Have you noticed people often seem to want to talk about problems?
I have a problem at work. My husband has a problem communicating. I’m having a problem with my daughter-in-law. Time is a problem for me. There’s a problem at my kid’s school. The way he treats me is a problem. There are so many problems in my community. My weight is a problem. I have a problem with how my boss manages. Money always seems to a problem.
Thoughts and conversations often focus on one kind of problem or another.
What about you?
Are focused on problems? Do you talk about problems? Perhaps write in a journal about your problems? Do you talk with your partner about problems or gossip at the water cooler about problems?
I certainly used to be focused on problems.
In fact, I used to think of myself as a really good problem solver. I patted myself on the back for my ability to notice problems, to diagnose problems, to solve and fix problems.
Back then I thought my ability to spot problems and solve problems was a good thing.
And guess what? There always, always seemed to be plenty of problems to be tackled, to be solved.
What I didn’t know back then, because this was before my obsession with all things Law of Attraction, was my fixation and focus on problems was only bringing more problems to me.
“If you are focused on problems, the Law of Attraction will bring problems to you faster than you can fix them. What you focus on expands.” —Abraham
That is precisely what was happening. I was focused on problems, and so I attracted problems. Because I was focused on problems, I encountered plenty of what I was focused on.
That is how Law of Attraction works. What you focus on grows.
Now, you might be wondering what the alternative is.
I mean, if there’s a problem, are you not supposed to notice it? Are you not supposed to try to fix or solve it? Should you ignore problems? Those are valid questions.
Choosing not to be a problem solver would be a radical paradigm shift for many of us.
“You are not problem solvers. The Universe solves the problem. You are the solution allower.” —Abraham
What a distinction, right? Problem solver vs. solution allower. Which one are you? Which would you rather be?
Here’s the thing: So long as you show up as the problem solver, you will only have more problems to solve, and you will be cutting yourself off from the support of the Universe as the problem solver.
If you’re longer going to be a problem solver, what do you do instead? How do you step into the possibility of being a solution allower?
“You cannot notice what-is and complain about it, and be a vibrational match to the solution. When you were living the problem, you were asking for the solution, and Source said yes immediately. So, there’s never a reason for you to be wallowing around in a problem for more than about a second. You can get so good at this that before you’re even aware that the problem has gotten started, you’ve already got the solution underway.” —Abraham
How do you get good at this? How can you have the solution underway before you’re even aware a problem has started? How can you bypass problems altogether by focusing early and easily on the solution?
Well, as is often the case when it comes to Law of Attraction, it’s all about your focus and attention.
“Continued attention to a problem attracts it into your experience. To remove it from your experience, you must remove your attention from it.” —Abraham
Think about what’s at the root of a problem—something you don’t like, something you don’t want.
Here are a couple examples:
- It’s a problem I don’t have more money saved for retirement. The problem, then, is looking at the amount saved for retirement and not liking it. The unwanted condition is the focus.
- The way my mother-in-law talks to me is a problem. The problem, once again, is focusing on something not wanted, not liked. The unwanted condition is the focus.
All problems are what is unwanted.
That sounds obvious to point out, but let’s connect the LoA dots. When you are focused on the problem, you are focused on unwanted. And when you are focused on unwanted, you can only receive more unwanted.
“Beating the drum of the problem condition does not bring you to the solution. Ever. Ever. Ever. Ever. Ever. Ever. Ever. Ever. Ever.” —Abraham
When you beat the drum of the problem—and I think most of us do this at least sometimes and some of us do this a lot—you sort of super glue the problem to you. Or attract a new problem and then another problem.
When you beat the drum of the problem condition by talking about what’s wrong, by complaining about what you don’t like, by journaling about what’s not working, you very likely keep that problem—and also attract other conditions on that same frequency—in other words, attract more problems.
“Every time you point at what you don’t want to keep, you keep it.” —Abraham
That’s why complaining about problems and rehashing what’s wrong is so bad for getting rid of the very thing you want to get rid of. If you are vibrating at the frequency of the problem, you will be given the “opportunity” to deal with problems. And I know that’s not what you want.
“I do not fix problems. I fix my thinking. Then problems fix themselves.” —Louise Hay
That is most decidedly not what most of us are doing.
- When we notice a problem, we talk about it.
- When we notice a problem, we tackle it.
- When we notice a problem, we complain about it.
- When we notice a problem, we take action to fix it.
When we talk about and tackle, when we complain and take action, we are not fixing our thinking, as Louise suggests. No, we are very much focused on the problem as the problem, if you will.
We rarely tackle a problem by tackling our thinking.
In other words, it’s not our thinking that we see as the culprit, the cause. That’s not how most of us have been dealing with problems.
“You cannot solve a problem with the mind that created it. First you must change the mind.” —Wayne Dyer
One simple way to change the mind or fix your thinking is to shift your focus from unwanted to wanted, from what you don’t like to what you do like, from what isn’t working to what is working.
You want to shift your thinking—and therefore your vibration—toward the solution.
“The realization that something is not as you want it to be is an important first step, but once you have identified that, the faster you are able to turn your attention in the direction of a solution, the better, because a continuing exploration of the problem will prevent you from finding the solution. The problem is a different vibrational frequency than the solution—and all thoughts (or vibrations) are affected by (or managed by) the Law of Attraction.” —Abraham
Noticing or identifying a problem is fine. In fact, Abraham says it’s an important first step.
But it’s what happens next where most of us have a significant opportunity to change what we’ve been doing, which is focusing on the problem, talking about the problem, tackling the problem. In other words, most of us have been continuing our exploration of the problem.
But’s that not where you will find the solution. Quite simply: The solution is never at the same vibration as the problem.
“When you find the solution and line up with it, the problem disappears.” —Abraham
Let’s go back to the always-insightful Louise Hay: “I do not fix problems. I fix my thinking. Then problems fix themselves.”
What if you were to stop trying to fix problems and, instead, fix your thinking?
Here’s what fixing your thinking would mean: Turn away from what is unwanted and turn toward what is wanted. Turn away from the problem and head toward the solution.
If you are trying to fix a problem, and so you are thinking about the problem and talking about the problem and taking real-world action to try to get rid of the problem, you are most certainly vibrating at the level of the problem.
Instead, you want to align your focus with the solution rather than the problem.
“The only way to solve a problem is to look toward the solution. And, when you are looking in the direction of the solution, you always feel an improvement in your emotions.” —Abraham
Ah…yes! Because when you look toward the solution, you are looking toward what is wanted. And when you are looking at what is wanted, you feel better.
- When you turn toward abundance flowing in your life—that is what is wanted—you feel better.
- When you turn toward a great relationship with your in-laws—that is what is wanted—you feel an improvement in your emotions.
Turning toward the solution is an uplift in your vibration because your attention is on what is wanted.
- A focus on what is wanted feels good. A focus on what is unwanted feels bad.
- The solution feels good. The problem feels bad.
“You have to tell the story with a solution emphasized, not the problem. You have to stop complaining and start appreciating. You have to explain it the way you want it to be, not the way it has been.” —Abraham
Give this a try: The moment you notice a problem, immediately turn your attention to what is wanted. This means you will take your focus off whatever is not as you want it to be and you will focus on what is wanted.
“The connection is what’s important, not solving that problem, if you can sustain the connection for a little while, the problem will evaporate.” —Abraham
These days, I’ve let go of my former identity as a problem solver. I’m not interested in problems. I’m certainly not interested in being a magnet for more of them!
Sure, I still have “problems” in my life, but the moment I notice one, I turn my attention toward the solution.
“The whole time the problem is taking shape, the whole time the solution is taking shape. It’s happening at the same time. You just have to decide, how big does this problem need to get before you’re ready for the solution?” —Abraham
