American psychologist William James said that the art of being wise is, “the art of knowing what to overlook.”

Every day we are bombarded with challenges that can derail our focus. Situations don’t go our way, unforeseen circumstances arise, and people…well, people can blindside us with attitudes, hurt, and offense. If not careful our day can seem like we are an involuntary firefighter putting out flames everywhere we turn.

Have you ever noticed that some people just don’t seem to live this way though? Why is it that some are able to live so easy without any trouble? Why do some seem to live such a simple life?

Well, the truth is they don’t. That’s right; it’s not that some people have struggles and others don’t. The difference is their response to the troubles surrounding them. When most people are inundated with challenges, highly successful people don’t allow themselves to be overwhelmed by their challenges. Succesful people have problems; they just don’t allow their problems to have them. They understand the art of knowing what to overlook.

Here are 3 necessary tips for overcoming problems:

1) Relax

Stressing out about a problem does nothing except deplete your energy to deal with the problem. Your response to problems will determine your ability to overcome them. How you approach a challenge is vital to moving beyond them. Having a knee-jerk reaction in the heat of the moment typically leads to greater problems down the line. In fact, most people turn molehills into mountains because of their initial moment of freakout! If you are going to be successful, it will require you to keep calm and move on. Resist the urge to get all worked up before you’ve worked out the problem.

2) Reflect

Before you start pulling the trigger on how to deal with problems, make sure you are in the right frame of mind. When faced with a major crisis most people react with a FIRE, READY, AIM mentality, rather than a READY, AIM, FIRE mentality. They spit off solutions and or opinions too fast without knowing the full picture. Because emotions are boiling, we tend to blow our top with brash decisions. But you have to learn how to keep yourself objective in the middle of a challenge by removing your emotions. This means you have to think about the problem in a clear state of mind. Reflecting on an objective response is much better than lashing out irrationally. Take time to reflect before you do something you regret.

3) Respond

When faced with challenges it may require you to respond or it may be something to simply overlook. You won’t know until you’ve done step 1 & 2 effectively. After you have relaxed and reflected you now need to respond appropriately. Sometimes your response is no response, and sometimes it will cause you to deal with the problem. Never allow a problem to derail your progress by stealing your momentum. Keep your eyes forward focused on your mission. When you know where you’re going, problems aren’t stop signs; they’re just speed bumps. Respond to challenges by being bigger than the problem.