How to Choose What Kind of Problem You Want

On this episode

No-one likes dealing with problems head-on, so instead we put them off or avoid them altogether. Whether it’s avoiding saying no, setting boundaries, or having difficult conversations, we often choose short-term peace over long-term health.

But of course this doesn’t make the problem go away. It just creates bigger issues down the line.

When faced with a problem, the key is to decide which we want to deal with now, to avoid a bigger problem later – to choose short-term discomfort over long-term damage. By addressing issues early, we prevent them from snowballing into something much harder to manage.

Unaddressed issues lead to burnout, damage to important relationships, and loss of control over our workload. People may stop trusting us to lead, or the consequences we were trying to avoid may grow even bigger. Avoidance doesn’t save us. It just pushes the damage further down the road.

Start small. Think of one boundary you’ve been avoiding setting or a simple “no” you’ve been reluctant to say. Practice saying it today. The more we take these small steps, the stronger we’ll get at facing challenges and taking control of our own problems.