The Difference between being Realistic and being Grounded

It is true that problems pop up and that most of the times you have to solve them on the spot because the IMMEDIATE COST would be huge.

For example, avoid losses from over production in a restaurant. It happens that in one day the restaurant produces much more food than it is sold. So, the next day, the restaurant decreases its normal production to minimum in order to compensate the over production from the previous day and avoid losses. This is an urgent (short term) problem, a fact that needs an immediate solution.

But, a fact is also that the problem doesn’t get solved because although the losses are REDUCED, they are not completely eliminated. So, there are still losses. In addition, the EVENT keeps REPEATING itself, meaning there are days when demand is much smaller than food production. It is a repetitive problem which means a long term cost.

Moreover, it also creates UNSATISFIED demand. At this point, unfortunately, the business owner doesn’t see unmet demand as an important FACTOR to cut the losses from overproduction and eventually, for influencing sales and profits.

So, there is no logical, immediate argument to prove that unmet demand is a factor for increasing sales and profits. Thus, there is no IMMEDIATE answer or solution that comes to mind to solve the problem of losses from over production or unsatisfied demand.

This means, the business owner perceives all the problems individually and DIFFERENT because time and space are relative, meaning every time you change POSITION or events around you change in the same space (e.g. restaurant), then you look at things differently and try to solve problems separately according to your relative position in the business. This means that according to the business owner’s perception, overproduction is a problem that has nothing to do with unmet demand. They are 2 different problems that need 2 distinct solutions.

But, I show in this article that once time and space disappear in the mind, ideas and solutions pop up. This is the Relativity Theory and applies to YOU and to everyone no matter if you see all the problems in your business INDIVIDUALLY or not.

This is how the mind works and has always worked and will always work for every single human being on this planet.

This means that no matter if you see all your business problems and activities separately or as a connected system, your mind will ALWAYS produce ideas and solutions in the same way: by CONNECTING different thoughts, ideas, factors that come from different times and spaces no matter if you think you are a pragmatic, realistic person, no matter if you are strategic or not, if you think you are smart or not, if you are a dreamer or not.

Our surrounding REALITY is a mirror of the MIND, this means that if the mind produces solutions when time and space disappear and FACTS get connected, then REALITY works based on the same principle, meaning ALL problems, facts, events, activities in the business are CONNECTED even if IMMEDIATELY and apparently you cannot see it with your naked eye and they all contribute together (not individually) to the END RESULT which is sales and profitability.

In our situation, this means that there is a CONNECTION between unmet demand and overproduction, between unmet demand and profitability and sales even if we don’t know and see exactly how. Maybe the connection is shallow or maybe it is meaningful. But what is certain is that we have a BIG problem: no profitability because of over production and we are in the UNKNOWN: we don’t know exactly what the solution is and how to start solving it.

That is why, if we have such recurring events (unmet demand) it is our OBLIGATION to DIG deeper behind it to look for a solution. And since time and space are relative and disappear when solutions pop up, it means there MUST be some relevant information BEHIND unmet demand that you will find out that will help you make lasting, relevant solutions for increasing profitability. This means having the EXPLORATION attitude: be willing to look BEYOND facts, to look for the facts behind facts.

So, if you think that REALISTIC is seeing problems separately, it is indeed a REALITY as you need to solve it NOW, but in the long run it becomes an ILLUSION because the AMOUNT of problems that come up is overwhelming if you deal with them INDIVIDUALLY, SEPARETELY. So, it is much EASIER to find ONE solution for a multiple of PROBLEMS or situations that happen at the same time when you see things as connected.

Your reality is an illusion not because your problems do no exist, but because your approach of solving them is extremely inefficient: the INDIVIDUALITY of the approach MAGNIFIES the weight and importance of ONE problem which OVERWHELMS you and creates EMOTIONAL stress and pressure which creates further a lot of confusion and lack of clarity for how to deal with it.

For this reason, you employ MULTITASKING in order to handle them ALL at once, right? However, when you do this, the FOCUS in on HANDLING tasks. As a result, you lose focus from other things: clients and serving them properly and you are UNABLE to sort tasks out and see which is relevant which is not, which is costly and which is not. You take them ALL in.

On the other hand, when you are GROUNDED in reality, you still acknowledge your problems, they don’t go away, but you SEE them ALL at once, not separately and you find one solution for all. You still allow yourself to improvise on an individual problem (e.g. avoid losses from over production) on the spot, but you also look for its connection with unmet demand and other factors in the business.

When you see them all at once, you have the necessary DETACHMENT to see each INDIVIDUAL problem SMALLER because they all fit a bigger picture. As a result, when a problem seems SMALLER, it doesn’t create the overwhelm, there is very little EMOTIONAL stress and thus, the mind stays clear and has more objectivity about how to deal with them (NO erratic behaviour).

In addition, when you see them all at once, you can keep track of their CHANGES because your business is a constant moving and changing environment.

When you MOVE towards something, it becomes BIGGER. It is physics, we all know this. When it comes to problems and you MOVE your attention and your physical body towards ONE problem, it becomes BIGGER, it creates the impression of feeling overwhelmed by it, thus the URGENT feeling of solving it on the spot.

When you move away from a problem, it becomes SMALLER. Thus, it creates the impression that it is easier to handle, so there is no EMOTIONAL stress and urgency to jump on it, you spend little PHYSICAL EFFORT, ENERGY, you create better solutions and make better decisions.

Moving away from a problem means to create the necessary detachment in order to have a better perspective. It doesn’t mean to ignore it.

So, if you want to be REALISTIC, you will always have to deal with problems and facts separately which means ignoring the passing of time which will make you stay STUCK in the PRESENT moment which is NOT the same as living in the PRESENT and be grounded.

Being realistic and stuck in PRESENT means keep doing the same things over and over again, get the same results and stay with the same problems and run in all directions to solve EACH of them INDIVIDUALLY.

Being grounded and live in present means seeing reality and problems as dynamic, keep your POSITION without running in all directions and adjust accordingly to the CHANGES in the DYNAMICS, not in the ISOLATED, INDIVIDUAL problems like in the case of being realistic.

Have a nice day!
Mihaela