Problems vs Solutions

Our brains are programmed to avoid problems whenever possible. We’re biologically wired to remember pain more vividly than the memories of pleasure. Therefore, we tend to focus much more on negativity and favor avoiding issues in the short-term over fixing them for the long-term.

When I started managing my first big projects that involved hundreds of people and thousands of logistical details, I was obsessing over all the problems we were facing. In every meeting with the founder, I’d enumerate the issues, from delayed timelines, underperforming staff members, and unresponsive partners to tight budgets.

Every time, his response was the same:

“Boring. Solutions.”