James Koshigoe

Software engineer, entrepreneur and all around startup hacker type of guy.

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Solving problems

What if we are all responsible for everything that happens to us? If something undesirable happens, maybe it’s someone else’s fault, or the unfortunate consequence of an unlucky circumstance, but what if it’s our fault too? Whether we initiated it or we’re just a victim of the way the world works, maybe that’s our responsibility to shoulder for being alive.

Have you ever heard the phrase the first step is to admit you have a problem? I’m sure plenty of alcoholics have heard it. Perhaps that concept can be applied more liberally, and not just during moments of clarity. Applied to everything. To all problems. The problem is yours, and it’s mine.

I’ve got 99 problems, but responsibility ain’t one… Ok, stupid joke. My bad.

If I’m faced with a problem, I like to solve it. It can be pretty liberating. Maybe that’s because I’m an engineer and that’s generally what I get paid to do. The more problems that I solve, the better I feel.

I try my best not to blame others. Sometimes its their fault, but it’s also mine. If I am part of the circumstance, it’s my responsibility to take care of it. Nobody likes a complainer anyway. Complaining is like revenge: it feels good, but the feeling is fleeting. It only makes things worse. Others will feel worse. I will feel worse.

The world is a dynamic place. It changes. Things happen. All that can be done is to evolve, adapt. That’s how we survive. One problem at a time.

So when faced with a problem, I will be the first to admit it is my problem. I will take care of it.