Finding solutions, not more problems

So you thought things would simply be fixed because the calendar flipped, eh?

I kid...sort of.

The calendar wasn’t the source of our problems and now that 2021 is delivering a new batch, I think we all understand that wishing and hoping everything gets bet-ter and easier isn’t going to suffice.

It also seems to me that perhaps we have so many problems and troubles in life because we’ve become conditioned to look for them.

So and so is telling us about the tough things that happened to them last week. Not be out-pitied, we pile on all our troubles and tribulations. It makes for very intriguing conversation.

Worse yet, we search out the anxiety within our blessings.

Oh look! There’s some good news right there! But wait, what if this happens or what if that goes wrong? What if the people put in charge of this are all dopes and don’t know what they’re doing? What if this is all a conspiracy? You can’t trust anyone anymore! Ya, that’s definitely not good news. It’s just more bad news in disguise. It’s a Trojan Horse.

Look, I understand the mind set of waiting around for the other shoe to drop. I am a diehard Huskers fan and grew up on a hog farm in the ‘9os. I get it.

Some of this goes back to something I wrote a little while ago - you don’t have to have an opinion or an emotional response to everything.

But going a step further, we need to quit searching out more trouble and assume it’s waiting at every turn.

What we really need are solutions and we’ll arrive at those sooner if we can all seek them out.

My daughters, bless their little hearts, we’re trying to be solutionoriented last week after they were told eating too many cookies and sweets is bad for their teeth.

They grumbled for a minute, but then decided to find a solution. They removed the cream in the middle of the cookie and replaced it with toothpaste.

Now, I didn’t say every solution we come up with would be a good one, but I appreciate their approach.

Good solutions aren’t easy. They require thoughtfulness, team work and effort. But they’re possible. Patience is also required.

Furthermore, I think we would find that when our focus shifts from piling on the trouble to minimizing its impact, we’ll realize that not everything is terrible. Those mole hills remain mole hills instead of turning into more mountains. In turn, our focus can remain on the real mountains before us.

So, Cody, where is this conversation coming from? Why are you writing all of this?

We are in trying times and it seems to me that pushing through tough times requires determination and toughness, both things that are typically in plentiful supply in these parts. But it’s easy to get beaten down in this world and toughness is not a word I’d use to describe our society at the moment. Frankly, I think our mentality is closer to whiny.

You can’t fight all your problems by trying to out-tough them. But a tougher mentality can help you persevere. A tougher mentality is also what it takes to find solutions.

We need solutions now more than ever and we need more problems less than ever.

It all starts with us. Each and every one of us can be the difference in which way the world leans, so let’s get started. There’s no better time than the present.