Most people are capable of most things: Distinguishing fake problems from real ones.

How do we determine if a problem is real or fake? …

Have you ever been faced with an issue that needed to be taken care of or else the consequences would have a less than desirable outcome?

These are the kind of problems that would have a real effect if not dealt with. Some that come to mind are:

• Not having enough money to pay for rent.
• Getting fired or laid-off from work.
• Missing the train so now you’ll be late for work.

These are all real situations with real consequences. And even though you may have a moment of panic, worry, or anger, something happens within us to push the emotions to the side, get clear, and take action.

• If you don’t have enough money to pay rent, you’ll probably find a way to make extra cash by taking a part-time job, asking for a raise, or getting a loan.
• If you get fired or laid-off from your job, you might panic for a few moments, but at some point you’ll start to look for new work, have interviews, and eventually accept a new job.
• If you miss your train and will now be late for work, you might be a little frustrated, but eventually, you’ll call your boss to let them know you’ll be a little late and either wait for the next train or call an Uber.

The point is, we do really well when facing problems that have real consequences. We might get emotional for a bit, but eventually, we get clear and develop a solution.

The other side of that coin are fake problems.

These problems start in our minds as questions and are usually followed by the prompt, “what if…”

• “What if I can’t close that deal or make that sale?”
• “What if I can’t lose weight?”
• “What if I fail at this?”

These are not problems. They are a misuse of imagination. And they can occupy an enormous amount of our thoughts and energy.

Any answer you give to the question “what if?” will be your imagination running wild, and usually in the wrong direction.

I don’t know about you, but I am crap at predicting the future. Trying to predict an outcome usually results in fear, anxiety, and stess. Not the best headspace for making decisions.

So knowing that we handle real problems with relative ease, and crap at handling made up problems, maybe instead of asking, “what if?”, we ask, “is this problem real or fake?”

And, as best you can, try and let go of the fake problems knowing that when a real problem comes along, you got this!