The 40% Rule: How to Start Solving Big Problems

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with weekends.

That probably goes back to my days selling real estate, when Saturdays and Sundays were the busiest and most intense days of the week. The proverbial “Have a good weekend” used to really annoy me, if I’m honest. But over time, as my business matured, I was able to embrace more of a traditional weekend rhythm, letting problems wait until Monday.

Lately, though, I’ve noticed a shift.

Instead of letting my problems wait for me on Monday, I’ve been carrying them with me into Saturday and Sunday. Realizing this wasn’t working, I sat down on Sunday and wrote three full pages in my journal—just the phrase “solutions and opportunities” over and over again.

Of course, simply writing “solutions and opportunities” isn’t enough. I also have to stay in motion and keep trying things.

Solutions need to be shaped and breathed into existence over time. They rarely fall from the sky, and no one is ever 100% solutions-focused all the time.

But I’ve found that if you can get to at least 40% solution-focused, that’s often enough to give real opportunities the oxygen they need to appear.

Let me give you an example.

This morning, I spoke with a prospective Alchemy member. She was frustrated by how much she was paying in taxes, but also felt too overwhelmed to take meaningful action. We spoke 12 months ago, and she’s still in exactly the same place. Why? Because she’s 95% focused on the problem, and only 5% on a solution. That’s just not a strong enough ratio to move forward.

The truth is, problems and solutions are like most things in life—you’ll never get the balance perfect. But the goal isn’t perfection. It's movement.

So when you’re facing a problem, ask yourself: Am I at least 40% focused on the solution?

If not, how can you shift the ratio, even by just 5%? What’s the next concrete baby step you can take to begin solving one of your biggest challenges?