Many students have difficulty with word problems in math. Having to think in logical ordered steps is often so frustrating that students often give up and declare that they are simply not good in math. While I experienced, and continue to experience, that frustration, I have learned that life itself is merely a series of word problems. Some students are able to visualize the steps, others need to talk through the steps, and yet others need to draw pictures and diagrams, but the questions in each case are, what are you trying to find out, and what steps must you take to solve the problem.
Whether you are sitting in the office of a psychologist, psychiatrist, medical doctor, lawyer, mechanic, or boiling over with anger, you have a word problem. In each case, a clear picture of what has happened, what is going on, and what steps must be taken to solve the problem, must be established. Just as words describe the problem, words describe the solution. A weight and medical problem may be described by saying, “I have eaten too many calories, without burning them off, over the past thirty years, causing undue stress on my heart, body, and mind.” In resolution to the problem one may say, “I will reduce my caloric intake, eat healthier foods, and increase my exercise consistently over the next five years, which will produce a healthier heart, body, and mind, and just might add years to my life.”
When we struggle and suffer in life, perhaps it is because we have not learned how walk and talk our way through our word problems. Problems in marriage, relationships, finance, and every area of life can be addressed, and perhaps solved, by understanding what is going on, how we got here, what we want to find out, what we want see happen, and what steps are needed for the solution. Life problems are “word problems” and we must discipline ourselves to find formulas and order our steps for the solutions.