I felt defensive, as if my survival were threatened. “What will you do now? Where will you go? Why are you not acting to solve these problems?” What I had grown to love was ending before my eyes. I just wanted to feel the symphony of emotions accompanying it, but a part of me sensed danger.
An errant thought or drifting problem slips into consciousness. Tension and anxiety manifest in the body, or an incessant need for control consumes the mind. We rebel against this feeling, desiring to remove it by immediately taking action, but we skip a step. We do not bother to ask if and when the problem requires solving.
Complex problem-solving is a valuable skill, yet equally important is understanding if the problem is relevant today or if it can wait until tomorrow. There are indeed problems that require immediate attention, but I argue these are far and few between. Unless the house is burning, just wait. Observe the issue without action. There is no need to solve it immediately. If it is pertinent, it will still be so in a week.
Time will provide the rest. Some problems will disappear; inaction can prove the best course of action. For the remaining ones, let tomorrow’s problems be tomorrow’s problems. They will be solved when time deems it necessary. Until then, focus on today’s opportunities.
