Z: Zoom in, Zoom out

Zoom in, Zoom out

Problem solving is an important part of life. Each time we are presented with a problem, the first decision to be made is, Do we want to solve the problem or not?

We need to come up with a plan. Depending on the problem/issue at hand we have to decide is it better for me to zoom in on the problem, that is to make it a priority, look at the alternatives closely and develop a plan of attack, or zoom out, which would be to take a step back, look at the problem from afar, or even put it on hold, before thinking about a way to solve it.

My initial reaction to problems is to jump right in and try to solve them right away. This is what I want to do when left with a technology problem that needs fixing such as my computer is frozen, or my wife can’t access her email, or I have to write a piece for this blog by today and have no clue what to write about. The difficulty with this approach is sometimes the time is not available for me to work on the problem, or the other person having the problem just wanted to inform me about it with no expectation of it be solved by me, or by trying to solve the problem numerous other problems are created that would not have cropped up at all if I hadn’t tried to fix it in the first place.

The other solution is to take a step back. Try to think about what is the real issue? Does it have to be solved immediately? What would happen if I put off resolving it? This requires some introspection and also time to think through possible consequences. These are questions like what am I going to eat tonight? Are we going to go on vacation this year? I have a day off, so how should I/we plan our day? In these scenarios zooming out and getting a global perspective on the situation sometimes makes for better, more thought out actions. The drawback is that these types of actions can also create a standstill in which no solution is ever found or attempted due to procrastination or forgetfulness.

Of course, whether you choose to zoom in to a problem or zoom out of a problem is dependent on the problem at hand. It would be nice if we could solve all our life’s problems by making all of the right choices and only make changes that turn out for the better.  But in reality that’s not going to happen. That’s what life is all about. All the choices we make, whether right or wrong, lead us to be better at what we do and who we are. At least that is the hope.

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And by the way, Z is also for Zero. This being the end of April means there are no more daily blog entries I have to post to meet the A to Z Blog Challenge. That doesn’t mean I won’t keep writing, just not as frequently, at least not until April, 2017 when maybe I’ll try this again. I’ll keep you posted.