Problem Thinking vs Outcome Thinking

Outcome thinking

Outcome thinking provides a focus for what you want to achieve, the ensuing effects and the resources required to achieve it.

It is about deciding what you want in a given situation. Focus is on the future. Gives you direction and general purpose in life. Until you know what you want, you will be directionless and aimless in life. Your results will be random. Outcome thinking gives you control over the direction you want your life to take.

Present State ----------------------------------------------------------> Desired State

(Where you are but prefer not to be) (Where you want to be)

Resources

(Mental strategies, language, physiology, emotional states, beliefs and values)

Questions:

- What do I want?

- What do I prefer?

Problem thinking

Problem thinking is the opposite of outcome thinking. It focuses on what is wrong or needs to be fixed rather than what is sought after.

Focus is on past or present. Guaranteed to make you feel worse because you have to dig deeper into the problem. Makes us feel bad and less resourceful - we cannot think clearly and it is a lot harder to come up with a solution in such a state. Problem thinking actually makes a problem harder to solve.

Questions:

- What is wrong?

- How long has it gone on for?

- When did it start?

- Whose fault is it?

- Why haven't you solved it yet?