JORGE RODRIGUES SIMAO

No doubt you have noticed that it isn't all that difficult to get advice for your problems - regardless of the size or nature. To be sure, most individuals will be more than happy to give you guidance on anything imaginable and declare that it is great advice. A lot of them have likely adopted one of Oscar Wilde's principles: "The only thing to do with good advice," concluded Oscar, "is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself."

This, in fact, is a darn good question. A problem occurs when there is a difference between what "should be" and what "is" between the ideal and the actual situation. The key to correcting something that is not right in our lives is to try to figure out what is wrong. Put another way, we must identify the problem correctly.

For some odd reason a large majority of people think that their problems are a lot more serious than they really are. You may be one of them. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that practically everyone else out there has a much easier life than you. But as Socrates pointed out, "If all our misfortunes were laid in one common heap whence everyone must take an equal portion, most people would be contented to take their own and depart." Think that you and your problems are so important?

Have you ever considered that your perception of reality could be wrong? If you haven't, this is a pretty good sign that it is. One of the great creations of the human mind is a perception of reality that has absolutely no relationship to it. Thus, you have to be careful with what you perceive as reality. Any misrepresentation of it is a lie. This will cause you all sorts of big problems in life, particularly when you perceive circumstances more much more serious than they really are.