Grow your problems grow your life

This week I was reminded of a simple rule, law, idea? I am not sure exactly what to call it.

For the sake of this writing we will call it a rule, because rules should be followed.

“If your problems aren’t growing it means you aren’t growing.”

Pretty simple rule. Keep in mind problems are not a negative thing. Problems are good. They help us grow and develop and they illustrate progress.

One of the best examples of this rule in action.

I can remember in my twenties having a car payment. I made good money and thought I had my ducks in a row. But it seemed like no matter what I would do, I always struggled to make my car payment. By struggle I mean, I would have to adjust different bills each month to make sure I had the money to make my car payment.

It is okay to be in this situation for a little while. But if this problems persists year after year, it means you aren’t growing. You are not progressing forward. You are not solving this problem. 

Eventually I figured that piece of my life out and now I had a bigger bill and a bigger problem. I bought a house. Which means it was more money. And just like the car payment, the house payment became a similar situation.

Each month I would have to move around certain bills to make sure I had enough money to pay my house payment. After a few years of this I was able to get some money saved and create some slack for myself.  In both situtations I solved my problems.  I figured it out. That should be the goal.  As you start to solve your problems you create even bigger and better probelms you will have to learn to solve. 

I am not here to give financial advice, but if you continue to struggle with the same things year after year after year it means you are not changing and you are not growing.

Another good example is in business.

If you are running a business and you are the only employee, you obviously have a lot on your plate and a lot of problems that you are managing all by yourself.  As your solve those problems and your business grows, it only makes sense to hire an employee to help you. 

With the addition of that one employee, you may have eliminated some of the problems you were having as a solo band, but with that new employee you will start to get new problems. For each employee you add new problems will arise, but the old problems will go away.  

Many people who decide to have children do so because they want a family and that family will bring them happiness.  But ask any parent how many more problems they had when they had their first child, then their second, third, and you get the point. These are welcomed problems though, because the happiness and joy outweighs the problems and challenges children bring.  

A final example I have from my own life is this. Every since I was a little kid I have always wanted to own rental real estate.

When I bought my first piece of rental real estate it was a duplex. A very expensive one, which is another story for another day.

I didn’t realize how much money it was going to cost me for a down payment to purchase the place. And at the time, I had some money saved but not enough.

For me to purchase the duplex I ended up selling a gun that I owned to someone for like four-hundred dollars. Yes. Four-hundred dollars. At that time in my life four-hundred dollars was like four-thousand dollars.

I bought the duplex. A few years later I bought four more rental properties and I was able to pay cash for two of them and the other ones I easily had the down payments.

As I am typing this today, I am about to make the largest real estate purchase I have ever made.

There is a quote I like to use and have used many times in my life.

“There is no neutral in life, you are either going forward or going backwards.”

This week we elected a new president into office. Many people unfortunately think that what happens in Washington DC, no matter who is in charge, has a great impact on their life. This is without a shadow of a doubt, untrue.

The only person that can impact your life is you. You have to do the work. You have to make the sacrifices.

To your success and your future.