The Problem May Not Be the Problem

Something feels wrong.
I name it quickly.
The workload.
The decision.
The person.
The pressure.
The lack of time.
Naming it feels useful.
It gives me something to solve.
I adjust the calendar.
Change the plan.
Have the conversation.
Push harder.
Pull back.
Sometimes that helps.
Sometimes I have only solved the thing I called the problem.
The feeling remains.
That’s the clue.
My resentment is real but
isn’t the problem.
My urgency is real but
isn’t truth.
My exhaustion is real but
isn’t being caused by the workload.
A better question:
What is here?
That question interrupts my diagnosis.
It asks me to notice what produced the symptom.
What I agreed to carry.
What I am trying to control.
What I keep avoiding.
What no longer fits.
The first problem I name
is often the easiest one for me to see.
It may even need attention.
It may not be the problem beneath it.