PROBLEMS, FACILITATORS OF PROGRESS

WISDOM NUGGET: "And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about."
                                                                                                       - Haruki Murakami

Problems are like pregnant women. They usually come pregnant with "progress babies" inside of them. Please understand that most problems are a good sign. Problems actually indicate that progress is being made, that wheels are turning and that you are moving toward your goals. Beware when you have no problems; because then you really have a problem. Take it or leave it, problems are like landmarks of progress.

Nelson Mandela is perhaps one of the most influential men of all time. But you would recall that he did not necessarily set out to become that. He just wanted to solve the problem of Apartheid. He was so consumed with his drive for finding a solution to that problem that when the problem began to swallow all he had, he most likely didn't realize it. That drive made him daring and astonishingly brave. In Soweto, when the kingdom fell in darkness and shadows ruled the night; with no sign of dawn, he soldiered on and in the long run brought the black race in South Africa back to the dawn of a new life founded in freedom. Had the brutal Apartheid regime known they would never have incarcerated him as they did. If only they knew that 27years in Roben Island will make that man  "The Number One Citizen of The World" today, they would quietly have left him alone. Today, one man's die hard decision to solve a national problem has led to "The Making of a Hero" and has put the nation of South Africa in an enviable place in the map of the world, producing the strongest economy in Africa, hosting the World Cup and becoming Africa's number one tourist destination.

If you read further our key scripture, you will notice that Paul implied that the troubles that some folks cooked up, which should have caused him more trouble in prison, brought about an explosive fast tracking of the accomplishment of the very reason why he was apprehended in the first place. Can I challenge you today to focus 90% of your time on solutions and 10% on problems and see the great world of difference it will make? It was Haruki Murakami who said, "And once the storm is over, you won't remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won't even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won't be the same person who walked in. That's what this storm's all about."