Course 3: PL 102 - Problems (Discussion 4)
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The first 3 conversations helped us set the foundation for this discussion. The idea that the problem is the path or the obstacle is the way comes from the Stoics. If interested, I also recommend this book as a good overview of stoic thinking. I think there is a tremendous amount of wisdom in these ancient ideas. I'm glad to see much of it resurfacing now. ÃÃÂ
This disucssion is the most important discussion in this course. This is the core insight to learn for your own personal and professional development as well as the key insight that will continue to help us grow and evolve at 7 Cups. Please really take your time to think through these ideas. They matter and they are meaningful. These ideas can help change the trajectory of your life.
Here are the questions:
1. What are 3 key points from Chapter 4 that stand out to you. Please post them in this thread. ÃÃÂ
2. Watch this overview video by Ryan Holiday on his book the Obstacle is the way.. In your own words, please identify and describe the 3 key components he outlined in the video. ÃÃÂ
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1) The only way to overcome obstacles that come your way are to face them head-on, and to learn empathy and compassion for others.
2) Problems actually allow us to grow and thrive through perseverance and hardship.
3) Problems teach you to ask for help and teach you humility, which promotes communication and a supportive environment.
2. Watch this overview video by Ryan Holiday on his book The Obstacle is the way.. In your own words, please identify and describe the 3 key components he outlined in the video.
The first key component is “perception.” If you want to think about an obstacle as horrible, unfair, or insurmountable, it can end up taking those characteristics. This means that any story that you tell yourself about that problem has a major influence on how the problem evolves. The second key is “action.” This means that you try to overcome the obstacle by using creativity, persistence, and ingenuity. This is how we can control how we react to a problem that arises in our lives. The third key is “will.” This is the understanding that there are events that are completely out of our control. This allows us to build strength and fortitude in our character.
@GlenM
Below are my responses for discussion 4:-
1. What are 3 key points form chapter 4 that stand out to you.
The three key points
that points out to me from chapter 4 are as follows:-
· The only way to break free is to face the problems and learn to truly care for other people.
· Consider problems as wealth to earn achievements.
· Problems are secretly good, and it helps us being a better person.
2. Watch this overview video by Ryan Holiday on his book the Obstacle is the way. In your own words, please identify and describe the 3 key components he outlined in the video.
The video on stoic optimism is really a very practical explanation of how to deal with the obstacles in our life. Following are the 3 key components outlined in the video.
· Perception: To percept the obstacle as an opportunity to react in the best way and not to hide with it to put ourselves away from facing it.
· Action: The reaction which we are going to take against the obstacle must be unselfish and firm.
·
Will: Even though we have
percepted the problem and decided the action, our willingness to react must be
firm.
@Ashvillium
I think problems are really another form of wealth for our soul. It's a great thing to take away from the chapter. There's so much we gain by facing and overcoming problems.
@GlenM
1. What are 3 key points from Chapter 4 that stand out to you. Please post them in this thread.
The 3 key points are:
I liked the Aunt Maggie metaphor. It beautifully explained how problems keep knocking on our door and we ignore them and try out so many distractions just to avoid them.
Problems are valuable and have a hidden value. It depends on how we frame the problem.
Problems have five benefits. They help in breaking denial, coming out of the distraction system, asking for help, leveling up, and becoming compassionate.
2. Watch this overview video by Ryan Holiday on his book The Obstacle is the way.. In your own words, please identify and describe the 3 key components he outlined in the video.
Perception: It is how we see the problem. If we view the problem as being horrible and negative, we won’t be able to take action as we will be just experiencing all the negative emotions and not doing anything about it. But if we accept that it is what it is and that we can do something about it, that’s the correct way of looking at the obstacle.
Action: It means taking a step to do something about the obstacle. We should be persistent and patient enough while solving the problem.
Will: It’s about developing inner strength and accepting the fact that there are problems which are bigger than the current problem and we cannot do anything about it. Whatever problem comes our way, we should have inner strength to face them.
1. What are 3 key points from Chapter 4 that stand out to you. Please post them in this thread.
Problems enable us to grow – our society and beliefs often cause us to believe that problems should be seen as negative things that bring a lot of pain and suffering, however, we can choose to look at them in a different way and see the ‘golden nuggets’ that they bring.
Many people will avoid their problems so that they do not have to face these hardships and truths they want to avoid. This can prevent them from moving forward in life and growing as an individual. However, by avoiding their problems, they will never truly go away and may prevent them from finding happiness or doing what they want in life.
Our distractions help us to avoid our problems for a limited amount of time- when we feel stuck in a problem, it is often easy to go and do something else we know we can do, for example studying, or watching a movie, which takes our mind off of things for a while. However, the problem will always come back after the distraction is finished, until you face it head-on.
2. Watch this overview video by Ryan Holiday on his book The Obstacle is the way. In your own words, please identify and describe the 3 key components he outlined in the video.
1: Perception: The first step is about changing how you see problems – stop seeing them as negative things that are unfair and insurmountable, which leads to a lot of negative emotions such as depression and helplessness, and start looking at them as unavoidable – it is what it is, and we can now choose how to react to the problems we face.
2: Action: The second step is about thinking about what you can do to progress with this problem. It is about planning and thinking about how you’re going to solve it, and then putting that plan into action and facing the problem head-on, instead of becoming distracted or procrastinating.
3: Will: The final step to facing your problems is having the will to follow through with the action – you need to be mentally strong, and persistent in finding and trying out as many solutions as it takes to move part your problem. Also, creativity helps in creating more opportunities for yourself to move past the problem and grow from it.
@Izzy274
I think your post highlights a very important aspect of problems. We shouldn't ignore them, but at the same time, we shouldn't obsess over them. We need to find ways to get over them so we can move on as you said. By not changing our perception, we cannot grow and overcome.
@GlenM
1. Problems don't let our minds rest until we have dealt with them, problems also teach us alot about ourselves and they help us grow
If we see our problems as something that is never going to end then we are ourselves stopping us from growing. If we see our problems as stairs to success then we are making our own to success.
Problems also teach us that help is important, sometimes you do need a hand to help you out of the abyss your mind creates and thats okay, it builds trust and unity.
2. Perception: What we see negative and positive both and what we make it out to be.
Action: Recognizing what is important to solve the particular problem and take actions to over come the problem.
Will: There are things that we can not control and we need to accept that, and strengthen your will power so that we can overcome any problem that comes our way.
@GlenM
1. What are 3 key points from Chapter 4 that stand out to you. Please post them in this thread.
Problems are valuable and helpful because problems break down denial
Problems break you out of distraction systems. They refuse to leave you alone
Problems teach you to ask for help. They teach you humility
2. Watch this overview video by Ryan Holiday on his book the Obstacle is the way. In your own words, please identify and describe the 3 key components he outlined in the video.
Perception: how you see the problem
Action: to do something about your problem
Will: looking at the parts of the things we can’t control
@GlenM
1. What are 3 key points from Chapter 4 that stand out to you. Please post them in this here.
The best way of dealing with problems is to dive in headfirst.
Problems encourage us to seek help.
Problems won't leave if we distract ourselves. They keep bugging us until they are solved.
2. Watch this overview video by Ryan Holiday on his book the Obstacle is the way.. In your own words, please identify and describe the 3 key components he outlined in the video.
-Perception: it is the way we look at a problem and how we react to its existence.
- Action: it is the act of trying our best to solve the problem.
- Will: acknowledging the fact that we can't change everything, all we can do is try to work on the things we can change.
@GlenM
1. What are 3 key points from Chapter 4 that stand out to you. Please post them in this thread.
- Problems are great teachers. We learn from them and we become better because of them.
- With problems, we're encouraged and pushed to seek for help. This creates a collaborative and supportive culture that benefits not just ourselves but the community as well.
- Problems decrease our tendency to fall into the loop of denial. With their existence, we're more aware of what is going on, what went wrong, and as a result are more inclined to actively work towards eliminating them from our lives.
2. Watch this overview video by Ryan Holiday on his book the Obstacle is the way.. In your own words, please identify and describe the 3 key components he outlined in the video.
1. Perception - By perceiving the problem, it is the first step towards taking action and going down the route of bettering ourselves
2. Action - Taking action means doing what needs to be done and recognizing the need to improvise. We're only able to take a concrete action to make things better after perceiving that there is indeed a problem that needs solving.
3. Will - As per the AA mantra: give me the grace to accept what I cannot change, will means just that. Acceptance and the resilience to embrace our true selves, including the problematic parts of ourselves, and work towards a better future.
@xinyii11
I loved your descriptions! Short but concise. I also think the most important message o the chapter was that problems are great teachers. Our perception is what needs to change. To quote Captian Jack Sparrow, "The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude about the problem."
1.What are 3 key points from Chapter 4 that stand out to you. Please post them in this thread.
3 key points that stood out to me are that problems have a golden value ,they teach us how to ask for help and also help others. It also helps us break out from the distraction system.
2. Watch this overview video by Ryan Holiday on his book the Obstacle is the way.. In your own words, please identify and describe the 3 key components he outlined in the video.
3 key components outlined in the video are : Perception- we need to perceive things more clearly and with an open mind focusing on all the aspects. Action-once we identify all the aspects ,we take action according to it .Will-"When there's a will, there's a way." Thus with will,we put forth the execution of the action once we've perceived the situation clearly
@GlenM
1. What are 3 key points from Chapter 4 that stand out to you. Please post them in this thread.
The three key things that stood out to me is that problems teach us to ask for help, free us from denial, and teach us to really care for others. I often look at my most negative problems in a bad light. It's hard to see the plus sides of such intensely negative problems, but this chapter taught me the value in them. Even if there is nothing I could have done to control the situation, I learned what it was like to be in such a situation which allows me to relate to others with similar experiences. This type of understanding is great for 7cups, as emotional support often relies on empathy.
2. Watch this overview video by Ryan Holiday on his book the Obstacle is the way.. In your own words, please identify and describe the 3 key components he outlined in the video.
The 3 key components of Stoicism is perception, action, and will. One must perceive a problem as an opportunity to approach a situation differently, accepting it for what it is rather than "woe is me". Then, one must act on the problem, applying skills in creativity and ingenuity to overcome it. Lastly, will is about accepting what is happening and embracing it even if it's bad or there is nothing we can do. We can practice virtue, patience, and excellence through these predicaments when nothing can be done.
@LavenderFlower
The mind changes the barrier to our actions into its own purposes because of our capacity for accommodating and adapting permits us to accommodate and adapt. The roadblock to action accelerates action; our path becomes the roadblock. We have the authority to react to our perceptions.
Turn what is in the way into the way! (Ryan Holiday) Love this quote.
Perception -action- will
be disciplined, we have a chance to practice excellence
objective judgment – perception, unselfish action – action, willing acceptance - will
now at this very moment, of all external events, that is all you need. (Ryan Holiday)
Reference
Ryan Holiday (2015)” The Obstacle Is the Way” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rQfr7XAQi0
