The Real Secret to Wealth: Be Bigger Than Your Problems, Not Smaller

You’re at your desk after lunch, that sinking feeling growing as you revisit a problem that hasn't budged for weeks. The email about an overdue bill triggers tension in your shoulders, or maybe the missed deadline at work lingers in your mind, threatening your sleep. It’s so tempting to wish the problem away or to shrink from confronting it head-on. But every successful person you know seems to handle bigger obstacles with surprising ease—what's their secret?

Here’s the paradox: wealthy and successful people don’t have fewer problems, they have grown bigger in the face of them. Behavioral psychology shows that people who focus their attention on building resilience, resourcefulness, and skills become solutions-oriented, while those who obsess over the size of the problem remain stuck.

Instead of asking why the mountain is so tall, ask how you can become a better climber. One executive took on a failing division and, rather than blaming external factors, wrote down ten things she could do—ranging from listening more to her team to seeking outside advice—and started with just one. Each small step shrank the mountain a little, and over time, the problem wasn’t so big after all.

Scientific evidence confirms: developing 'self-efficacy'—the belief in your ability to solve problems—creates a virtuous cycle of tackling ever-bigger opportunities. When your skills outgrow your trials, what once seemed impossible becomes an ordinary day at the office.

Today, look your biggest challenge in the eye—no matter how intimidating—and shift your energy away from worrying about the problem’s size. Instead, grab a pencil and write down what skills or mindsets would help you get unstuck. Do a rapid-fire brainstorm of ten actions, no matter how small or odd, and pick one to start. Remind yourself that you have handled tough things before, and this too can get easier as you grow your toolkit, one choice at a time.