Problems are as much a part of our lives as is eating or drinking. In other words, they are always present and I firmly believe that one should, when faced with a problem, actively and purposefully try to solve it.  Every problem has a solution and finding it is not so hard as, according to the Penguin Dictionary of Psychology, problem solving means nothing more that “the processes involved in the solution of a problem.” And once a problem is broken down into these processes it becomes infinitely easier to solve. The biggest problem I recently faced was being left without a job.  I am a freelance journalist supporting myself by working on contract to various newspapers and magazines.  Given the global financial crisis and general economic recession, which has caused so many companies to let go of a part of their workforce I too was faced with a large part of my contracts cancelled or put on hold indefinitely. So here I was with bills to pay and my monthly income reduced by almost two thirds, but I decided to tackle the problem constructively.

One of the best problem solving methods involves five processes that make up the complete problem resolving process.  These processes are:

1. Identification or recognition that there is a problem.   This is of course crucial to problem solving and many people are simply not able to tell that a problem exists and therefore do not have the need to find a solution.  Needless to say, no problem gets solved if this first process is not fulfilled.

2. Definition of the problem, which may involve the classification of the type of problem and building an abstract representation of it.  The final solution of any problem is very much dependent on the way the problem was initially understood and defined, since different representations of the problem lead to different attempts at solutions and, consequentially, to different solutions.

3. Exploration of the strategies by which to reach a solution. This process is again dependent on the initial recognition and subsequent definition of the problem faced, as these two processes define the strategy that is then used to resolve the problem.

4. Acting on the planned strategies.  This process needs to special description as the name says it all; it involves carrying out the strategies outlined in the previous step.

5. Reflecting on and learning from the outcome of our problem solving strategies.  This is the last step and is utilized after a solution strategy has been attempted and visible results have been achieved.   It involves evaluating these results, as well as the strategy that was used to obtain them and consequently revising the ineffective strategies, while keeping the successful ones.  

The above are, of course, the more academic processes of resolving a problem while in practice I adhered to the proposed steps more loosely. After first recognizing that I had a problem I then defined this problem clearly.  I did this in terms of measurable categories, namely I added up all my monthly expenditures on one side and my monthly income on the other.  Thus I was able to see how much I needed to earn to break even, while I also calculated how much time I had to spend on earning this level of income.  Given that I had already exhausted the most readily apparent sources of monthly income I next had to come up with a list of some more unconventional potential sources of income.  The internet jumped out immediately as a viable option to earn a steady monthly pay.  I had previously not explored the possibility of writing online, or writing for the web as it is more commonly referred to, but upon researching it I found a good number of options.  I next made a list of five possible internet sites through which I could start earning a monthly income, while I also set a personal deadline of thirty days by which I wanted to see concrete and measurable results.  I signed up for these services and started writing, giving it my best effort, but keeping in mind my self-imposed deadline.

When the thirty days were up I evaluated the results and found that three of the five places to were not sufficient earners in terms of the work/pay ratio, or rather, that too much work was required to gain a less than adequate monetary reward.  In other words, after thirty days I evaluated the strategy for solving my problem of earning a steady and adequate monthly income.  I kept writing for the two websites that were meeting my income criteria and stopped writing for the three that did not.  Since my monthly income goal was not yet met I repeated the problem solving process this time from step three onwards, picking different writing-for-the-web outlets. 

I am currently still in the process of evaluating this new batch by the same criteria as in the first round and I am confident that my approach to resolving the problem of again gaining a steady monthly income is the correct one.  After all I firmly identify with the advice given by Theodore Roosevelt when he said, “Have you got a problem? Do what you can where you are with what you've got.”