The Benefits of Problem Solving Skills

Critical thinking is the one aspect you are going to use most in your life if you want to take your life from something that is just plain and simple, to the next level. Every person on this planet has problems.

These problems come to us in a variety of ways, and they are different for each one of us, but the point is, every single one of us has problems. Now, many of us sit back, close our eyes, and hope that our problems will go away on their own.

But they don’t.

In order to solve your problems, you are going to have to think about them in a critical manner. Pick those problems apart. Look for solutions. Look for ways you can use aspects of the problem to your own advantage.

Think about the problem personally, and independently. Advice from others is great, but at the end of the day, it is still your problem, and you are the one that is left to deal with it while it is there and ultimately solve it.

The danger of the ‘fix it and forget it’ method to problem solving

As we mentioned before, society today is both blessed and tarnished with the information that is available on the internet. We all go through our days, and when we need something that we don’t know, we consult the internet, fix the problem, and move on.

There is almost a robotic movement that is going on here, and it is one that doesn’t aid in the realm of critical thinking. We glance through the solution on the internet, then we close our computer and go on with our day… there is no lesson learned, and nothing that can be applied to another situation.

Of course, a lot of people argue that there is nothing wrong with this. That we will always have the internet with us, and there is no need to worry about actually learning the method because we will always be able to just look it up.

To an extent, they are right about the access to the internet being something that is relatively constant for many of us, but they are wrong in the aspect that we need to develop the skills needed to solve problems.

You are faced with decisions all day long, and without the necessary skills to solve them, how are you going to progress in life?

For example: You can look up on the internet how to make a cake. How to drive a car. Even how to build a car. When it comes to things like that, you are set.

But you can’t ask the internet if you should apply for that job that is in the next town. Or if you should invest in your friend’s business idea. Or how you are going to apologize to your wife when you feel that you are the one in the right.

These are real life problems, and they are things that Google will never know the answer to, even if you were to ask a thousand times. This is why you need to develop your own problem solving skills, which is largely sourced in critical thinking.

Don’t just look at a problem or decision you have to fix. Analyze it.

When you are faced with a decision, whether it be a problem that you need to fix or a decision that will better your life, you need to ask yourself what you would do. All too often, when things like these arise, we run to our friends and family to ask them what they would do in that situation.

The problem with this is that what is best for someone else may not be what is best for you. You may opt out of a great job opportunity because your cousin said they wouldn’t do it. Or maybe you let your marriage fall apart because your buddy wouldn’t try to fix it if he was in your shoes.

Don’t get me wrong, advice is always a great thing to have, but you can’t base your actions or your life on what other people would do, you have to ask yourself what you would do, and what you should do.

Weigh the pros and cons to any situation. Ask yourself if it would work out better one way or the other. Ask yourself what the risks are, and if you are ok with losing whatever the risk may be if you lose the gamble.

Life is a series of questions and decisions that you need to learn to make, and one that you need to learn to live with the consequences. Critical thinking is a great skill to have, it is going to help you learn how to develop these other areas in your life, and ensure that you are happy with the results.

That is the entire point of analytical thinking when it comes to problem solving and decision making. When you ask everyone else what they would do, you are avoiding taking responsibility for the outcome. If it works out great, you are happy, if it doesn’t, then you can blame the other person for not making a decision that worked out great for you.

If you develop your independent thinking skills, then you can make your decisions in full confidence that they are going to turn out great. Of course there is always the risk that something could go wrong, but at the end of the day, you know that you were able to make the decision knowing what you were going in to on the outset.

It is a very different way of dealing with your problems than if you are always asking someone else what they would do. You will learn to stand on your own two feet on any issue, and you will find that you are able to make decisions with confidence.