There’s always more than one way to get what you want – just be creative

Problems, problems, problems. More often than not they seem insurmountable and you can’t see a way to solve them. You are sure to have felt like this at some point – show me someone who hasn’t!
In your experience perhaps you felt that you’d explored all possible avenues and yet your problem still looms in front of you with no way of getting either over or around it. You may face huge pressure to solve it and it may seem to take on almost physical form, making you feel like you are ‘banging your head against a brick wall’
This is the point where to address it creatively you should take a step back and reassess your problem in a different light. Maybe there’s another solution that you hadn’t originally thought of, perhaps even more than one. Although your problem may seem to be impossible to solve remember : the impossible just takes a little longer.
If you adopt a fresh and optimistic outlook you will find that your problem solving creativity can and will help you out.
1. Do you really know exactly what your problem is? Often the reason that we feel we cannot sort our problems is that they seem so huge we avoid thinking about them which in turn means we don’t fully understand them. Knowing all the details is essential to problem solving, after all, if you don’t really know what the problem is, how can you possibly unravel and solve it?
The best thing to do is take a deep breath, unravel your problem and attack it part by part whilst taking note of how each part relates to the others. To simplify your problem, also clarify to yourself what you could gain and / or lose from it. Only then will you have the starting point from which you can proceed towards solving it.
2. Never assume. Assumptions can cloud your route to solving your problem. Clarify and verify your previous assumptions, only those verified should be dealt with.
3. Break your problem down into manageable pieces. Adopt the ‘top-down’ approach. Look at the bigger picture and then focus in on the details. Put your dilemma down on paper and write a simple statement of a solution to it, condensed into one general sentence. From this simple sentence you can then further develop your ideas and solution, small ‘chunks’ at a time.
A good exercise is to sit down and write the first word that comes into your head in the middle. Then, after looking at that word, write the next two that occur to you. Keep going until you have a page of brainstormed words. Your analytical skills will improve which in turn will support and give credence to your natural creative abilities.
Whilst solving a problem is never easy, maybe now the next time you’re confronted with a seemingly insurmountable problem, just apply some creativity, some ideas and a lot of effort. You may find that the solution comes more readily to you than you might think.