Do you really want to gain full mastery of any area of your personal or work life? If YES, then GET INVOLVED IN PROBLEM-SOLVING. Even if others avoid it, do it – and do it without holding back. Do it every day, and as often as the opportunity presents itself within each day.

Problem Solving Is a Shortcut to Useful Learning

Troubleshooting or Problem-Solving offers the quickest and easiest way to gain very useful knowledge about anything.

And I mean ANYTHING!!

Why? Well it’s because in the process of trying to solve a problem, one tends to become focused and critical – unwilling to accept irrelevancies or "convenient explanations" etc.

You find that so long as the problem remains, you feel pressured to keep challenging everything you are told. This of course will only happen if you choose to be an active player in the problem-solving process.

For instance, I once had the unfortunate experience in which my car packed up midway along Lagos-Benin expressway one evening due to a problem with the engine.

The mechanics that worked on the car that evening till late into the night would, I’m sure, not forget me too quickly. And that’s because I stayed with them all through asking questions at every step, demanding to know what they were doing and why.

I came away that day knowing much more about my car engine and how it functions. Incidentally, many people I know would actually have gone off to take a rest with instructions for the mechanic to call them when done.

After all, they would argue, "it’s not my area".

Problem Solving Challenges You to Apply Your Theoretical Learning to Real-Life Situations

So, when you engage in problem solving, you actually combine the learning of certain essential theoretical aspects with the practical application of acquired knowledge.

That’s a very efficient learning process!

Subsequently, you would be able to talk about that particular problem you were involved in rectifying, with more confidence than if you had not experienced it.

This is why it has been said that we should be grateful when things go wrong, because those are disguised opportunities to pick up valuable learning.

Final Words: Accelerate your learning – get involved in Problem-Solving!

Most people let fear of work – and of failure – blind them to potential benefits to be had from engaging in problem solving.

Through active participation in investigation of the cause of a problem, you’re likely to learn – by elimination – what is NOT responsible for it (over time).

And as you stay involved, the more likely causes, and contributing factors will become apparent to you.

That increased familiarity with the problem will boost your ability to intelligently continue exploring possible solutions to the problem.

This is the reason why we always want to find people who have had “experience” in a certain field or vocation. We expect such persons to bring with them some amount o know-how that will facilitate getting the job done – unlike someone who is new on the job, who may still be learning the ropes.

The implication of the above is that if you form the habit of engaging in problem solving, you’ll transform yourself over time into a useful resource person that others will love to have around. That applies to friends, associates, employers and even clients.

In other words it will make you better off in life!

This article was written based on excerpts from my Self-Development Bible™ titled “Ten Ways You Can Use Self-Development to Create the Future You Want”.