Suppose you want to be successful in your adult years and not just be successful but thrive. Thriving is not a destination. It’s a journey. You can expect challenges (problems) to show up on the journey. Even though the problems can be difficult and scary, they are an integral part of thriving in life.

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A problem is a gap or “bump in the road” between your current state and your desired state. Some will present themselves uninvited. You will create some, and you will proactively identify others. You’ll be most motivated to do something about the challenges that stand in the way of your most important goals.

Though you will think and talk about how to address the problems, you cannot meet these challenges with ideas and talk alone. You must get out of your head, out of your seat, and act to influence the problem. Only you can make this contribution to your thriving.

Suppose you want to be successful, to thrive. Here’s the one absolutely essential thing you must do: Take courageous action to proactively identify the most important, most valuable problem spaces for your life and act to address them. 

Your most important problem spaces come starkly into view in mid-life and the years following. Questions like these point to such problem spaces.

• How can I achieve what I want in life?
• How can I make a difference?
• How can I be remembered in the way I want?

You’ll need to take proactive action (not just thought and talk) since your action will cause your problem to evolve. You act, the problem changes a little, you evaluate, adjust, and act again to address the problem as it evolves. Learning from past and present action is needed if future action is to be relevant, productive, and meaningful.

Your first courageous act is to describe your current situation honestly and clearly. Then, unreservedly and in detail, describe your vision of the situation you desire. Next, outline the steps required to bridge the gap between the two and get busy on the first of those actions. Increasing clarity of the vision and identification of the next steps will only come as you act.

It’s all simple in principle, but the actions are more difficult. A coach can support you as you develop skills and deal with roadblocks, self-sabotage, and new problems that may result from your initiative.

Other Resource Links:

Making Decisions You Won’t Regret

Masterful Problem-Solving

These Torpedo Problem-Solving