Whatever we focus on expands, and many of us spend a great deal of time focusing on problems. When you wake up in the morning, what are you thinking about? Do you wonder how you’ll get everything done, or ruminate over something you said to your partner, wondering how he/she might have taken it? This is how we create problems that don’t currently exist. When we anticipate a problem… like I’m afraid I won’t have enough money to cover rent… what is the purpose? If you aren’t writing the rent check at this moment, it’s not a problem, so it just creates a lot of anxiety.

Focusing on problems serves a very specific purpose: avoidance. It allows us to disengage with other people and create distance. It also keeps us living in the future where we can manifest problems that don’t exist. When you find yourself fixating on a problem, real or perceived, you need to get deeper with it and ask yourself what you’re avoiding. Check in with yourself. Identify what you’re focused on and why. A tougher question is whether you truly want your problems to go away. Some people would feel lost without them. The choice on what to focus on is yours… it can be problems or it can be something much more productive.