novelist John Creasey got 753 rejection slips before he published 564 books.
  • Babe Ruth struck out 1,330 times, but he also hit 714 home runs.
  • Don’t worry about failure. Worry about the chance you miss when you don’t even try.

Remember, the lion attacks 10 times before it gets its dinner.