February 17, 2023

No People, No Problems

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.

Here’s the thing...

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

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