Got a Problem? Give it the Triple-A Treatment

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Stephen Lesavich, PhD · Got A Problem? – Give It the Triple-A Treatment

Many times, you are going to face a situation, circumstance, event or person that makes you very uncomfortable in your own life and presents a problem for you to address in your life.

A while ago, I did a blog post and a podcast on overcoming the problems fear caused in your life using a framework called “The three C’s for overcoming fear.”

To overcome the problem of fear in your own life, you use the 3-C’s of Connect, Cooperate and Co-create, with others in your life so you are not isolated and can receive understanding and support from others.

I have written about using FEAR in your own life to create a new “Focused Empowered Action-based Reality.”

I also wrote a free e-book you can download immediately on overcoming fear.

Effectively dealing with a problem in your own life often involves dealing with risk, uncertainty and negative feelings and emotions.

How do you effectively deal with a problem in your own life?

Give it the Triple-A treatment. Use this three-step process, Acknowledge, Assess and Act on it.

Acknowledge your Problem. The first step in effectively dealing with a problem in your own life is to acknowledge its existence and acknowledge your initial feelings and emotions about it. It’s natural to have negative emotional reactions to your problem, such as frustration, anxiety, or fear. Acknowledge your feelings and emotions with discernment (i.e., without judgment). Acknowledging your emotional response is a part of the process and provides valuable insights into your problem’s impact on you. Also, acknowledge that solving your problem will require change, in your attitudes, behavior, beliefs, feelings, emotions, relationships, etc. Being open to change is essential for effective problem-solving. For example, your problem may be your credit cards are all at their maximum spending limit. You have to acknowledge you are spending too much money each month on items you charge on your credit cards. You have to acknowledge you are very nervous about your finances and your debt. You also have to acknowledge you feel anxious all day long.
Assess your Problem. The second step in effectively dealing with a problem in your own life is to assess your problem as objectively as possible as a neutral observer with discernment from three different levels, a micro-level, meso-level and a macro-level. Albert Einstein was quoted as saying “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.“ Identify the key factors contributing to your problem at all three levels, and determine what you can control and cannot control about your problem at each of these three levels. Assessing your problem at the micro-level includes considering the specific details, personal experiences, and immediate impacts of your problem on you personally. At the micro-level, for example, you have spent too much money buying new clothes and all your credit cards have a large balance. You are having trouble making even the minimum payments. You need to change your spending habits. Assessing your problem at the meso-level includes considering the interactions between you and other individuals in your life and how these interactions create patterns that perpetuate your problem in your own life. At the meso-level, for example, you feel the need to dress as nice as John/Jane. John/Jane are always wearing something new. You feel you need to keep up with all the new fashion trends, so you feel the need to buy new clothes every month. Assessing your problem at the macro-level includes considering broader trends, family, religious, political and other external influences and collective energies that impact your problem. At the macro-level, for example, people who keep up with all the new fashion trends and are always buying new clothes are successful on social media, professionally and in life. You want to be successful in your own life so you have to keep up with all the new fashion trends.
Act on your Problem. The third and final step in effectively dealing with a problem in your own life is to create an action plan to act on your problem to overcome any adversity it is creating in your life. Create your action plan based on making new decisions and creating new behavior patterns in a positive, empowered, lower risk, solution-oriented manner. Act on your problem with courage and confidence. Act on your problem exclusively in the present moment. Don’t dwell on the past or the future. The past is gone and there is nothing you can do about it. The future has not yet occurred. For example, to act on your problem of spending too much money each month on new clothes, you decide to create a plan of action to carefully select a maximum of two new items of clothing each month you can wear in several different combinations to create to several different new looks. Your plan of action also includes taking the money you were spending on buying additional items of clothing and paying off your credit cards by making more the minimum payment each month. You can still keep up with the new fashion trends in your own creative way and change your spending habits to successfully address your problem of spending too much money and accruing additional debt each month.