What's the problem?

"Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines"

-Unknown

As you have probably gathered, one of my favourite things to quote in my blogs are sayings that I have picked up along the way. Whether it's sayings I heard as a child, or quotes that I have heard in my everyday life, everyone has sayings that have stuck with them.

Today I was reminded of a saying that seems to be popping up everywhere I go at the moment - "A problem shared is a problem halved."

In my line of work there are different skills that can help to make the job a lot easier. From ICT skills to communication skills, there are different ways that the job can be made easier. But, unless you are superman, there's no way you can possess all the skills needed.

Nobody has it all, but working as part of a team means that there is always someone who has a particular strength that can be drawn upon. That's what makes a good team; being able to draw on the strengths of those who have them. It's not only within my field of work that this works. Wherever it is you find yourself in life, there will always be those people around you who will have strengths and skills that can help you out.

This morning, as part of my role in work, I took part in a meeting to evaluate a new program to be used in schools. As the morning went on it was clear to see that the room was full of people who brought with them lots of experiences and skills in a range of areas. As we sat listening to the presenter, it was clear to see that people across the room had something to say regarding different elements. No one person could have challenged all the aspects being shown, but having a team of people together with different strengths and knowledge meant we could really get down to the nitty gritty. On my own I couldn't do it, but together we could really challenge what we were being shown.

Not only that but we started to see that, amongst all of us, we could create our own versions of what we were being shown. All we needed to do was bring our heads together and share out the task. After all, a problem shared is a problem halved.

But it's not just in work situations that sharing things out can help us.

And so I end with this thought.

Life is full of times where we face things that we can't deal with on our own. There are times where we simply have to share the problem we are facing. In essence that's what the saying "A problem shared is a problem halved" is talking about. But it doesn't just mean the hard problems your facing.

There are many times in life where we just simply have to ask for help when we struggle - even with the small things. When we are not sure about something or unsure of what to do, very often we try to sort it out ourselves rather than to ask for help.

Whatever it is you are facing in life, whatever the problem you are facing, big or small, know that there are people who are simply waiting for you to share it. Never be afraid to ask for help!

There's not one person who can do everything themselves, but sharing those things you are facing is certainly the first step!

Bywyd sydd yn byw! - Just living life!

RM