Friday, January 19, 2024

Problems Big and Small

If you keep your problems in perspective, they can lead to positive outcomes

By Ryan Timmermans, Regional Director, Edmonton Member Centre

Problems are part of life. We all have to deal with them on a daily basis often personally and professionally.

Problems can range from simple to really complicated. Some are emotionally charged while others are mentally or physically straining. It takes patience, perseverance, and wisdom to navigate issues to good conclusion while keeping ourselves and others in a positive headspace. In truth, it can become a bit overwhelming if not kept in perspective.

I recently attended a Salvation Army fundraising dinner with guest speaker Georges Laraque, a former Edmonton Oiler and NHL enforcer. Like his playing style, Georges was direct and reflected on the things we often call problems.

He told the story about his life growing up in Montreal and the significant challenges he faced as a young boy of Haitian decent trying to get into the world of hockey, which unfortunately included severe moments of racism. With that as his backstory, he encouraged the group to keep problems in perspective, because in doing so, they can positively challenge and motivate us.

Georges took a moment to reflect about his parents’ homeland of Haiti and what people there are regularly dealing with. He suggested that often our day-to-day problems in Canada are affluent ones. Most of us are not dealing with lack of food, extreme poverty, gang violence, daily kidnappings, political upheaval, and war.

From this context, his final message was simple: always wear a smile on your face, be grateful, and be generous to others. If you keep your problems in perspective, they can lead to positive outcomes.

As we work through our daily challenges both large and small, it’s a good reminder that problems are normal and that they occur no matter who or where we are . But by keeping them in perspective and choosing our attitude in approaching them, we can significantly change the experience for us and the people we care about.

Problems Big and Small

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