Captain’s log, stardate 20230217
Problems don’t exist in the abstract.
A problem isn’t an objective reality like gravity or a fruit salad.
Problems are completely subjective.
Which is to say...
A problem is a perception in a human mind.
There are no problems outside of a person.
Without people, there are no problems.
For example...
Q: Why isn’t the atmosphere on Venus a problem?
A: Because there are no people on Venus.
The moment you want to put people on Venus, the atmosphere becomes a problem.
A problem is a DESIRE for a current situation to be different from what it is, combined with the BELIEF that the situation could be changed for the better.
Desire and belief are things that happen inside a human brain and nowhere else.
If you’re the type of person who wants to make a living solving problems, keep this in mind:
You can’t solve a problem in the abstract.
You can only solve a problem for a person.
And perhaps most importantly, from a business perspective, the success of your solution will be measured by one thing and one thing only:
The client’s perception of your contribution to and the magnitude of the improvement of their situation.
In other words...
Before the client hired you, they were in a bad situation, and after you were done, they were in a better situation.
The more dramatic their improvement, and the bigger your contribution, the more your solution will be worth to them.
Yours,
—J