There are many different ways a seemingly bad problem can actually be good. But if we can’t recognize the potential good in the bad that comes our way, we might miss out on the benefits. So, to help you get more good out of the inevitable bad, here are four types of good bad problems.
#1 Stress
The most ubiquitous “problem” people face is stress. I’ll do a longer piece about stress in the future, but for now, I’ll keep it simple. As Kelly McGonigal details in The Upside of Stress, the ways your body and mind respond to stress – increased heart rate, increased alertness, etc. – are simply ways of preparing you to deal with a challenge.1 They’re not fun, but they can be helpful. Furthermore, she says, “Stress happens when something you care about is at stake. It’s not a sign to run away – it’s a sign to step forward.”1 Thus, stress often means you’re working on something you care about, and your body and mind are simply preparing you to meet the challenge.
Speaking of rising to the occasion, people often feel a great deal of stress when they’re given a significant opportunity that forces them out of their comfort zone, and they view the anxiety they feel as a problem. But that same nervous energy could be understood as excitement rather than anxiety, and reinterpreting it as such would improve their performance.1
Furthermore, the pressure of a serious challenge or a high-stakes performance is often what forces a person to become great. When Michelangelo was asked to paint the Sistine Chapel, he was “so overwhelmed with self-doubt that he not only wanted to wait, but he fled to Florence and hid.”2 When he overcame his self-doubt and finally started painting, the pressure he felt to perform helped him create one of the greatest works of art the world has ever known.
Of course, no one is expecting you to produce something on par with the Sistine Chapel, but it would be helpful to remember that you can’t really know what you’re capable of until you get in the arena and give the world what you can. Diamonds are formed when unremarkable carbon is squeezed under great pressure; incredible humans are made the same way. In other words …
“No pressure, no diamonds.” –Steven Kotler
#2 Annoyances
Next up, we have annoyances. The little frustrations and discomforts that we experience each day are actually opportunities for mental training. Annoyances will always be a part of life, so we might as well use them to develop stronger minds. Some annoyances are chances to practice patience; some are chances to practice choosing to focus on what is good.
Sometimes, though, we can use annoyances to make something new, something good. For example, a frequent, minor frustration at work could inspire you to develop a better system that not only removes the frustration but also improves workflow in a significant way. Or perhaps you’ve got some minor back pain that bothers you every day. So you go see a physical therapist who advises you to take more breaks from sitting and go for more walks. Following this advice, you get up from your desk more often and develop a habit of going for walks in a nearby park. As a result, your back feels better, but more importantly, your new habits are setting you up for greater long-term health and happiness.
Brian Johnson recently pointed out in this Optimize +1 that, just as there is wisdom to be found in the way diamonds are formed, there is a lesson to be gleaned from the way pearls are made. Pearls are made when a mollusk deals with an irritating particle – such as a piece of sand – that gets inside its shell. The mollusk gradually encapsulates the irritant in nacre – the iridescent substance that pearls are made of. This is analogous to what we do when we create better systems to reduce our experience of annoyances: In an effort to make a small bad thing go away, we wind up making something really good. So we can now add to the “No pressure, no diamonds” wisdom the following addendum: “No sand, no pearl.”
#3 Obstacles
A level up from annoyances we have genuine obstacles. These are problems that seem to be road-blocks on the way to your goals. The first thing to know about obstacles is that they’re supposed to be there. It’s supposed to be hard. Meaningful goals are meaningful, in part, because they are difficult to achieve.
The second thing to keep in mind when you encounter obstacles is that they are opportunities. Figuring out how to overcome them will force you to learn new skills, to find or invent effective strategies, to become more capable. Plus, summoning the grit to persist in the face of obstacles is mental toughness training. Remember, struggle makes you stronger.
The challenges you face on the way to your goal are often more important than the goal itself because they force you to become smarter, tougher, and more skilled. The path of becoming better is littered with obstacles. Becoming better isn’t about avoiding these problems; it’s about learning how to overcome them. It’s about using them to become stronger. In other words, the obstacle is not in the way …
“The obstacle is the way.” – Ryan Holiday
#4 Major Setbacks
Lastly, the worst type of problem you can face is a major setback: a tragic loss, a catastrophic failure, or a devastating defeat. But such things are sometimes where the most significant benefits can be found. Big problems often come with big gifts.
Six years ago, I broke my foot, and it never healed right. For the next three years, I couldn’t ski or hike, and to this day, I still can’t work on my feet or run. This injury forced me to find a new career – one that is more meaningful and rewarding than restaurant work. It also forced me to find new ways to have fun, making me a more well-rounded person. Breaking my foot also sent me spiraling into a terrible depression, escaping which required me to get sober and learn how to find a deeper, more stable happiness than I’d ever known. Thus, this major setback made me the person I am today: Valuable lessons were learned, new opportunities were found, and I was forced onto a better path. I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone, but I also wouldn’t take it away from myself if I could.
Or consider President Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was a great leader, in part, because he had suffered so many losses and defeats in his life: failure in business and defeat in political campaigns; the loss of his mother, brother, and sister.3 No one wants to experience such things, but no one can get through life without facing major setbacks in some form or another. And when the dust has settled and the tears have dried, we must find ways to make the best of what has happened and become stronger for it.
We Must Choose
Many problems are blessings in disguise, but the blessings don’t come automatically. We have to take an active role in transforming the bad into good. We have to look for the hidden value in the problems we face. And we have to bring that value to life through our choices. We can’t choose to have a life without problems, but we can choose to use those problems to become better.
1 McGonigal, Kelly. The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It. Avery, 2015.
2 Robbins, Mel. The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage. Savio Republic, 2017.
3 Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Simon & Schuster, 2006.