When I was eighteen, I was introduced to the idea that problems are just opportunities in disguise. It was an interesting concept to me at the time and I began to look at troubling issues as a chance to work through difficulties in order to come up with a solution. The idea, when given the explanation, can be encouraging. But, without context, the wording can be discouraging and disheartening.
Referring to all problems as opportunities.
It can be encouraging to see complications as a chance to make difficult decisions in order to grow and come out on top. On the other hand, it can be demoralizing when those problems are seemingly insurmountable and a solution cannot be reached in a timely manner.
So, what are some issues that might use interchangeable wording?
* Flat Tire
* Missing Something
* Change in Work Position
The list is short and by no means all-encompassing, but these situations can be both a problem and an opportunity depending on the circumstances in which they occur. Let’s have a look at them one by one.
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Flat Tire
Situation One:
You’re getting ready to head out for a day with the family. Your daughter is with you when you go out to load the car. She notices that you have a flat tire and points it out to you. Those who change tires on their own, with no special equipment, can usually change a tire within fifteen minutes. For people who aren’t used to it, it could take a bit longer.
Now the problem is a flat tire. The situation is a casual one. The opportunity is the chance to teach your daughter how to change a tire. When you look at it as a teaching situation the problem becomes something positive.
Situation Two:
You’re driving down the freeway and you get a flat tire. Not taking into account the weather, you still have to make it to the side of the road and get out of traffic. Then you have to change that tire while cars are driving past at highway speeds. You’re also on your way to work and the fifteen minutes to change the tire will likely make you late. And everyone who changes tires knows, it’s not a clean job. The same problem is not an opportunity.
Missing Something
Situation One:
You’ve been looking for something off and on for weeks. It’s one of those things that you don’t really need to have right away but it’s driving you crazy because you haven’t been able to find it yet. One day, with no obligations that day, you decide to do a room-by-room search. During your search, you end up organizing, cleaning, and getting rid of things you no longer need or want. Without realizing it, you turned a problem into an opportunity and whether you found the item or not, you feel better because you accomplished something.
Situation Two:
You’ve been looking for something off and on for weeks. It was one of those things that you didn’t really need right away but now it has become a must-have. You’ve searched high and low and the deadline came up unexpectedly. You need to have that missing item now. You don’t have time to do a room-by-room search. You don’t have time to clean everything in order to find it. You have enough time to make a bigger mess and you still may not find it. Without it, you can get into a lot of trouble. This is a problem, not an opportunity.
Change in Work Position
Situation One:
Your boss comes to you with an offer to change departments. She tells you that this is an opportunity for you to grow with the company. The problem is that you don’t get along with the supervisor in that department. While you may grow with the company, you’re not sure if you can find a way to put your differences aside and work with the supervisor. Now you have two opportunities. You have a chance to grow in the company and you have the chance to grow in your relationship with people you normally wouldn’t get along with.
Situation Two:
Your boss comes to you and says she has an opportunity. They don’t tell you what it is and their tone of voice doesn’t give you any indication that it’s something positive. You’ve been ingrained to hear that opportunity is another word for problem. You panic. You believe your job may be in danger. You feel like you are going to be punished.
Inability to differentiate between an opportunity and a problem.
Since 1995, and possibly longer, the words problem and opportunity have become synonymous with each other. At the beginning of the trend, the explanation of how a problem can become an opportunity was explained. Over the years, the explanation faded away and it was accepted that the word problem meant opportunity. As with any words that are considered to be the same thing, those who don’t get a clear view of the situation hear the word opportunity and think problem.
So when a situation occurs and someone says that there is an opportunity that needs to be addressed, stress levels tend to rise. Defenses go up. Resistance is the first response and the focus is entirely on the problem.
Words can be a tricky thing. When opposite words become interchangeable the meanings of those words becomes blurred. The speaker may mean one thing but the hearer can decipher it as the opposite.
Call It What It Is.
A problem can lead to an opportunity but not all opportunities are problems. It’s time to go back to the time when it was clear which was which. If there is a problem, call it a problem and then follow it up with an explanation of an opportunity that could come from it. By doing this, there is clear communication of what the situation actually is.
A problem doesn’t have to be daunting if the opportunity is reasonable and realistic. If there is an actual opportunity that is not based on a problem, make it clear that it is a positive opportunity. This will allay the fear that you really mean a problem. This will make the ensuing conversation easier. By removing the tension from the start the defenses are easier to get through because they haven’t been solidified by misinterpretation.
If a problem is a problem with no immediate chance for growth, then leave it as a problem.
If a problem offers room for growth, then call it a problem with a viable solution.
Explain opportunities as what they are. Positive situations that allow growth.
Problems and opportunities are words that are opposites and using them interchangeably causes stress and defense mechanisms to any conversation that contains those words. It’s time to end the trend and call things by what they are.
Micheal D. Woodruff, Author of “Dismantling the Stigmas: 10 Truths about ADHD”.
As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent, Micheal has had to come face to face with the realities, difficulties, and advantages that are related to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He is certified in Unlocking Your Potential with ADHD. He also hosts the podcast “The Eclectic Writer” available onSpotify, Audible, Amazon Music, YouTube music, and many more places.
