3999: Wrong Problems, Wrong Solutions by Greg Audino on Better Problem Solving

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00] Dell PCs with Intel inside are built for the moments that matter, for the moments you plan and the ones you don't. Built for the busy days that turn into all-night study sessions, the moment you're working from a cafe and realize every outlet's taken, the times you're deep in your flow, and the absolute last thing you need is an auto-update throwing off your momentum. That's why Dell builds tech that adapts to the way you actually work.

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[00:00:52] [SPEAKER_00] This is Optimal Living Daily, Wrong Problems, Wrong Solutions by Greg Audino of gregaudino.com And I'm Justin Malik. Welcome back to the podcast where I read an article to you every day of the year with permission from the authors. So let's get right to it as we optimize your life. Wrong Problems, Wrong Solutions by Greg Audino of gregaudino.com

[00:01:20] [SPEAKER_00] It goes without saying that we spend a lot of time thinking about ourselves. We're constantly sorting out the best course of action for ourselves and trying to live our best lives. Our brains are endlessly computing ways to solve problems that pop up, many of which are too fast and subtle for us to even realize. We do this with such frequency that it's not uncommon to find ourselves not listening to what people are saying because we're too busy deciding what we're going to say in response once they're finished. We're a bunch of self-centered pricks, really.

[00:01:50] [SPEAKER_00] One would hope, however, that at least out of this self-centeredness would come a good understanding of oneself and a decent roadmap as to how to solve the problem of being unhappy. But the truth is, that's not happening very well either. Yes, we can have a very difficult time realizing what it is that will make us happy. All too often we throw ourselves into situations that we might trick ourselves into thinking we'll provide all the answers.

[00:02:14] [SPEAKER_00] Marrying our soulmate, moving into a dream home, starting the job we've always wanted, even winning the lottery. Although in many cases we engage in such things without the intent of solving a problem, any of these still represent big, promising solutions to a specific set of issues. Marriage could be the solution to loneliness or a lack of commitment with a loved one, maybe. A dream home solves the problem of a subpar home that we aren't excited about. Getting that job we want validates our hard work or gives us purpose.

[00:02:44] [SPEAKER_00] Winning the lottery solves any monetary problems. But even after this, we might find ourselves with problems unfulfilled and absent of the happiness we were sure we'd attain, at least to some degree. We've all been through this, whether or not we had the awareness to anticipate it before it happened. But where does it come from? How does it start? Or many of us go wrong at one specific juncture. We misunderstand the reality of the perceived problem.

[00:03:10] [SPEAKER_00] As I mentioned, we get caught up in thinking about our own past and what's right for us. While this means of looking out for ourselves is indeed key to our survival, it can also easily get excessive enough that it alienates us from reality. What I mean is that the longer it takes us to solve a certain problem, the more we fall into believing that the problem is more serious than it is. We can't solve it and it begins to take up more space in our inner life than it does in our outer life. And therein becomes both misunderstood and poorly prioritized.

[00:03:40] [SPEAKER_00] Let's look at it in terms of winning the lottery, something that many people would argue is the biggest problem solver life has to offer. A study was done in 1978 by professors Philip Brickman and Dan Coates of Northwestern University and Professor Ronnie Janoff-Bullman of University of Massachusetts. The study compared the long-term happiness results of 22 lottery winners versus 22 group members who did not win any money. Over time, the average level of happiness reported by the lottery winners was a 4 out of 5,

[00:04:10] [SPEAKER_00] while those who did not win any money reported a 3.82, a difference that is hardly discernible. The key difference between the groups, however, was that the lottery winners reported getting significantly less pleasure from life's mundane pleasures such as eating breakfast and socializing with friends. They required more stimuli. This essentially non-existent difference in overall happiness is likely the most legitimate sample of how people are affected by winning the lottery.

[00:04:38] [SPEAKER_00] So it should be no surprise that there are also plenty of cases of poverty, poverty, suicide, crime, and profiling at the expense of lottery winners just the same as there are among non-lottery winners. So how can this be? How can such a massive event, something we're all tailored to believe is an absolute problem solver, provide such lackluster results? Money is something that is of great concern for most people. Financial freedom is the perfect example of a concept that becomes such a strong focal point,

[00:05:07] [SPEAKER_00] something that demands so much of our attention, that we lose sight of how much it really affects us. Your life is not one big financial struggle. You probably derive uncomfortableness from plenty of other places that you just don't obsess over as much. Just because winning the lottery changes your financial situation doesn't mean it changes the annoyances that don't change. Traffic, taxes, a poor night's sleep, illness, arguments, the loss of a loved one, aging, car trouble, whatever else p***s you off.

[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_00] You know your list better than I do. Keeping an eye on our problems is of equal importance to learning lessons from them. It's essential to keep them at bay and be mindful of the amount of energy we put towards them versus the amount of energy they deserve. The more we fail to do this and get swept away by our problems by allowing them to be more troublesome than they really are, the more we distort our awareness of what's actually good for us and what will provide us with true happiness. As an exercise,

[00:06:04] [SPEAKER_00] consider writing down your biggest problems or concerns. Next to that, write down the amount of time you spend thinking about them. Do your best to estimate this as it can be tough to pinpoint. Feel free to fill out in terms of time, percentages, whatever feels best. Next to that, write down a list of all the struggles you face on daily basis. You can then do a little math to get an idea of how much your perceived problems actually interfere with your life. You might find that something you worry about 80% of the time

[00:06:32] [SPEAKER_00] only affects you 10% of the time and solving this problem would be of less impact than you might think. Another element you may want to add to this exercise is to also write down a list of your core values and see whether or not the problems you face are even in line with them or perhaps just existing for you because other people around you face these struggles. A lot of times, once we have everything laid out in front of us, we find that the things we're stressing out about don't even mean much to us,

[00:07:00] [SPEAKER_00] let alone take up a good chunk of our daily lives. You just listened to the post titled Wrong Problems, Wrong Solutions by Greg Audino of gregaudino.com and I'll be right back with my commentary. Dell PCs with Intel inside are built for the moments that matter, for the moments you plan and the ones you don't, built for the busy days that turn into all night study sessions,

[00:07:29] [SPEAKER_00] the moment you're working from a cafe and realize every outlet's taken, the times you're deep in your flow and the absolute last thing you need is an auto update throwing off your momentum. That's why Dell builds tech that adapts to the way you actually work, built with long lasting battery so you're not scrambling for the closest outlet and built in intelligence that makes updates around your schedule, not in the middle of it. They don't build tech for tech's sake, they build it for you.

[00:07:57] [SPEAKER_00] Find technology built for the way you work at dell.com slash dellpcs, built for you. Before we start, I wanna share a super powerful practice I use called NSDR or non-sleep deep rest. In just about 10 minutes or so, this yoga nidra practice leaves you feeling as refreshed as after a nap without actually sleeping. Experience it for yourself on our guided podcast.

[00:08:26] [SPEAKER_00] Search NSDR and look for the one from Optimal Living Daily. Thank you to Greg. I thought this was a really interesting take. The lottery study is crazy, although not surprising if you've been listening to this show for a while. The study said that lottery winners were barely happier than non-winners after a year and actually got less enjoyment out of everyday things. And it makes sense. Winning the lottery doesn't fix traffic.

[00:08:56] [SPEAKER_00] It doesn't mean you sleep better or get along with people easier or not run into random medical issues. All the small stuff that bothered you before is still there. I think most of us do this. So we have something we're convinced will fix things once it happens. Could be a new job, a raise, a relationship, moving. And sometimes those things do help, but they usually don't do nearly as much as we thought they would.

[00:09:26] [SPEAKER_00] I think he's right that part of the reason is we let the problem get so big in our heads that solving it seems like it would change everything when in reality it might only affect maybe 10% of your actual day. The exercise at the end is worth trying. Just write out your biggest worries, how much you think about them and how much they actually show up in your daily life. You might find that the thing you spend 80% of your mental energy on is affecting you just 10% of the time.

[00:09:55] [SPEAKER_00] So thank you to Greg for this one. And thank you. I appreciate you being here and listening every day. Have a great rest of your day and I'll see you tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.