The word “hunt” drips with aggression. When you imagine someone hunting, you don’t picture them casually picking flowers in a field, you imagine gritted teeth, sweat, and probably a gun or two (or maybe you imagine a cat because of the picture.1 I thought about using a human hunter picture, but cats. Yes, that was a one word argument.)
One of my strengths is that I hunt for solutions. It’s a useful skill to have when you have as many problems as I do.
The Two Types of Problems
In life, I think we have two types of problems.
- Background Problems: Some problems exist “in the background” of our lives. We know they exist, but they don’t affect our mind, schedules, or actions very much. For example, maybe you don’t like a coworker, but it doesn’t affect you 94% of the time.
- In Your Face Problems: Other problems interfere with our lives. They affect what we do, how we think, and alter our typical course of action. These problems are the worst and we’ve all had them.
Ah, My Back!
Four months ago, because of moving furniture or doing kettle bell swings or a combination of the two, I felt like I “tweaked” my upper back. I didn’t think much of it, and continued to play basketball and work out, but it progressed into daily tension headaches. They started above my right eyebrow and went around my skull down to my neck. Then I developed neck pain whenever I turned my head to the right. I had some rough days and became sedentary for a time trying to rest it. Exercise is key for my sanity, so I was suffering from inactivity.
This was an “in your face” problem because it greatly interfered with my lifestyle and brought me down psychologically. I’ve seen improvement since I stopped casually looking for a solution, and started hunting for them. Here are the steps I’ve taken.
- I massaged my back with a chair massager.
- I took hot epsom salt baths.
- I floated in a sensory deprivation tank.
- I scheduled a physical therapy session to try to diagnose the issue.
- I did daily PT stretches and exercises.
- I scheduled weekly professional deep tissue massages.
- I’ve begun following my massages with the float tank for recovery.
- I got a tennis ball and a rumble roller to keep my back loose between massages.
As you can see, I’ve tried a lot of things. Through trial and error, I’ve discovered that the muscles along the right side of my upper back have tightened up to a ridiculous degree. I’ve begun focusing mostly on deep tissue massage and I’m finally seeing real improvement for the first time in months. It’s not completely better yet, but I’m on the right track.
Hunters Don’t Come Back Until They Have Dinner
The difference between looking around for a solution and hunting for a solution is intensity and dedication. A casual browser will look around the immediate area and leave if there’s nothing interesting. A hunter will keep looking until he finds something.
You might have some “in your face” problems now, but you also have the opportunity to hunt for a solution that works. This applies to business, health problems, relationship problems, and more. It’s interesting how we willingly live with totally correctable problems, isn’t it?
I hope this encourages you to hunt for solutions to your biggest problems, because sometimes the greatest blessings in life come from conquering problems that hold us back. When I fully regain the health of my back and neck—and I am determined to do that—the world will feel brand new to me.
What solutions out there are waiting for you to find them? Have you really tried everything, or have you given up the hunt? If a problem impairs your life, keep hunting for answers. You never know what you’ll find that could change your life.