The Power of Patience in Problem Solving

 Accepting the ‘real’ problem always precedes solution finding. The key aspect in ‘Kaizen’ approach to continuous improvement is not merely ‘finding’ the problem but to confirm, display, understand and accept to ‘clear’ it. This is the point where decision-making skills play an important role. We often tend to follow our instincts and have a kneejerk reaction to issues in our daily lives, which is likely to lead to ineffective solutions. Instincts have a very limited role in objectively defining the problem areas. It's better if we stop and give ourselves sufficient time to relax, reflect, wait for clarifying the problems and a possible solution to manifest. This essentially means to 'respond' to a problem rather than 'reacting' to it. Only after confirming and accepting the real problem, opportunities for improvement can be decided. The latter process requires a detailed deliberation. Proceed step by step. We cannot have the “whole” plan displayed in front of us immediately. We can only see its beginning, we can only know what to do first. The following steps will manifest in due time, one by one – possibly slowly. Patience is a great virtue for the ‘continual’ improvements to unfold.

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