---
title: "Solve It or Accept It"
description: "A nudge for anyone who asks for help before sitting with the problem for a few minutes."
author: "Rahim Rasul"
type: "Podcast episode"
series: "Halftime Talks"
episode: 123
published: "2017-02-21"
duration: "12 min"
theme: "Reps and effort"
tags: "problem solving, ownership, resourcefulness, mentorship"
audio: "https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/rahimrasul/HTT_PROBLEM_SOLVING.mp3?dest-id=175061"
url: "https://iloveprocess.com/halftime/solve-it-or-accept-it/"
site: "I Love Process"
---

# Solve It or Accept It

_A nudge for anyone who asks for help before sitting with the problem for a few minutes._

**The question:** What problems are you currently solving?

Listen: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/rahimrasul/HTT_PROBLEM_SOLVING.mp3?dest-id=175061

## Before you listen

There comes a point in any negative rant where we have to take extreme ownership. Giving voice to a challenge helps us wrap our minds around it, and then there are two options: solve it or accept it. Accepting it means seeing that anything outside the search for a solution is only an excuse.

Most of the talk is about the solving, one of the core skills I look for in a mentee. Picture an almost empty fridge: a few eggs, a piece of bacon, a slice of cheese, some pasta and rice. Most people order out. A problem solver makes a meal. It is why teachers kept the calculator away and asked us to show our work. In a shortcut society, a lot of the magic gets lost in the invisible steps.

Listen for the wall. With Google, YouTube, podcasts, books and the chance to tweet an expert, the resources are there. The question is whether you challenge yourself to climb.

## From the talk

> Just because you have the resources, and you have the skill does not mean you have the ability to problem solve.
>
> You can either be a problem solver, or somebody who's always looking for somebody else to solve the problem.
>
> In the long run, there is magic in solving this new challenge.

## Sit with this

- What can I do with this?
- What wall stands before you that you are figuring out?

## Transcript

For many years, I've been in conversations with friends with family, even with my wife and I say if if we ever have a child, or if I'm going to take upon a new mentee, there are certain there are certain traits that they have to possess. So I've probably done a previous episode on core essential skills. But in this one, one of the core essential skills that I want to foster, I want to shine the spotlight on and I look for in others are the ability to problem solve the ability to figure things out based upon the resources that you have. What can I do with this, and it takes a certain kind of mind, it takes a certain kind of person that is capable of looking at these resources and figuring something now, I know we've all had a period in our life where we've looked in the frigerator.

And we haven't seen a whole lot of anything. Do you have the problem solving ability to figure out a gourmet meal that can be made with the little ingredients? You have be a few eggs, a piece of bacon, a slice of cheese, some pasta and some rice? Like what could you really do with that? If you were in a problem solving mode, typically, the average person, most likely they'll order out to eat or they'll go without eating, or they'll just make something very low brow. So problem solving to me is imperative. We've been given so many shortcuts we've been given technology. We have all these blueprints for behavior. We have all these books to tell you how to do it, but can you problem solve based upon the set of scenarios better before you right now, all the geniuses, be it Thomas Edison, be it even sports icons, be it entrepreneurs, what happens is they're faced with challenge they're faced before there's brick wall that seems insurmountable, and what they have or skills, what they have are resources, sometimes limited, sometimes in abundance, but just because you have the resources, and you have the skill does not mean you have the ability to problem solve.

And it's it's imperative. The last thing you want is an empty shirt looking up at you every second asking, How do I do this? Now me personally, as an entrepreneur, people thought I had a lot of spare time. So they would call me during my work day and asked me questions. Even recently, one of my mentees asked me a question. And it was fairly simple. It was easily solvable. And instead of like it really hard. I said, Okay, I'm willing to help you. But this needs to be the last time you asked me a question that even go to ask me a question that even just sitting down and pondering few minutes with bring you the beginning? Answer. So problem solving is, is when you can leave somebody in an autonomous state working by themselves.

And you know, they have the wherewithal to fight their way out of a paper. Problem solving doesn't necessarily get you the right answers all the time. But it gets you further along than giving. It gets you further along, being surrounded by answers and not knowing how to get that is why when we were young, the teachers didn't want us to learn, didn't want us to use the calculator to solve the problem. What did they want you to do? They wanted you to show your work. So you have experienced enjoying it an analog way. So you're not so dependent on all this digital technology, all the shortcuts, the reason that the shortcuts are so valuable, because you stumbled along. And now you know the shortcut society, we value the shortcut, the microwave, express the in a minute attitudes that we forget that there is magic.

In the long run, there is magic in solving this new challenge. There's magic and getting on the road, and getting familiar with all the pieces that come into the bigger version. So the process foods, the short pets, this mentality of thing to be needed right now without understanding all the resources that were involved without understanding of the problems that was solved to even meet this today. And if we had a sense for what Sam 1.5 was seem like, insurmountable. I think our relationship with our environment, the people around us, and appreciation of reverence for the leaders in our life, be it political or be that entrepreneurial, or family leaders or community leaders, we can appreciate the fathers that they saw so that our lives as much as they do today.

With so many magic is lost any invisible steps. The magic isn't the stories that are untold that the magic is in the value and the knowledge and the wisdom and the understanding that often doesn't get communicated. In terms of the problems that are being solved. You before you, I challenge you, what problems are you currently solving? What are you solving what wall stands before you that you are figuring out that you're doing your research on right now that you are looking deep within inside getting into that zone? And hopefully, just hopefully, you have a modicum of insight that illuminates the path that you're on. So what I'm saying is, you can either be a problem solver, or somebody who's always looking for somebody else to solve the problem.

Because a lot of the times you know the answers but you just want to stick with it yourself. A lot of the times you know if you just gave it a little bit of thought but the only words that I can use to describe it is a little bit of laziness. The challenge is is that when the wall is before you will use Around the world, you challenge yourself to climb. Because you have the resources. You have the technology. At the very least, you have Google, at the very least nowadays, you have YouTube, podcast, articles, books, advice, you have Twitter where you can literally tweet an expert. A question that's worthy of being asked. The challenges right now are not what is defining our capacity is our ability to engage with a problem solving mind to see beyond the wall, and really embrace the opportunity of what stands before us. Challenge yourself. Be a problem solver. I think it's one of the core essential human skills that I want to cultivate and others and obviously within myself,