Cute True Short Love Stories for Couples Make Valentine’s Day 2014 Special "relation quotes"

Collection of Top 10 Tiny Love Stories Based on Real facts to Read on Valentine’s Day 2014 with your Partner (For Him/Her)- find the Meaning of True Love in These Beautiful Short Love Stories – Stories to share on valentine eve with boyfriend / Girlfriend

• It was already 10.15 a.m. and I was cursing myself for not getting out of bed sooner and having to rush to get ready for work. After a rushed morning routine and hurried goodbye kiss to my wife, I somehow managed to catch my usual morning train to work. Sitting in the train, and after surfing through a few news articles on my tablet I looked up to ease my neck straining from constantly looking down. I couldn't help but notice the bored, gloomy people around that could not wait to get through the day sooner than they started. With the trademark indifference that defines one of the traits of my city, I looked out the window when the train stopped at a station. I noticed a couple with a bouquet and cuddling up to each other.

This was not something I saw daily and it made me smile.  Suddenly, I checked the date in my tablet hoping I haven’t missed anything. I hadn’t, but in a second it took me right back to the day when I sat at one of these stations with my girlfriend, now my wife, holding hands and looking into each other’s eyes. She had the most beautiful eyes in the world and a smile most assuring. She missed seven trains that day saying each time that she would take the next, not caring a bit about the scolding she would get at home for returning late. We were truly in love. That love was the reason we chose to be with each other. I remembered the time when she packed lunch for me when we were dating. It was the first time she had cooked in her life and she wanted me to be the one to taste it first. I could remember everything from the time we met till this morning when she had that same loving look in her eye when I stepped out for work. I realized how much I loved her and that I was guilty of not telling her off late how much I did. I could have spent the rest of my journey just visiting our memories from the past years, but I said to myself, “Why visit memories when I can create many more beautiful ones?” My work day had just gotten over and I took the next train back home to make her day special.

• It was a usual Sunday evening after my wife and I came back from a quick trip to the mall. I was talking to my mum while my wife was helping prepare for dinner when her dad called. “Hello, hi dad…” is all I could hear as she was moving around while talking to him. It’s been three years since we got married and I cannot recollect many days when he hasn’t called. It’s like a ritual that he follows every single day. He calls either while driving to work before going to bed.

He is a man of few words. I have never had a phone conversation with him lasting more than one minute. He doesn’t have long conversations with his daughter either, but it is enough to make me realize the love he has for her. The assurance of his daughter being fine and doing well lets him sleep peacefully. It touched not only me but also my mother who noticed her talking to him. My mother told me that’s what a father’s love for her daughter is and how special daughters are for them.

It made me appreciate him all the more and consider my wife lucky for having such a loving father. No matter how old daughters become and what they achieve in life, a daughter to her father is always that little darling with a twinkle in her eye. One who makes him the happiest father in the world.

• I had just completed my MBA and come back to my hometown to start a new job in an MNC. Life seemed perfect with the new job and a boss who was also a friend from my college days. I visited his place on a couple of occasions and was waiting to pick him up en route to office one day, when I saw a familiar face in a car coming out of the same building my friend stayed in. While it took me less than a second to recognize the person, it also took me back 3 years to a time when I had a crush on this gorgeous girl. At once, an image of her from then flashed across my mind. She was a fair, petit girl with a million dollar smile. Without speaking a word, she could easily have a conversation through those big expressive eyes and gauge what’s going on in your mind.

She also instantly recognized me with those beautiful eyes and gave back the same angelic smile that always made me go week in my knees. She stopped the car and stepped out to meet me along with this man. I had no clue how to react in front of him and wished I just vanished from there. After a long warm hug she introduced that man to me as her brother. In that moment, I experienced feelings of relief, confusion, joy and concern as I could see her holding back her tears from the happiness of seeing me. Irrespective of her status, I fell in love with her - again. We exchanged numbers and over the next few days I learned her relationship with the other guy did not work out. She was aware of my feelings for her then but never had the courage to contact me thinking I would be married or be in a relationship. My feelings for her had never changed and I was the happiest person to have her back in my life. We are getting married this year and I have no doubt I will be the happiest person. Guess when the love is true, nature conspires to make it happen.

• I had just completed my engineering course and taken up a part time job to support some of my own expenses and further studies as I did not want to burden my mother for such finances. I was diagnosed with jaundice within a few weeks of joining the job and had to be hospitalized for a few days. My mother took me to the best hospital in the city so that my treatment was not compromised and that I could get well soon. I still remember her traveling 20 kms every day to get me home cooked food and staying beside me at the hospital throughout the night. This took a toll on her health as well but that did not deter her from doing what she wanted to. I came back home in a few days only to see tears of joy in my mother’s eyes not caring about her own health. I can never be grateful enough to her for doing what she has done for me and my siblings, and still continues to do so in some way or the other. It is rightly said, no form of love can be purer than the love a mother has for her children. I am lucky to have her as my mother and without her I would never be where I am today.

• I had been preparing for my MBA entrance exams while working but soon realized the work shifts were taking a toll on me and I was not able to concentrate on my studies. I had to quit my job to study for my entrance exams and join a B-School in the next academic year. I got through the entrance exams and secured a seat in one the country’s better B-Schools. I was willing to take an education loan for the course like many other students. More so, as I did not want to put a strain on my family’s resources after my father’s demise. It was my mother who convinced me otherwise and said she would fund my education and it’s only a matter of two years before I can start earning. Despite all my efforts to convince her for a loan option, she did not let me do so. I saw her cutting family costs in order to pay my tuition fees and sacrifice on so many things while I was away. After competing my course and securing a decent job, I one day asked her why she did not let me take a student loan when lot of students did. Her answer was simple, “Son, I did not want you to start your career with paying off a loan”. This left me in tears and realized how unconditional a mother’s love for her child is.

• I was waiting for my train at the railway waiting room as I had reached the station a couple of hours before the train arrived. The waiting room was almost full of people when an elderly couple walked in and started looking for seats. The seat next to me was empty so I offered my seat so that they could sit together. The couple was by themselves and was traveling alone. No one had come to drop them to the station. I could not help but notice how lovingly the man held his wife’s hand and her purse in his other hand. He thanked me and made her sit in one the seats and asked her to remain seated while he got them some coffee. Age had no effect on their love and the man had the same love in his eyes that he must have had for her years ago. He also had this mischievous smile on his face that told me they are old only by age and not by spirit. A little while later, the man came back with two cups of coffee and sat beside her. I was sitting where I could see and hear them and to be honest I could not stop observing them. He had a sip from his cup and said, “I added so much sugar but this coffee is not nearly as sweet as you”. This brought a big smile to the faces of most people who heard him say that to the love of his life.

• A little while later while going towards the train, I asked them how they do managed to keep the love going. Witty as he was, the man retorted, “Son, she was precious to me when we met and she is even more precious to me now”. I got my answer. They were not only with each other but still also appreciated each other’s value which kept the spark in the relationship alive.

• I was driving to work when my car broke down close to a traffic signal. I had to wait till my local mechanic could come to check the problem in the car. At this point, I saw a beggar- old and fragile whose body had withered away due to hunger and old age. I often saw him at the same signal and would occasionally help him with some money. This was the first time I looked at him so closely and was really moved at his condition. I decided to buy him some food so that he could have a decent meal. I got a meal packed from a nearby restaurant and gave it to him which he quickly put away in his bag. I asked him to eat it while it was still hot and he said, “The joy of eating it cold but with my wife will be much more than the joy of eating it hot but alone”. He blessed me and walked away with the food tucked inside his bag. I realized how much he must love and care for his wife. I could only stand in awe of this man who had nothing except love but was not willing to lose even a bit of it. Life can be hard but love makes the journey easier. 

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How to Celebrate Valentine's Day " relation quotes "

Valentine's Day sets back to around 3rd century in Europe, according to a legend^[1]. The legend's love and affection has been carried on throughout history. February 14th is the day to spread the love and exchange affectionate gifts to one another. Here is an article of how to celebrate Valentine's Day.

steps 

1 _ Spend quality time with a loved one. Go out to a nice restaurant or create a special dinner. Cuddle with your significant other on a couch and watch a movie. Try to avoid distractions, such as surfing the internet, chatting on the phone while around people, or deciding to do other things by yourself or with another group of people.

2 _ Make a homemade card for someone. The card will have more meaning to it if it's created by you instead of buying a card from a store. Use your own words to describe the person you're giving it to. Create a poem or a note of appreciation. Add a little "copyrighted" symbol on the back of the card for fun.

3  _ Think of candy, chocolate, and sweets. If you are getting something for a school classmate, get a small box of those sugary hearts with the little sayings on them. If you wish, you can make a chocolate recipe along with someone else on Valentine's Day.

4 _ Express your words with a rose. While lavender (or purple) are seen more on first dates and secret "love at first sight" times, white roses are a tradition for weddings. Pink, orange, and yellow roses are viewed as admiration, excitement, and friendship respectively. The yellow and pink are very similar and can be used for the same events. Finally, the red rose, as the color expresses and emphasizes beauty and love. Red roses are traditionally exchanged by couples and people whom wish to express their feelings towards another.

Enjoy Valentine's Day alone. Who says that people need a companion for this one day of the year? Treat yourself to a spa or a long bubble bath. Take a long drive and enjoy the scenery. If it's too snowy or iced down, stay in and watch sports games or that romantic movie on cable. Some people get lucky on this day

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How Good is Your Problem Solving?

Good problem solving skills are fundamentally important if you're going to be successful in your career.

But problems are something that we don't particularly like.

They're time-consuming.

They muscle their way into already packed schedules.

They force us to think about an uncertain future.

And they never seem to go away!

That's why, when faced with problems, most of us try to eliminate them as quickly as possible. But have you ever chosen the easiest or most obvious solution – and then realized that you have entirely missed a much better solution? Or have you found yourself fixing just the symptoms of a problem, only for the situation to get much worse?

To be an effective problem-solver, you need to be systematic and logical in your approach. This quiz helps you assess your current approach to problem solving. By improving this, you'll make better overall decisions. And as you increase your confidence with solving problems, you'll be less likely to rush to the first solution – which may not necessarily be the best one.

Once you've completed the quiz, we'll direct you to tools and resources that can help you make the most of your problem-solving skills.

How Good Are You at Solving Problems?

Instructions:

For each statement, click the button in the column that best describes you. Please answer questions as you actually are (rather than how you think you should be), and don't worry if some questions seem to score in the 'wrong direction'. When you are finished, please click the 'Calculate My Total' button at the bottom of the test.

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Seven Steps to Solve Any Problem

Seven Step Guide to Solve Any Problem
The Secret: Turning Problems To Success

Seven Step Guide to Solve Any Problem

"No body makes me feel a certain way, I choose how I feel and I choose to feel good!"

Problem Solving
The Secret to Problem Solving Success

"Behind every argument is some one's ignorance." Louis Brandeis 
When in Doubt - Write it out!!
This list is used by major companies such as Amway for management training skills.

This Seven Step Guide Will Solve Any Problem!
1 Prayer or Meditation
2 Identify the question or the Problem 
3 State the relevant facts
4 Restate the question inserting the facts
5 Free think solutions 
6 Identify solutions including the facts
7 Select and Implement the best solution

"No body makes me feel a certain way, I choose how I feel and I choose to feel good!" 

Please use this check list before plunging into an argument with a boss, co-worker, employee, or spouse.
Use this check list!

Thinking about what the problem is will provide you a solution - and when a solution is made you move on!

I Have A Dream
...When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" Martin Luther King Jr.

Trying to explain the team's losing streak!" The problem here is that we haven't solved the problem. And its been an ongoing problem."
Carolina Panthers head coach George Seifert .

" < Cooperate with us to put pressure on the Declaration of Thanks > "

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Simple Ways to Solve Your Problem

One great thing about holidays is that it provides a convenient escape from the challenges and anxieties of daily living. Life can be tough but holidays can serve as a quick, temporary relief. But now that the excitement of Christmas and New Year is over, it's about time to sit down and grapple with reality. Obviously, after weeks of running around and spending sprees, now is the right moment to face your . . . real problem.

Who doesn't have a problem? Having millions will not shield you from problems. Having a great title will not protect you from misery. In fact, the more successful you become, the more challenges you will face. You are successful simply because you have solved more problems than your neighbors.

Life can get exciting when there are problems to solve!

Unpaid bills, philandering husbands, irresponsible kids, stressful workplaces, demanding colleagues, bad roads, and backbiting friends are just some of the challenges that people face. Of course, it's not the presence of problem that counts. It's how you face the problem; it's your attitude that matters. In a way, problems put your character to the test more than anything else.

What are some useful ways to solve your problem?

Identify the real problem

What is the real problem? Many problems have almost the same complications so knowing the origin of your predicament is the key to unlock the suitable solution.

For instance if you have a bad debt, you have to identify whether the real cause is lack of income, inability to budget, excessive gambling, or frequent shopping. As you can see, the solution to any of these varies. Excessive gambling for example may need medication, counseling, and other behavioral interventions. And lack of income may require working overtime, having two jobs, reducing unnecessary expenses, and taking courses to improve skills.

When you know the real problem, finding the right solution is within reach.

Create possible solutions

After knowing the real problem, think about the possible solutions. Don't limit yourself to only one or two solutions. Have a pen and paper and write down everything you can think of, even those that don't appear to be plausible. Ask your spouse and trusted friends and relatives to give you a list of solutions. From these long lists, you might find a gem.

Whatever you're doing — whether you're driving, cooking, or exercising — think about ways to solve your difficulty. If your mind goes blank, don't rush. Be patient. Sleep on it. The next day, your mind is fresh to create more ideas.

Read a good book or magazine on your topic of concern. Many reading materials offer credible information about common challenges.

Know the benefits and risks of each alternative

With a long list of solutions, choose appropriate items that apply to your situation. Select only practical and realistic solutions. Never hesitate to remove those items that don't match the type and severity of your concern.

If possible, reduce the list to five to ten major solutions. Carefully study and know the benefits and potential risks of each one. For every alternative, determine if you can optimize the benefit and lessen the risk.

Seek advice

Seek ideas and suggestions from trusted family members and friends. I've mentioned the word "trusted" because I don't recommend obtaining any suggestions from someone you can't trust. Moreover, get as much ideas from people who share the same values as you or from people whose values you appreciate.

The quality of advice you get depends on the values of its source.

Gather credible information from experienced and knowledgeable experts and not from people who have worse troubles than you.

Choose and apply the appropriate solution

After weighing each alternative, rank the possible solutions based on your priorities and comfort level. With the benefits and risks in mind, think about the solution that will provide short-term and long-term benefits.

Having said this, some solutions may be tough to swallow in the short-term or may not deliver any acute relief. That's okay.

Focus on the solution that has the best long-term outcome. And implement the necessary steps to achieve your goals.

Accept the consequences of your decision

After completing the important steps to solve your concern, hope for the best and expect a reasonable outcome. You have a good chance to succeed simply because you're facing the problem head on.

Despite your efforts, your solution may not always work right away. But since you've thought about it and have sought the help of many trusted people including experts, you don't have to blame yourself or feel guilty if things don't turn out as you expect. In fact, you have to congratulate yourself for a time well-spent.

Solving a problem is positive — regardless of results.

No doubt, problems are nothing but disguised opportunities. Like the changing of the seasons, they come and go as long as we live. So welcome them with open arms and embrace them with gladness. You'll be a better person if you do.

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Tips, Tricks and Strategies: Help Solving Word Problems

If you need help solving word problems you’ve come to the right place. Math has always been a fascinating subject to me because of how logical and precise it is. It’s similar to learning another language and, in the case of solving word problems, very much like solving a mystery. If you are going to become good at solving word problems, you have to be a good investigator and be able to pick up on clues that will help you solve the mystery. Working with word problems requires reading comprehension as well as the ability to solve math equations. With that said, the purpose of this article is to offer help solving word problems and to provide aspiring mathematicians with a strategy for solving these problems.

Let's start with the following simple example:

The length of an NBA basketball court is 44 feet more than it is wide. Express the length of the court in terms of its width.

The first step to working with word problems is simple, but crucial. Read the entire problem…then read it again! As basic as this may sound, this is where reading comprehension skills come in to play. It is during this crucial time that you must do the following things:

1. Identify the information that you have:
The court is 44 feet longer than it is wide.

2. Identify the information that you don’t have (and still need):
The length of the court.

3. Determine what the word problem is asking for:
An equation expressing length in terms of width.

The next step is to begin organizing your clues. Start by first assigning variable names to pieces of information you have and do not have. The name(s) should be clear and meaningful. So we will assign the length of the basketball court the variable name "L" and the width the variable name "W".

One thing that has always helped me in understanding concepts is drawing them out on paper. Typically, when one can visualize a concept, he or she has an easier time understanding it, whether it’s mathematics or anything else. So after you identify the information that you have and assign your unknown variables, draw a picture. Be sure to label it with known info and unknown variables.

The last step is to search the word problem for keywords. Some words will tell you what mathematical operation is needed or at work in finding the solution. Listed in the table below are a few of these terms:

Addition: Total, sum, increased by, more than, altogether/together, combined, in all, or plus.

Subtraction: Difference, less/fewer than, decreased by, minus, or less.

Multiplication: Multiplied by, times, of, or product.

Division: per, a, out of, ratio of, quotient of, or percent.

Equals: Is, are, was, were, gives, or yields.

Using our basketball court example, we are told that the length of the court is 44 feet more than it is wide. There are 2 keywords/clues we can identify in this statement; "more than" which indicates that addition (+) will be the mathematical operation that will be at work here and "is" which can be translated as "equals" or "=".

Here is where we must make our translation from English terms to mathematical terms to come up with an equation. We are asked to express the length of the court in terms of its width. We need to come up with an algebraic equation showing the length "L" written in terms of the width "W".

Here is the translation:

L                   =     44              +              W
The Length "is" 44 feet "more than" the width.


So the answer to our word problem is the algebraic expression L=W+44.

Now just for kicks and giggles, let’s look at a few more simple examples of translating from English to mathematical equations after identifying keywords.

Example #1 Write the sum of y and 16 as an algebraic expression.

This can be written as "y + 16"

Example #2 Write the difference between 2x and y as an algebraic expression.

This can be written as "2x – y"

Example #3 Write the ratio of 6 more than 2 times y to x as an algebraic expression.

This can be written as "(2y + 6) / x"

The key to help solving word problems is developing the ability to identify keywords and translate phrases and sentences into mathematical equations. As with everything else in mathematics, this skill will only be sharpened after doing lots and lots of these problems. After that, whenever you come across a word problem you will be confident in your ability to tackle it instead of looking at it and thinking to yourself…."Word Problems…Ughh!!!"

Happy problem solving!!! Now, go practice!

Vincent Brown invites you to read “Free Report: 16 Ways to Motivate Your Child To Do Better in School”.  Boost Your Child’s Grades and Confidence Today.  Go to http://tutorfi.com/VincentB

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Practical Tips for Solving Your Problems More Easily

What’s the best way to solve a problem?

I really don’t think there is one way to do it. And the ways you can use to solve a problem depends on the problem.

But I have found a few tips that have helped me solve problems more easily. I seldom use all of the tips for solving one problem and they aren’t arranged in any special order. However, I find doing some of these things early on can really help you solve the problem faster and with less struggle and pain.

1. Accept the problem. This is the one I try to do first when I run into a problem and I use it almost every time. When you accept that the problem already exists and stop resisting then you also stop putting more energy into the problem and “feeding it”. Now it just exists (well, more or less, you might still feel a bit down about it). And you can use the energy you previously fed the problem with – the energy that probably made the problem look bigger than it was – to find creative solutions to the challenge.

2. Ask yourself: what’s the worst that can happen? This is another one to do early on. You can easily to use your mind to blow problems all out of proportion. By asking this question you can restore the problem to it’s original size. And realize that the worst case scenario – if you actually define it – is perhaps not so pleasant but something you can handle and solve.

3. Gather some good knowledge. Information about your problem can often decrease that uncertain anxiety and fear we face when we are challenged with something. Knowledge wisps away the clouds of fear around a problem. And we often find that the problem might not be as bad as we thought.

4. Try to figure out possible problem along the way. This is something you can do before the problem even arises. Be prepared. When you research – as described in point # 3 – also try to find out what others in the same situation ran into, what kind of challenges they faced. Ask people what they did. If you don’t have anyone to ask then books, forums and blogs are good resources for gathering the personal experience of people. Also, be on the lookout for local groups and organizations. Google it and see what you find. If you keep your eyes and ears open you are sure to find something helpful.

5. Ask for help. You can ask people for advice on what to do and what they did in similar situations like yours. But you can also ask for more practical help. You don´t have to solve every problem on your own and sometimes it feels better to have someone by your side, even if it is just for emotional support.

6. Let go of the need to be right. Open your mind to a solution that may work and try it out instead of just making snap judgements based on little information and experience. The need to be right can make you disregard solutions that are just what you need for far too long.

7. Come up with more than one solution. You don´t know what will actually work before you try it. What may seem like a good solution in theory doesn´t always work in reality. So brain-storm and come up with at least a few solutions. If the first didn´t work, try the next one.

8. Redefine failure. This is important both to handle fear of failure for the whole problem and to get you start trying different solutions without too much hesitation. The definition of failure we are brought up with in society might not be the best and most useful to have. If you look at the most successful people you quickly notice that they have a different response to failure than the more common one. They don´t take failure or rejection that seriously. They know it´s not the end of the world if they fail. Instead they look at each failure and see the good part about: what they can learn from it and improve next time. They have an abundance-mentality. They know that if their first business-venture fails it feels like crap for a while but it´s ok in the long run. They learn from it and then they try again. Redefine failure as feedback and as a natural part of a successful life.

9. Break down the problem into smaller pieces. Completing a task or solving a problem can seem overwhelming and impossible if you take it all in at once. To decrease anxiety and think more clearly try to break the problem down. Try to identify the different things and people it consists of. Then figure out one practical solution you can take for each of those pieces. Try those solutions. They may not solve the whole problem immediately. But they might solve a few pieces of it. And then you can keep trying other solutions for the rest of the pieces until there are none left.

10. Use the 80/20 rule. Use 80 percent of your time to find solutions and only 20 percent to complain, worry and whine. It might not always be easy but focusing your energy, time and thoughts in this way is much more beneficial to you and others than doing the opposite.

11. Use Parkinson’s Law. This law says that a task will expand in time and seeming complexity depending on the time you set aside for it. For instance, if you say to yourself that you´ll come up with a solution within a week then the problem will seem to grow more difficult and you´ll spend more and more time trying to come up with a solution. Combine this law with the 80/20 rule to find solutions quickly. Focus your time on finding solutions. Then just give yourself an hour (instead of the whole day) or the day (instead of the whole week) to solve the problem. This will force your mind to focus on solutions and action.

12. Find the lesson or opportunity within the problem. There is almost always a good side of a problem. Perhaps it alerts us to a great way to improve our business. Or teaches us how our lives perhaps aren’t as bad as we thought. Finding this more positive part of the problem reduces its negative emotional impact and you may even start to see the situation as a great opportunity for you. When you are faced with a problem ask yourself: How can I use this? What is the good thing about this? What can I learn from this? What hidden opportunity can I find within this problem?

13. Actually talk about the problem and communicate clearly. Many problems arise because someone misinterpreted what someone else said. One way to make sure that you and everyone else have the same interpretation of for instance a project is to have people repeat back their view of the project and their part in it. See if your and their view matches. If a conflict arises then maybe you need to just talk it out, let go of a bit of steam, emotion and tension instead of everyone bottling it up. After that the discussion may be less emotionally charged. And it becomes easier to communicate clearly and reach a good solution for everyone involved.

14. Create fewer problems. A lot of our problems are created by ourselves. You save yourself a lot of trouble by being proactive, thinking before you speak and trying to avoid creating or complicating problems more than necessary. One way to decrease problems is to follow – as much as you can – Dale Carnegie´s wise words: “Never critize, complain or condemn”. Many problems are somehow connected to relationships with other people so a good way to create less problems is to improve your social skills. Check out Do You Make These 10 Mistakes in a Conversation? and 5 Mistakes That Can Make You Look Dumb for some tips in that area. And go down to your local library and borrow a copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People.

15. Use the power of words to your advantage. Our minds respond more than one may think to what words that are used to describe something. A problem is a negatively charged word. To make it easier to handle the problem use the more neutral or positive word challenge instead. This may sound like some empty and in reality just useless advice. But, at least to me, I have found that doing this small change has some impact on how negatively/positively I view a situation.

16. Keep your motivation up. It´s easy to be discouraged, especially if you fear failure and your first and second solution to a problem didn´t work. You might feel like just giving up. Then it´s time to give yourself a boost of motivation. Try a few of the techniques described in 25 Simple Ways to Motivate Yourself and 5 More Ways to Motivate Yourself. Changing your mental state to a brighter, more positive and more motivated one can make all the difference in the world. It will keep you going. Even though you might just a few minutes earlier felt like all hope was gone.

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5 Ways to Solve All Your Problems

Got a problem? Who doesn’t? It might help to know there are five ways, and only five ways, to solve it. Isn’t that reassuring? Aren’t you glad you’re reading this? Run through these five alternatives and you can take care of any problem that comes your way.

1. Solve the problem. Sometimes it’s as easy as that. Let’s say you have a “to-do” list that’s way too long. You can fret. You can resent it. You can wish it were different. Or you could just start taking care of things one by one until they’re all done. Problem solved.

Or let’s say you and your partner are always fighting about money. It’s become such a big issue, neither one of you wants to touch it with a 10-foot pole. Well, you could just sit down like the two adults you are and hash out your differences. I didn’t say it would be easy. But two creative, smart people who love each other can usually come up with a compromise once they bite the bullet and start to have a reasonable conversation instead of a fight.

If, however, you and your partner never resolve your fights about money, you could be headed for divorce. Getting rid of the partner gets rid of the problem, but it might not be your first choice.

2. Avoid the problem. There just may be some things on that to-do list that will go away if you wait long enough. Let’s say repairing a kid’s shirt is on your list. Wait long enough and the kid will outgrow the shirt. Problem solved. Or maybe you want to paint your house this summer. Wait long enough and it will be October, when it will be too cold or wet for the paint to dry. Problem gone!

3. Cut the problem down to size. Sometimes the best way to manage a problem is to figure out a way to do it in stages. That to-do list wouldn’t feel so daunting if you set out to do three things a day. The fight about money wouldn’t seem so insurmountable if you and your sweetie came up with a way a compromise so neither feels cheated. Perhaps funneling a certain amount of money into one account for savings and another account for expenses would ease the anxious partner’s mind. A certain amount of play money could then be put into each person’s wallet. It often doesn’t have to be much. Spenders just like to feel they have control over some money to spend as they please.

4. Address an underlying issue. Maybe the problem isn’t that your to-do list is too long. Maybe you really are taking too much responsibility for too many things. In that case, it’s not the list that’s the problem. The problem is your inability to say no.

Maybe working on the list is a way for you to avoid tackling something you are anxious about doing. Maybe the longer the list, the more important you feel. In all these cases, it would be more helpful to go after the underlying issue than to fret about the list.

Maybe your money woes aren’t because you’re a saver and he’s a spender. Maybe the problem is that you each use money as a way to communicate control issues. Maybe one or the other of you spends when anxious. Maybe one or the other of you rebels about the need to budget. If any of those possibilities ring true, then all the compromises and separate accounts in the world won’t solve the problem. The larger issue has to be addressed.

5. Cope with the problem. Some problems just have to be managed. There’s no simple way to solve, avoid or minimize them. The problem isn’t a cover for a larger issue. It’s just a problem. You have to deal with it.

If you’re a single parent, you especially know what I mean. The to-do list is long because it is. There’s no one else to do many of the things necessary to take care of your home, your children, and your job. Yes, you can prioritize. Yes, you can eliminate some things. But some days you just have to cope. That means do the best you can. Take a break. Go for a walk. Breathe deeply and count to 10. Pray. Whatever it takes to just manage the stress is the best you can do.

Sometimes the problem with money is that there really isn’t enough to go around. You and your partner do make the budget, agree on a plan, and work as a team to manage it. But if the end of the money still comes before the end of the month, all you can do is cope the best you can and encourage each other while you look for ways to increase your income and decrease your outgo.

Try again. The problem with problems is that they often loom large. As one of my favorite teachers used to say, “When people know what to do, they don’t get upset. It’s when they don’t know what to do that they get overwhelmed, anxious, or depressed.” Solve. Avoid. Cut. Address. Cope. Tools such as these guard against anxiety and depression by giving us a few more ways to confront a situation and begin to resolve it.

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How to Solve a Problem

Problem solving is one of the most essential skills in life. Regardless of who you are or what you do, you will face obstacles. How you deal with such challenges will often be a determining factor in how successful you are at life. While problems come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, this article will give you some tools to help find solutions.

Method 1 of 5: Overview

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There are many ways to solve problems, and it will depend on your situation, your experience, your knowledge, your attitude, and your problem to determine the best approach.

• Your situation may be that you have a long term problem that will take time to resolve, such as a legal dispute or a personal issue. Your situation may be pressing, but not immediate. Such may be the case for solving a problem at work, or how to help your child get a better grade on next week's test. At the extremes, your situation may be dire, such as discovering your single-engine plane has just run out of gas, and a solution is needed immediately.
• Your experience comes into play for all the above.
• If you are an attorney, or a counselor, you will know how to navigate legal and personal issues through training and experience, and the best approaches to take solving those problems.
• If you are an educator, or even a parent who has an older child, you've already experienced the difficulties of test-taking, and will have the necessary skills to help your child succeed.
• If you're in serious, you will likely rely on gut instinct to solve your problem. As a pilot, you will have been trained on how react in an emergency.

Method 2 of 5: Divide and Conquer

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Use logic to arrive at a conclusion. To solve virtually any problem, you can use a process of elimination—dividing the issue down until all you have left is the problem. There are four basic steps to this process:

• 1. Define the problem
• 2. Develop a plan
• 3. Implement the plan
• 4. Evaluate the results
• Until there's an acceptable answer, you'll repeat steps 2 through 4 until that answer has been reached. We'll use a common problem to illustrate this scenario.

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Define the problem. Your car won't start, there's nobody around, and the mechanics of automobiles is a complete mystery to you. It's a brand new car, so you are not familiar with it. Furthermore, you are going to be late for work if you don't get your car started, so it's up to you to figure out what the problem is. There are many issues there to deal with, but only one problem: your car won't start.

• When defining the problem, do not consider things that are extraneous matters, only what the actual problem is. You can consider the other issues later.

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Have a plan. This is important to develop for solving any problem, and key for keeping the process on track and finding the solution in the shortest amount of time. For our example, the plan is straightforward—though maybe not simple—as a car is a fairly complex piece of machinery. The plan will be to break the issue down into smaller problems that are more easily solved, until we are left with the actual cause of the problem.

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Implement the plan. We’ll start with big, obvious yes/no questions. Knowing what the problem isn't is just as important as knowing what it is.

• Does the engine turn over when you engage the starter? If it does, then the battery is not the problem, and you’ve eliminated one major possibility. If it doesn’t turn over, then we know the problem is probably electrical. For this example, we’ll say it didn’t turn over.
• We know now that the trouble likely lies somewhere along the electrical path, whether it be starter or battery or some other electrical issue.

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Evaluate the results. What did you learn from the first test? Did it turn over a couple times, then slowed down and stop? Did it only make a clicking sound? If it did that, the problem would likely be a dead battery. For this example, though, what happened was neither the starter nor the engine made any sound at all, and didn’t even attempt to start. This could mean a totally dead battery, except for the fact that turning the key caused all the dash lights and the radio to come on, just like normal.

• Now we know that the battery seems to be OK, but something is still preventing the car from starting. So we know the problem is that power is not getting to the starter when you turn the key. That doesn't help you get to work, though, so start again from step 2.

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Develop the next plan. If you knew auto mechanics, you might look under the hood to see if all the parts were there. For this example, though, you wouldn’t know valve seal from a bivalve. Still, you look, see the engine is still inside, and nothing is obviously missing, so your next plan is to consult an expert—the owner’s manual.

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Implement the plan. Since you’ve narrowed the problem down enough to know it’s not a dead battery or no gas, you look in the manual for where the problem actually is: starting the car.

• You note a large alert icon with text stating, “For safety reasons, you must step on the brake pedal to start your car.”

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Evaluate the results based on this new knowledge. Did you press the brake pedal when you first attempted to start the car? If you did, then that’s not the issue. However, to make a long example bearable, let’s say you neglected to step on the brake pedal.

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Develop the next plan. It's getting easier, isn't it? Your next plan is to attempt to start the car with the brake pedal pressed down.

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Implement the plan. Attempt to start the car with the brake engaged.

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Evaluate the results. Did it start? Yes, it did! Your problem is solved, and you’re on your way to work.

• Had it not started, it might also be the point where you call in a real expert—your auto mechanic. However, because of your methodical and diligent attempts to solve the problem, you will be able to give him a very good idea of what's wrong, which will lessen the time it takes him to figure out what’s wrong, which will lower your bill.

Method 3 of 5: Brainstorming

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Talk to people. If your problem is not immediate, and you have time to gather together people who have skills or experience that relate to your problem, take advantage of having such smart friends. Let's say you want to start a business, but don't know how to proceed.

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Get your people together around the table. If you're in a business setting, call a meeting. If it's more informal and you're calling on friends, invite them over for a social business meeting.

3

Define the problem. Yes, just like above, you cannot solve a problem until you first define it.

• The problem is you want to start a business, but don't have the knowledge you need to do it successfully.

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Make a plan. Talk to your team. Brainstorm—that is, listen to their ideas, discuss them, and build on them. Toss your ideas onto the table, and let people discuss them as well. Often times, you'll find that everybody will have little pieces of an idea, but together you create a much more substantial plan to continue.

• The plan in our example will be for you develop the outline for the business plan. This gives you concrete steps to follow that will enable you to define your business and its goals, examine the competition, evaluate the market, and have a clear outline of what you want to accomplish.

5

Implement the plan. Build the business plan from the ground up. It will take a while, and it will test the limits of your knowledge, but it will push you along the path to having a successful venture.

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Evaluate the results. When you have created your business plan, gather your team again, and discuss what you have discovered. Brainstorm again, listening to and implementing what works, discarding what doesn't.

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Repeat until you have fine-tuned your plan and you're ready to start your business. That problem has been solved, but there will be many more ahead!

Method 4 of 5: Research

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There are many approaches to problem solving. Perhaps one of the most key approaches to solving any problem is research. Whether reading the manual to find out why your car won't start, or poring over endless legal volumes on case history and precedent to find the best approach for that civil suit, research can play a vital role in problem solving.

Method 5 of 5: Diligence

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In closing, perhaps the best approach of all is to incorporate every approach you know, and don't give up until your problem is solved. There is a solution to every problem, even if that solution is difficult to accept. As the I Ching frequently states, "perseverance furthers."

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Good luck!

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