Another Day, Another Fifty Cents
In college my roommate and I had a routine for leaving our apartment for class. It was a silly script that we said as we locked up. It started with our version of the saying, “Another day, another dollar.”
The script was,
“Another day, Another fifty cents, maybe a dime after taxes. We’ll miss you, Mom! We’re leaving home for college.” Then we’d walk off together.
It was a reminder that life is all in how you look at it.
That script has stayed with me through inflation and returns to me whenever a plane is delayed or a unexpected problem creeps into my perfected ordered plans. I think of it, too, on gray Monday mornings when I want to write something inspiring.
These days I think, “Goodbye! I’ll miss you. I’m off to solve important problems.”
The reason the script works for me is the sense of detachment and irony that comes with word play in the sentences. I’m repositioned to think of a problem as just a problem and not a personal hardship.
When a problem is no longer my personal problem is much more interesting.
Do you find it more fun to solve other people’s problems?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!
I like the way you’ve re-framed problems. Other ways I’ve heard are to just call problems, projects or possibilities. To answer your question it’s often more fulfilling for me to solve others problems because as a a career and life coach I simply question and suggest until they solve the problem. The client does the work so often it is more fun to observe those solutions.
Hi Liz
By solving other peoples problems you kind off step away from the struggle and very frequently while coming up with a solutions for them, you resolve a problem for your self – by seeing a connection that would work for another problem too.
So, yes, love to solve other peoples problems: it’s a great way to solve my own 😉
Karin H. (Keep It Simple Sweetheart, specially in business)
Problems? What problems? Challenges, yeah, but problems? I don’t know.
Solving other people’s challenges adds extra rewards.
Kind of like when I was a kid and did dishes at the neighbors house. It was expected at my house but appreciated at my neighbors house!
Liz,
I think when things are looking so great for myself or for others, one thing I try to focus on is the blessings (no matter how small) because then the focus goes from the negative to the positive.
Sincerely,
Teresa Morrow
Hi Tom!
Yeah, I have a friend who says to my problems, “Oh go, be brilliant for yourself, like you would for anyone else.” That always gets me going. 🙂
Hi Karin!
Yeah, I find that when I work on my on problems, I have to be care not to argue for what is making it a problem — with other folks’ problems I see when that’s happening and quickly cut it off at the pass. 🙂
Hi Teresa,
Yep. I’m with you on that. It’s been proven that optimists go further. 🙂
Hi BloggerNewbie!
Appreciation. What a nice word. Maybe we ought to appreciate ourselves. 🙂
My father always used to say “It’s only a movie.” Granted, my father was insane, and he’s been dead several years, but during the really bad times of my life I still hear my father telling me it’s only a movie. And it makes me laugh.
I do think it’s easier to solve other people’s problems. I’m more objective of other people, nicer to them than I am to myself, and a little bit more patient. More fun? I don’t know about that. I think it would depend on the person and the problem. Some people, I’m all over it. Other people, they tell me their problems and all I hear is the teacher from the Charlie Brown cartoon. This is why I’m not cut out to do your job and why I shall pass anyone from Charlie Brown Teacher Camp on to you. 🙂
Finding objectivity, re-framing, seeing something anew or from a different angle — yes, I seem to see this better in others. I have one heap’a big issue that I can’t seem to see around very well at all right now, though. I would love to step into someone else’s shoes, look back at myself, and see the conflict from a different perspective.