[Neurons] 2026 Neurons #13 THE SECRET OF PROBLEM-SOLVING

Mon Mar 23 05:35:40 EET 2026

From: L. Michael Hall, Meta at acsol.net 

2026 Neurons #13

March 23, 2026

Problem Solving Expertise #13

THE SECRET

TO EFFECTIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING

Many people think that the art of solving problems means being creative or
intelligent or lucky.  Actually and amazingly, it is none of these.  So what
is it?  Experts in problem-solving are effective because they know how to
ask critical questions.  They know how to cut through all of the noise and
mess that comes with problems and which can distract and/or overwhelm us.

The secret of effective problem-solving is not being ingenious enough to
invent some new solution.  It is not even that!  The secret is rather in the
art of questioning.  For instance, with any and every problem, the first
critical question should be, "Has anyone on Planet Earth ever had a problem
like this before and, if so, did they solved it?"  If so, you don't need to
create an entirely new solution.  Isn't that great?  You just need to find
out what has already proven effective.  After all, why spend the time,
energy, and money to reinvent a solution which is already available?

The next critical question is this: Is the problem an internal problem or an
external problem?  Asking this question distinguishes personal problems from
impersonal problems.  External problems are impersonal because they are
functions of physics, gravity, chemistry, forces, mechanics, processes,
tools, etc.  Here know-how and the right tools are key.  Additional external
factors also play into the solution: time, personnel, money, purpose, etc.
Here also the bigger the external problem (which is a condition or situation
in the world), it will require more people to solve it.  That means the
solution will be a collaborative effort of a group, organization, industry,
government, etc.

If it is an internal problem (and therefore personal), it is a function of
meaning-of ideas, concepts, beliefs, understandings, etc.  And whereas the
concept of causation works perfectly well with external conditions and
situations, the idea of 'cause' on the inside is entirely psychological.  It
is about how one is thinking, remembering, imagining, believing, etc.  That
requires an entirely different skill-set.

An external problem, by definition, is something that is "thrown in your
path" that blocks and interferes (Greek: pro-blemo, to throw).  It could be
a faulty mechanism, the wrong timing, mis-coordination, lack of a key
resource, lack of political will-all sorts of interferences.  Solving the
problem then focuses on addressing the blockage and resolving it.  That's
why know-how as good thinking is central to external problems. 

For internal problems, the thing that blocks and interferes is some kind of
an inadequate thinking -a belief, memory, rule, perception, way of thinking,
etc.  The block lies in the person's mind.  Perhaps the person doesn't have
the know-how, or a good strategy for being resilient, persistent, assertive,
competent, etc.  Perhaps the person has limiting beliefs which block him.
Perhaps she has limiting decisions, understandings, etc.  Solving personal
problems focuses on changing the thinking that's creating the problem.  It
means framing or reframing things in a different way to get a better
perspective and attitude.

Now because internal problems are psychological, we can say that they are
psycho-logical (this follows what Korzybski introduced in Science and
Sanity).  That is, 'logical' to the way the person's mind (psyche) thinks
about something.  

Take criticism as an example.  How do you think about someone criticizing
you?  In your thinking, do you personalize the criticism?  Do you awfulize
it?  Do you think, "This will forever cast a dark shadow on my future?"
Your thinking here describes your psycho-logics-your internal way of
constructing meaning, and as you so think, so you feel, perceive, and act.
This describes how you internally 'cause' or create your psychological
reality.  It's how you construct your problems.

And, knowing this is the secret to managing it!  It's with awareness of how
you construct your meanings that you can stop one constructing process and
begin constructing another.  It's in your power to do that.  And the more
you do this, the greater grows your capacity for creating your internal
psycho-logics so they serve you well.  Problems are created inside-out and
problems are solved inside-out.  That's why in the problem-solving process,
we do the meta probe with ourselves and others.  That is, we have to go
inside the mind.  That's where the problem was generated in the first place,
that is where it will finally be resolved.

Personal News & Schedule for 2026

This year my focus is primarily on the Thinking Brand of Neuro-Semantics.
But I will be doing some of the other trainings.

April: ACMC in Bali in April will be one of the last ones that I will do.
If you're thinking about re-visiting, this might be the time.  Contact
Mariani Ng for information --- mariani_ng at meta-mind.com 

August (August 14-16 and 18-20) I'll be in Melbourne Australia for Thinking
for Humans and Resilience.  Both of these are especially important for
Meta-Coaches since you coach your client's way of thinking and their inner
ability to be unstoppable.  The greater your skill; the greater your impact.

If you're interested, contact Madeleine Robinson at
Mads at thecoachingroom.com.au  for the details.  This will be the first time
back to Australia in 6 years and would love to catch up to our
Neuro-Semantic community there.

Mauritius:  Mauritius in July (17-21) Five Minute Manager and (23-25)
Thinking for Humans.  Contact  Joyce Clever thecleverwayinfo at gmail.com for
more information on this.

L. Michael Hall, Ph.D.

Executive Director, Neuro-Semantics

738 Beaver Lodge

Grand Jct., CO. 81505 USA

 <http://www.neurosemantics.com/> www.neurosemantics.com   

cid:261CED33-4408-4124-862B-B9A4B37A367A

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