Worry vs Solving It

In general, I’m not one to worry.

But many years ago I woke up at 4:00 am and began to worry about an unresolved problem at work. I tried to go back to sleep, but couldn’t, which was (and is), unusual for me.

Rather than spend a sleepless night worrying, I got up, showered, dressed, and drove to my office, because working on a problem is the best cure that I have found. Once I’m in the process of solving a problem, I stop being concerned about it. By sheer coincidence, at 5:00 am that same morning one of our apartment managers called the office expecting to leave a message on the answering machine. (Remember those?). When I answered the phone, she was startled to find someone in the office that early.

But what can you do when you’re unable to find a solution? One of my most helpful People Tools is, “Stuff it in Your Sub.” When you can’t immediately solve a problem you (politely and silently) ask your subconscious mind to work on it.  I used that very Tool to decide the subject of my blog for today, and it’s a tool I have often used to great effect throughout my life.

I still remember a class I took in Shakespeare taught by an outstanding professor at USC. On the final exam there was one question, three quarters of a page long, covering all five plays we had studied. As I read that question, I thought, “This is probably the best exam question I have ever read in my life.”  Followed by, “I have no idea how to even start answering it.”

I watched as my disembodied right hand began to write an answer the question.  As it turns out, my subconscious earned an “A-“.

So don’t worry, stay happy, and I hope you enjoyed Father’s Day.

Alan