Solve It or Die

If you had an hour to solve a problem that your life depended on, how would you spend that time?  

You might be tempted to channel your inner MacGyver, frantically throwing one idea after another at the problem while operating from a place of scarcity and fear. 

Albert Einstein had another approach that’s worth considering. He famously said, "If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask...for once I knew the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than 5 minutes." 

Pause and let that sink in. The first, best thing you can do when facing a problem is to slow down and determine the right question. That isn’t a waste of time but a path to wisdom. Because only the right question leads to the right answer.  

I’ll give the last word to Henry Nouwen. He wasn’t a scientist but walked in deep waters as a student of the soul. And he reached a similar conclusion: "Answers before questions do harm to the soul."

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