The {Problem} with Having No Problems

Well there’s your problem.

But I thought you said I don’t have a problem. I’m confused.

Exactly. That is the problem. How are you ever going to triumph over adversity if you don’t ever have a problem?

So you think I should go out and find a problem?

I think that’s a good start to getting a problem, sure.

But isn’t no problems better than some problems, generally?

I’d say that no problems is the best case scenario, probably always. Almost always, in fact.

But you want me to have problems.

No, I want you to overcome problems. I would never want for someone to have problems. What kind of counselor do you think I am?

I guess that is confusing me, too, right now.

I’m just saying it’s a hole in your résumé. Do you want to be the kid who always got it right?

I think I do.

Well, unfortunately they don’t want that from you. Perfect is unbelievable at best and unsustainable at worst, in the real world.

It’s been sustainable for me so far, though. I find it very easy to avoid problems, if I just think straight.

What if you found a correctable problem?

Like a little one?

A big one that you could overcome, would always be preferential to a little one to overcome, in most people’s eyes. But you’re going to want to be careful that you don’t take on a problem so big you can’t overcome it. That would really be a problem.

And, by that, you mean a bad problem.

Obviously. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your lack of experience with problems makes overcoming them that much more difficult. I really wish we hadn’t left this until senior year.

So if I just start with a little problem, and triumph over it, maybe that will help set me up to best a medium-sized problem, since I’ll have some experience. And with a medium-sized problem under my belt, a big problem won’t seem so impossible.

You just want to make sure you don’t start making a habit of collecting problems. It’s a slippery slope.

I once fell down when I was learning to ski.

Everyone falls down when they’re learning to ski. I think that would make you seem out of touch, if you thought that set you apart.

I busted my butt getting all A’s and getting a 1600 on the SATs. I didn’t even want to play the French horn, but I was told it would look good, and now I am an alternate with the city’s orchestra. It would have saved me a lot of time to know I should have let something fall by the wayside. Maybe I should just drop out of the orchestra. Or quit the debate team. Or throw my next swim meet.

And risk your perfect record! That’s a major selling point for you!

So is it better to have those big achievements or to have overcome problems?

I think being great is always better than trying to become great, by nature.

I don’t really like nature. Maybe that’s something.

It is something, but it’s hard to call that a problem. If you were allergic to nature, now that would be a heck of a solution to our problem problem.

What if we just posed it as not having overcome problems is the problem that I’ve overcome?

It’s a risk. They could see through it. They aren’t stupid.