There are a couple of resources at our fingertips which I see consistently under-utilised which help to solve problems or help people really get ahead with what they want to do in life. What do you do when confronted with a problem? Do you struggle with it for months frantically trying to come up with a solution? Do you talk with a few friends like yourself who are in similar situations who are also struggling to solve the same problem? When you're trying to get ahead, do you take advantage of shortcuts which help you to rapidly make huge progress (without making a lot of mistakes)?
The answers to most of our questions, solutions to the majority of our problems and the guidance to help us get way ahead with our lives are all there for us. Do you ever think "Oh, if I only knew how to..."? The answer to that question is there too. Wouldn't it be nice to have your own personal team of experts advising you every step of the way, mentors who are experienced in exactly what you're trying to do who have all (or many) of the answers? 'Wow, the answers to my questions, someone telling me how to solve these tough problems, secrets and shortcuts on how to do what I want in life!'
'Yeah, right. That stuff is only available to the very rich or the very lucky, not me. There's nobody sitting out there waiting to solve MY problems, to help ME get ahead. What a load of tosh!'
Actually, those answers and experts ARE right there for us, all day, every day. We simply haven't been taught or it may not be our natural inclination to tap into them. For some reason, we seem to think we have to figure out everything for ourselves. If we don't figure it out for ourselves, somehow it seems like cheating. Well, guess what? We're not in high school anymore (thank God!) and it's okay to look at the answers during the test!
Where can you find all these experts and answers? My two personal favourites, books and Google.
Now you're saying that sounds really simple and obvious. Duh, right? Back to my original question, what do you do when confronted with a question you don't know the answer to, a problem you don't know how to solve, or are seeking ways to get what you want out of life?
The first thing I do is make a trip to Borders or spend some time on Google.com. I tap into the knowledge of mankind (sounds pretty impressive, doesn't it?!) and search for my answers there first BEFORE I attempt to recreate the wheel by attempting to solve a problem which has already been solved. Why should I waste my time doing something someone else has already done for me? And by the way, most of the problems we attempt to solve have already been solved by someone else - so why invest our energy and our precious 750,000 Hours trying to solve them again?!
Throughout my life, I didn't have people standing beside me doling out answers as and when I needed them. Mentors were few and far between. Then one day I was wandering around Borders and I found a book on exactly how to deal with what I was facing, and then another, and another! 'Whoopie, bonanza, what a gift! Now I don't have to spend any more time worrying, fretting, banging my head against the wall trying to figure this out - it's all right here!' That day I learned to make my own mentors by seeking out the expertise available to me in books.
When I needed technical skills to increase my salary, the computing section helped me build those skills. When I wanted to get into management and later on consulting, there were plenty of management gurus with great advice for me. When I wanted to become debt free, people who had done that themselves showed me the way. When I wanted to create an income so I could retire at 46, the money and finance experts told me how to do it. And I took lots of advice from those who have sailed the world, they helped make my first forays out onto the ocean safer and more exciting.
The answers were all carefully written down for me. All I had to do was read the book and do what a very seasoned, experienced expert told me to do. 'Hmmm, that sounds too easy...'
There's a bit more to it than read a book and do what the author tells you to do, but not much. Finding the right book, the right author is also important. You can't just pick up any old book, do what it says, and you'll be successful. I use books written by 'true' experts. I look for books written by those who have done it, not those who write about doing it or those who make a living telling people how to do it, but actually haven't done it themselves. There are many theorists, academics, and pseudo experts out there. I have nothing against any of those three, but in selecting MY experts I want people who have actually been in the trenches, not those who have observed with binoculars - one has participated in the experience, the other has simply observed it - I want the first. Who has actually made the money from investing rather than from selling seminars on investing? Who has actually been in debt and then become financially free? Who has started their own business, quit their job, retired early? Who has restored a house in Italy or lived on a sailboat? Who has DONE what you want to do? That's your expert!
You can also do the same thing with Google (be equally sure about expertise here!). Type in your question or the problem you're trying to solve. Don't be afraid to use descriptive words. Rather than typing 'debt', type in 'how to eliminate debt and retire in 5 years'. The first search will deliver a load of rubbish and the second will lead you to a great deal of information which can give you ideas on how to solve that problem. (Most people get frustrated using search engines like Google because they type in very generic topics like 'debt' and get back millions of results containing the word debt, very few relating to their problem. Use lots of words, ask your question, you can always take some out!)
You also need to actually follow the advice of your expert - this means you must actually do something. The expert can lay it all out for you, detailed and step-by-step, but he cannot make you get up off your backside and do it. I have found many times that some human beings even when handed the solution to their problem on a silver platter prefer to continue to wallow around in fear, anxiety, and frustration. For some reason, they cannot seem to take that first step even when they have the answer right in front of them. They are not typically people engaged in making the most of their 750,000 Hours though.
Take a stroll through Borders with your question, problem or challenge in your mind. Pick up every book you see relating to that topic. Go to the cafe and get yourself a coffee. Flip through your stack of books until you've found your answer or found a book which walks you through getting to the answer. There's your expert, there's how to solve your problem. Now all you have to do is go and do it!
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