The best time to deal with a problem is when you have dealt with yourself first.

Most people are too close to their problems to understand what they really are. The closer you are to your challenges, the less you can see past them. Challenges are neither big nor small in and of themselves. It’s what you compare them to that makes the difference. For example: is your house big or small? Well, that’s a relative question. Compared to a tiny house, it’s big, but compared to a massive home, it’s small. The challenges you are facing right now are only as big or small as what you are comparing them to.

Unfortunately, most people view problems way out of proportion. It’s like taking a quarter and holding it up one inch from your eye–it appears to be huge, blocking your view from everything. In reality, though, it’s only less than an inch in diameter.

Never deal with a problem when you are still in the emotional debris caused by it. Never make decisions in the dumps. Will Rogers said, “When you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging.” 

You can’t solve problems in the wrong state of mind. Deal with yourself before you deal with the problem. If you are angry, hurt, bitter, or frustrated at your problems, it can easily cloud your judgment. Don’t react to problems…act on problems. Understand that the more emotionally invested you are in a challenge, the harder it becomes to solve it.

You have to deal with your response to the problem before you can deal with the problem itself. You have to stay cool and be alert. Make sure you are preemptively keeping yourself physically, emotionally, spiritually, and socially healthy. The more you do to keep yourself sharp, the greater the margin you have before you lose yourself.