August 24. “Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don’t have any problems, you don’t get any seeds.” (Norman Vincent Peale)

The powerful metaphor at work in Norman Vincent Peale’s quote, is that the problems we face in life present the opportunities (the seeds) of our long term growth. If we never face turmoil, if we never stumble into the potholes of life, then we will never discover those seeds.

Over the course of my life I have seen this played out time and again. I have talked before about how some of my greatest difficulties in life also presented some of the best opportunities. There is the adage that when one door closes, another opens, and that has been my observation as well.

Every day presents new problems of one form or another for me to address and solve. Sometimes I approach them with dread and foreboding because I don’t like when things go off the track I have in my mind. When I see these inevitable problems as obstacles, rather than opportunities, I rob myself of far more than half of their value.

The reflection I take from this quote is on how I approach my problem solving. Only when I honestly see problems as opportunities can I ever grow from them.