Superthinking: How you CAN solve all your own problems.

       

Me with my blonde hair finding inner wisdom with the Shaolin Monks at the Shaolin Temple in Luoyang, Henan, China

      Too often we look outside ourselves for the answers to our problems. Does this sound like you:

• Do you find yourself often asking friends, online forums or reading books to get advice and solve your problems, but yet never seeming to get anywhere? 
• Do you feel like you can't act until you find the magic answer you are looking for? 
• Maybe you are just procrastinating or stuck because you feel confused about what to do or what is going on deep inside.

        Its easy to feel like other humans somehow have more knowledge, wisdom or understanding than we do, but truly the answers you seek are all inside. Now I am all for reading self-help blogs, like this one, books, or even going to a therapist or life coach for help. I highly recommend these things. But there comes a time where many of us get too reliant on other people's advice or opinions and cease to look inside ourselves. 

       Additionally, have you ever noticed that some self-help gurus contradict each other? How do you know which one to listen to in that case? Or maybe you've started to notice a lot of them are all saying the same things, so how do you solve your problem when its just the same information always coming in? The answer is to look within. Any problem you ever have can be solved from within your own knowledge and intuition. The exception would be problems requiring specific knowledge such as knowing a fact like "how many tablespoons are in 1 cup," but pretty much other than that the answers you seek to solve your biggest problems can come from within. 

     So how do you solve your own problems when you don't know the answers? Well one technique is called "Superthinking." This is a technique I learned from life coach Brooke Castillo on her podcast. It's Episode 248 "Superthinking" on "The Life Coach School" Podcast. I highly recommend listening to her podcast and if you like it then listen to as much as you can starting from Episode 1 because the skills she teaches build on one another and they are all skills to help you take control of your mind and solve your own problems. 

   So what is Superthinking? Its simply a process of giving your mind the space and freedom to answer your own questions, without letting it take an escape route. If you currently feel like you don't know the answers it often because your brain is resisting doing the hard work. Its not necessarily because you are lazy, but more because your brain feels safest doing what it has practiced before. A new problem feels unsafe for the brain and if you let it get away with saying "I don't know" it sneakily hides there. Forever. 

   Did you ever have a teacher who called on you in class and wouldn't let you say "I don't know"? I had one teacher who if you didn't know the answer would wait while you figured it out, either in the textbook, taking an educated guess or working step by step through the problem in front of the class. It was definitely a little scary because she didn't just let you escape with "I don't know," but it forced you to find the answer. This is what you must do to your brain. From now on never let your brain say "I don't know." Its a cop out answer, or as Brooke would say, "Confusion is an indulgent emotion."

Next time you want to say "I don't know" your options are as follows:
1) Say "I may not know the answer now, but I will find it out." 
2) If its a quick fact look it up
3) If its something deeper ask yourself "If I did know now, what would I say/do?"

The key is to force yourself to give an answer. If you have any answer at all, it doesn't have to be right or wrong, then you are off to the races. You've begun an open minded brainstorm and your mind can actually begin solving the problem. When you just say "I don't know" your mind shuts off and goes into a safe cocoon. But if you tell yourself its not an option and start asking yourself better questions you will be surprised where it takes you.

Now practice Superthinking for yourself. I adapted the steps below from Brooke Castillo, but I also added my own, which is meditation. I think making this a meditative practice is really powerful so I added that and gave the process my own name. Intuitive Meditation for Problem Solving or IMPS for short. You can remember it by the fact that you are quieting the little demon sprites or imps of your brain (negative thoughts and distractions) in order to have the freedom to solve your problems and save the day! Turn the imps into your pet, like in World of Warcraft, if you play, by putting them to work solving your problem. 

Here are the steps :

Steps for Superthinking,

Or as I call it:

Intuitive Meditation for Problem Solving AKA Imps

Maybe Superthinking is catchier,
 but look at this adorable Imp!

1. Get to a quiet and comfortable place where you can write, stay awake easily and feel calm.
2. Grab a writing device. 

3. 

   BONUS! If you play WOW everytime you see one of these guys, you can be reminded to practice your Intuitive Meditation for Problem Solving IRL! Who said gaming can't be productive?

   Write: many things, anything, everything that comes up. This is called a "Thought Download." Take about 1-10 min.
4. Meditate for 2-5 min : Breath deep, think about the breathing, if any other thought pops up kindly redirect it back to your breath without judgment.
5. Ask yourself questions to solve your problem or write them down and then answer them. For 10 min- 60 min spend time writing down answers to your questions.

Tips:

• Do not say “I don’t know” , change it to “if I did know , what would the answer be?”
• Trust that you have all the answers
• Practice a lot, at first it’s hard, but it gets easier
• Write the first thing that comes to mind and then continue writing more ideas, nothing is right or wrong, just get it all out
• Keep in mind the goal the goal of this practice is to train your mind to solve your own problem, practice thinking for yourself and eventually coming up with unique ideas & solutions to problems 

Questions to ask:

1. What are some problems/challenges I am currently facing?
2. Which problem/challenge is bothering me the most right now or making my life the most difficult?
3. What questions can I ask myself to find the answer to my problem?
4. How can I solve this problem with the time and resources I currently have?
5. What would I need to believe in order to solve this problem?
6. What would happen right now if I just chose an answer to the problem I’m facing?
7. What would I do if I knew what to do?
8. How is this issue or problem I am facing working for me instead of against me?
9. What are 10 awesome ideas? 

Sample Questions for Specific Problems:

1. How am I going to make more money?
2. How am I going to find a job?
3. What do I need to believe to feel happier?
4. What are 10 awesome ideas I can do with my Twitch channel?
5. What are 10 awesome ideas for organizing my room?
6. What are 10 awesome ideas for vacations I want to take?
7. What are 10 awesome ideas for my future job or for running my own business ?