Problems Offer Opportunities.

People encounter several problems throughout their life, and they either correct the problem, or even go beyond what the problem was about in the first place, or they just leave it at that. Ellington’s statement “When presented with a problem, it is a good chance to do your best” explains that when someone encounters a problem, they are given the large opportunity to do their best to either fix the problem, solve the problem, or fail trying. Duke Ellington’s statement is true, everyone encounters problems, and if they correct them, they have a chance to learn something new about themselves, or the world around them.

Almost my entire time playing volleyball was a huge challenge because my coach didn’t like me. Every practice, I always did something that made my coach mad. Half of the time, I didn’t even know what caused it, or it was something trivial. Every week it was the same exact battle with her, with me showing her up regarding my abilities. I had a coach that not only didn’t trust me, but she also didn’t like me. Every week, she made it more difficult for me to actually want to play any more. There were several times where I just wanted to call my mom for her to pick my up early, walk out of practice, and never go back. I didn’t, though, because I knew that is exactly what she would have wanted. In some ways, I probably created the problem in the first place because she didn’t want people to go against her judgement, but sometimes her judgement was not very good. Although I didn’t really realize it at the time, it is kind of a good thing that I went through what I did. Because of all of the issues with my coach, I now will not tolerate people pushing me around, and I will stick up for myself because I am sick and tired of it. I also now realize that people can not tell me what I can or cannot do because they do not think I can or will be able to at all.

Another great example of this would be most scientists throughout history, such as Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, and many other things. Edison was told growing up that he was stupid, and that he would never be able to actually learn anything. He then went on to invent some of the greatest achievements technologically in history that really modernized the way that people lived. When he was going through the process of developing the light bulb, he failed several times. He did not stop after failing or encountering problems. He kept on going and pushed through. When he had finally finished and created a successful version of the incandescent light bulb, he had failed roughly 1,000 times. Except, he did not stop. With the invention of the light bulb, people no longer had to use fires or candles to light their homes, eliminating fire hazards, and it extended the workday, so people could continue working through the night if necessary. Another great example is Mozart. He started playing piano at a young age, and developed his skills throughout his lifetime. He composed many great songs, but unfortunately developed a ringing in both of his ears that did not stop. He eventually went deaf, and people believed that he would not be able to compose or play music anymore because he could not hear it. He composed many great pieces, even after he went deaf. Both of these men were expected to stop after things got rough, and they didn’t. They overcame their problems, and solved them by themselves, completely shocking everyone who told them that they should just stop.

Some people, however, may argue the opposite: problems are problems. There are no opportunities presented in a problem. This is somewhat true, as not all problems do have something good to them, but a majority of the time, they do. Most people who think this way probably just see the bad in people and things all of the time, and never see the good. I even thought and saw this way once. I had this girl in my class who didn’t like me for some odd reason, and at the time, I didn’t see that what she was putting me through was not only harming me, but it was also helping me in a way. I had to argue with her and claw myself out of so many bad situations because of her, that due to the way she treated me and the way my coach treated me, I developed decent argument and communication skills from them. Mainly because I had to tell people what happened between us so many times, that I would have to explain a situation that happened at least three times. So many other people throughout history, and even now, have faced similar challenges and have overcome them to prove to people that they are not what they say they are.

Now looking back it, my problem seems pretty trivial compared to theirs, but not all problems are related to physical or mental things. Overall, I would have to agree with the statement “problems are a chance for you to do your best” not only because I have lived it and done it, but because so many other people have lived it and done it too. It is pretty wild to think that something so small could impact you in a way that could change your life and the lives of the people around you.

“Welcoming All Problems” by zachtrek is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0