FIND THE ROOT CAUSE AND FIX IT

On a recent flight from Hong Kong to Shanghai, I was flipping through a newspaper and noticed this headline: “Beijing recruits scientists to wipe out pollution.” The article went on to taut all the great scientific research that China is doing to clear air pollution and the fact that “scientists had yet to find truly effective measures to reduce smog.” While some may have read this article with relief or optimism, I was a bit bothered and disgusted.

This is a perfect example of addressing symptoms and not dealing with the root cause of the problem. Now, I’m not a pollution scientist, but I think I have a solution – stop the factories and automobiles from spewing out pollutants in the first place.

Blog – Cause not Symptoms 2

Unfortunately, this type of behavior is prevalent. Doctors do it when they blindly write prescriptions after asking the patient only a few basic questions. Teachers do it when they help students with rote memorization techniques to score well on standardized exams, as opposed to helping students gain a deep understanding of the content.

When it comes to our personal health we’re all guilty, including myself. Too often we want the quick fix. We come up with a solution that ‘temporarily’ fixes a symptom of a problem we’re facing and we think we’ve solved it. Yet the problem returns. We drink coffee to stay awake, when really we simply need to sleep more the night before. We take pills to stop headaches, when we should just drink more water since the root cause of many common headaches is dehydration. As an Executive Health Coach, I hear many such examples on a regular basis.

So what am I suggesting?

I’m suggesting that if you have a nagging recurring issue with your health (mental, physical or emotional), take time to properly assess the situation. Dig deep to find the root cause of the problem even if it uncovers more pain. Because once you address the root cause – all of the symptoms will go away. Yes all of them!

How do you do that? Three suggestions:

1) Ask Yourself Questions: Assess your situation frequently by asking yourself what you may have done this morning, last night, or last week to have caused the problem? And what are you doing on a regular basis to add fuel to the flame to create the recurring problem?

2) Answer Your Questions Without Bias or Judgment: Only when you are true to yourself will you uncover the deepest problems

3) Take Action: Once you’ve figured out the problem you’ve completed the most difficult task. Now don’t just stand there complaining, do something about it.

On my flight back to Hong Kong, I sat next to a 40-something year old woman who was dressed in business attire and somewhat flustered as I assume she rushed to get to the plane on time. I didn’t think anything of it.

After one movie and a meal was complete, she removed her bag from the overhead compartment and took out a book and a pen. When she put them on her tray table, I quickly glanced over and couldn’t help but smile because I had recently recommended the same book to a friend of mine. It was a book called, “What Color is Your Parachute?” – one of the best selling books for job hunters and career changers.

What is most interesting about this book is not the tips for finding a job, but rather the deep probing questions and written exercises that help the reader think carefully about what is most important to them. These exercises are a personal audit and are meant to help the reader to figure out the characteristics of a job or career that is best suited to them.

As an executive health coach, I often tell my customers to engage in a similar personal audit – something I call a self-assessment. Too often when trying to improve our health we jump into an activity immediately because it’s what we ‘assume’ is best. For example, signing up for a fitness club membership, following the latest fad diet, or taking a weekend retreat to Thailand. Unfortunately, many of these activities fail to address our long term needs.

If you take even just a few minutes to do a proper personal audit, then it will be relatively very simple to determine the activity that will address your need. In a recent blog post called “Why Annual Health Checks Are Insufficient,” I discuss the importance of daily self assessments as way to mitigate long term health concerns and the FCO Assessment as a tool to help you do so.

I have a love hate relationship with technology.

On one hand, technology has enabled my productivity to advance at leaps and bounds, has improved my communication with colleagues, family, and long lost friends, and has entertained me on long runs and long flights. Auto-syncing cloud storage, software as a service, and all-in-one devices. I love the spirit of them all. Simplicity and efficiency!

But on the other hand, I am a big proponent of independence – and technology has created a dependency on a material object that leaves me in a constant state of personal conflict.

Blog – Pen and Paper

Technology helps me record my thoughts – it doesn’t help me think! Technology helps me document my creativity – it doesn’t help me be creative.

If I want the biggest bang for my buck, I simply turn off my device, and sit down in a quiet place with a pen and paper.

When I stop checking my phone every free moment, my mind opens. Pictures, words and creativity spills onto the paper. An airline flight, a park bench, and a quiet cafe in a new part of town are some of my most productive places to think and create.

I simply turn off my devices for a few hours and find an environment where my mind can wander freely. This photo is of my notes for the ALMA Wellness 2014 plan and consisted of org charts, marketing plans, writing schedules and more. It resulted after only 20 minutes on the tarmac in Shanghai and 30 minutes in the air.

For other suggestions on how to clear your mind and focus your attention, check out our previous blog posts entitled Reduce Stress by Reducing Clutter and Free Walking: The Art of Stress Management.