Embracing a “Relentless Solution Focus”

When it comes to attracting more training, consulting, or coaching clients, are you a pessimist or an optimist?

I’ll admit that I’ve struggled with “problem-centric thought (PCT),” and have wasted a lot of energy worrying about worst-case scenarios.

Jason Selk, author of Relentless Solution Focus, describes PCT as allowing our mind to dwell on the one thing that’s going wrong, rather than the 99 things that may be going right.

The impact of PCT on your training, consulting, or coaching business can be devastating. Despite how some marketing and sales influencers like to promise guarantees of instant success, the reality is that you’re going to:

  • Need to constantly learn, experiment, and test different approaches.
  • Be wrong much more often than you’re going to be right.
  • Hear “no” or “not yet” much more often than you’re going to hear “yes.”

If your default setting is to expect the worst, the impact of all that “failure” can be emotionally challenging (or even devastating). Luckily, there are ways to train your mind to focus on possibilities and solutions instead of just problems and limitations.

Here are a few specific practices that have been enormously helpful for me over the past few months.

  1. Spend some time every morning allowing yourself to visualize and experience what you really want (not what you DON’T want). It may feel awkward and even a bit silly at first, but over time it should start to feel much more natural.
  2. Stop living on auto-pilot. Pay attention to your inner experiences, feelings, and thoughts (meditation is extremely helpful for this).
  3. When you notice yourself worrying or thinking about worst case scenarios, shift your focus by asking yourself “What is one thing I can do that could make this better?” (Jason Selk)

I know, I know…we’ve all seen this kind of advice a million times, right? I’m not suggesting that simply reading this will suddenly change your entire outlook on life.

However…

I am giving you a quick snapshot of what has worked wonders for me, and might work just as well for you. But here’s the catch—you have to put in some real effort.

If you’re ready to do that, I HIGHLY recommend reading these 3 books…

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