I remember exactly where I was and how I felt the first time I heard the words of Bob Proctor,
“You are the only problem you will ever have and the only solution.”
At the time, I was so, so miserable. I’d reached a point in my teaching career where I was just drowning in paperwork, data collection and demands. I felt like I’d chosen the wrong career, but also couldn’t see an alternative. I felt lost, but also stuck. I was hopeless.
My misery was exacerbated by the fact that I’d become a Dementor. My thoughts and words were a continuous loop of blame, depression, anger and overall negativity. I’d tell anyone who’d listen how I – we – the children, were the victims of our broken education system. I was a broken record, playing the same awful song, sucking the life out of anyone nearby.
This quote opened my eyes to the fact that I wasn’t a victim. And I could change my situation.
I’d previously felt that I was swimming in a vast sea of overwhelming problems; wave after vicious wave, hitting me with such force that I was gasping for breath, my legs exhausted from treading water. What I realised was that I’d had a life-jacket all along – I just wasn’t using it.
So I blew up my life jacket, dropped the rocks out of my pockets and picked a direction to swim in.
Initially, I used this knowledge to change the way that I approached that job. I threw myself into self-help, stopped my post-school ranting sessions and made myself focus on the positive aspects of the job. When I realised that despite my best efforts, that particular job just wasn’t good for me, I made the decision to leave. And off I went.
No matter what situation you’re in; no matter what obstacles you face; no matter how bleak things seem; there is always a choice. Because – for one last time:
“You are the only problem you will ever have and the only solution.”
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