Sometimes people find themselves stuck in a situation without any view on how to solve it. The solution feels out of reach and yet has suddenly become what needs to be dealt with immediately.

I remember having locked myself out one day by forgetting my keys in the locker room. A problem I only noticed when I reached home. It was a situation in which decisions came by themselves and actions were all focused on finding a way to reach these keys before the sole person still present in the club would close it for the evening. I knew that only decisive and quick action would give me a chance to solve my problem.

It didn’t matter if I had to act outside of my comfort zone as the consequences of being locked out were even more outside of my comfort zone.

In such a situation the mind acts automatically, it uses an ancient danger trigger to focus all of one’s energy on what seems to be the problem. Whatever danger seems to be at stake is represented by the problem. It transforms solving the problem into the most urgent thing to be done.

When that happens, questions that can otherwise be easily thought of disappear out of awareness, and risks that normally would be avoided become unimportant.

In harmless situations, it’s help that is given without inquiring about the problem or without asking if the help is desired.

In more complex situations it’s forgetting to ask how urgent the problem is and if it indeed requires immediate action.

Whenever people find themselves compelled to act on their own in such situations there is a high probability, that ego is involved and threatened in some manner.