The first step towards the solution of any problem is optimism. – John Baines

Problems, we all have them, and we all want to solve them.  To do so, you have to take that first step. It’s a big one to be sure.  You have to believe that your problem can be solved.  If you aren’t optimistic about it, if you don’t believe it, then it’s never going to happen.

I’m not going to say that optimism is a magical panacea that will cure all your problems.  I will say that none of your problems will be solved if you don’t believe that they can be solved.  At my place of employment aka school, we are going through a redesign process.  We are looking at what we do, how we do it and how we can turn it around and make it better.  As with most schools, we are not lacking in the problem department and this redesign process is our first step toward fixing those problems.

However none of it is going to work if we don’t buy into it and believe.  That’s the first step.  And if you think about any problem you may have in your life, it applies.  You can approach it any way you want, but if you don’t believe that you can solve it, you probably never will.  Honestly, if you don’t believe you can solve your problems, why would you even try?

How many times has a problem cropped up and your initial reaction was “I can’t fix this?”  I know I have thousands of times, and I can promise you that every time I did, I didn’t make any progress in correcting the problem.  But every time I encountered a problem and attacked it with the mind set that I could fix it or improve it, I was able to do so.  And I know there is someone reading this thinking “you can’t fix cancer with optimism,” I won’t disagree, but having a positive, optimistic attitude can and does make all the difference in the world when your body is fighting illness. Take that first step toward optimism when dealing with problems and see how much it helps.