The Four Question Approach


What is the problem?

Look at the root cause and target that as the one thing to be addressed and settled. Ignore symptoms and side effects. Identify the one key problem.

What are the causes of the problem?

Honestly and efficiently identify what caused this problem, paying attention to hidden factors, side effects and seemingly uninvolved people.

What are the possible solutions?

Now that you know you root problem and why it is occurring, list the best possible ways of eliminating it. Discount nothing and factor in everything.

What is the best possible solution?

Logically and realistically select the single most effective and direct method of solving this problem. Avoid over-complications as well as simplistic options. Once you have discovered the best possible solution, take action!

This absolutely wonderful! What a great way to deal with an issue at hand.

Dos & Don'ts ~

Don't look for things to criticize - cause you WILL find them.

Don't tell others how to run their lives - unless it's a life or death situation.

Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don't set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.

Don't say others don't belong, or you wish they were dead. - Cause your NOT coming back from that!

Don't be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each other.

Don't give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don't dismiss your dreams. To be without dreams is to be without hope; to be without hope is to be without purpose.

Don't undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don't let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Don't run through life so fast that you forget not only where you've been, but also where you're going. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured each step of the way.

Don't shut love out of your life by saying it's impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give love. The fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.


And Now For The Do's ~

Do whatever you want, but be prepared to pick up the bill afterwards.

Do listen to well meaning advice - cause you don’t have time to learn everything.

Do trust that you have found your place in the world, and that you are in the best seat for you.

Do your best to reach out and touch someone’s heart, it is the random acts of kindness that help us to grow together.

Do try to be important in the life and heart of a child, because when you are gone that is where the best of you will reside and be remembered.

Do celebrate the important things; special dates, birthdays, anniversaries, all the special moments in time, each other, your life and life in general.

Do exercise your rights in a clear, calm manner. Shout and yell and people are apt to tune you out, whisper and they will draw closer to hear what is being said.

Do try to smile and nod at the people you pass on your way to the bus stop or the store, especially on a cold and frosty morning - you have no idea how warm they will feel inside if you do.

I can't decide which one is my favorite as each statement is so powerful.

Thank you. You are so kind.

A little validation goes such a long way.

Stay strong and stay above the battles.

Hi Yagita,
Its wonderful to read them again and again, its more than a sentence.

That is true! If there are problems, there can always be basis for solutions so better yet in solving dilemmas about addiction for instance, finding the cause makes it more possible to be solved to draw on better solutions on how to control oneself and live healthier.

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