“No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” ~Albert Einstein
Today in my reading/writing/praying/meditation time, I ran across this quote. I have it seen before but this time, I couldn’t let it go. I did a deep dive into the quote and into Albert Einstein’s life. I found two more quotes to share, one I know and love and another one that reveals more about how Einstein handled problems.
Let’s look at the first quote. What is consciousness? The Oxford dictionary says it’s:
1- The state of being awake and aware of one's surroundings. (Figuratively, or literally)
2- The awareness or perception of something by a person.
3- The fact of awareness by the mind of itself and the world.
In other words, no problem can be solved from the same state of being as it came, or when using the same degree of perception and awareness we currently have about ourselves and the people and circumstances around us. We must change how we see it, and often that includes changing how we see ourselves. Otherwise we are likely to repeat the same lessons, getting stuck again and again in the same places. The names and circumstances may change, but they will feel very familiar. Patterns change
when we change.
Albert Einstein fascinates me. He had a rough time fitting in as a young child, struggling in school with speech challenges. He developed a love of music that saved him in many ways, one of which I’ll mention in a moment. And despite his difficulties, his lifetime achievements made his name synonymous with the word, “genius.” He is a resilient overcomer, a true #findingthegift kinda guy!
Albert Einstein also said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem, I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”
Einstein looked at problems differently. He focused much more on the problem than the solution, which is probably backwards for most of us. I know I’m prone to jump right in and start problem-solving instead of problem- analyzing. It makes sense to try to understand and learn all we can about a problem. What is it? Where is it? Why is it? When, how and who is it? Etc. I think if we did that, the solution would become obvious and we would only need a fraction of the time to resolve it and
move on.
Einstein’s love of music not only brought him pleasure, but also helped him explore and resolve his own problems. It is said that he would stop working and come out of his study to play the violin or the piano for a time (or sometimes just a few notes). He’d pause, scribble quickly on paper, and then go back to his study to resume working.
I love the reminder to step away from a troubling issue when we are stumped. This takes me back to the first quote about problem solving. Einstein used his passion for music to change his consciousness and his environment, which allowed new solutions to flow in through a channel that wasn’t blocked.
In my abstract painting, I experience blocks a lot. One exercise I’ve adopted is to pick up another form of art for a while, as a break, or a warm up. That helps my creative juices start flowing in a new direction, and before I know it, I’m having so much fun that I’m ready to return to the place where I was stuck, except I bring renewed energy and passion. The joy has returned and I’m back in the experience and not just swirling around in my head.
What creative detour might help you when you're stuck on a mental hamster wheel, needing solutions that won't come? If you're not sure, be open for new ideas to show up. They come when we're watching for them.
Einstein was known for saying that music was his greatest source of joy. In the next breath, he must have remembered his beloved cats, because he also said, “There are two means of refuge from the misery of life - music and cats.” I like how he redeemed himself on that one. Shout out to all the cat lovers who know that if you have a problem, watch a cat. The problem won’t go away, but you’ll forget about it for a while.
Einstein earned his undergraduate degree in 1901 and then his PhD in 1905, the same year he published four significant papers that would change the world of physics forever. Life should have been easy for him after that, but it wasn’t. He continued struggling to find his place in the world, changing jobs almost annually for the nine years that followed what has since been dubbed his “miracle year.”
Have any of you achieved your wildest dreams and then… Nothing changed. No one noticed. Ouch. That’s a hard one. I’m learning now more than ever that I have to be striving to please an audience of two, me and God. That’s it.
My success and happiness cannot depend on other people’s approval or any other outward manifestation that would suggest I have arrived. I only have to be personally happy with myself, my growth and discoveries. If there’s more to be done, I need to keep doing the footwork to make it happen.
Success didn’t come overnight for Albert Einstein, but he persevered. He didn’t let his innate struggles, life challenges and roadblocks stop him from realizing his genius and developing the gifts he was born to bring to humanity. He used time and circumstance to his favor, instead of idling along, waiting for his dream job to get started on his dream.
Einstein spent seven years working for the Swiss patent office. Some of that time was during college, but four of those years were post-doctorate and post-miracle year, as he pursued the ideal academic position. I imagine that work was less than ideal for him, having to put his own interests aside during work hours, but what a great set-up. He learned everything he needed to know to patent his own theories. Einstein made good use of his time in the hallway. (Re-read March 31 in
FTG.)
I love how life gives us everything we need, when we need it. Detours and derailments are preparation for what’s next. Whether that proves to be obviously true later on or not, doesn’t it feel better to see it that way? To trust that everything is happening for your highest good?
If you don’t like where you are right now, get the lessons, the skills and the insight so you don’t have to go back.
Despite not having the perfect job for many years, Einstein continued to nurture his ideas and pursue curiosities. He ruled out dead ends and narrowed in on ground-breaking theories.
Einstein couldn’t control the timing of his success. But he did control how he used the time it took to be successful.
By the time Einstein’s dream job eventually came through, he was well-researched, organized and prepared to take action on everything he had been studying. He earned his first medal in 1920 and subsequently many more, including in 1921, the Nobel Prize in Physics.
Are you prepared for your dreams to come true? What else could you learn, develop or master as a way of getting ready to make the most of your upcoming big breakthrough, whether personal or career-oriented?
You are in control of your days and how you prioritize your time. Remember to own your choices today so you can agree with that last statement. We do what we want to gain the fruit of our actions, or to avoid the consequences of not doing it. Either way, we are choosing how we spend our days.
We are empowered to live a great life when we own the life we live.
Albert Einstein is revered by scientists all over the globe, to this very day. And, he was an overcomer who was fond of music and cats—my kind of guy. You don’t have to be a genius to implement some of his tools for finding the gift and living it. Happy experimenting!
