I have developed the skills of solving problems through books. I helped myself to cultivate the good habits necessary to write problem-solving books. I allowed the habit of keeping to my time-table of writing books. I fell in love with writing and documenting book ideas. I enjoyed the habit of organizing contents for future books titles in a diary as I receive inspiration or find relevant notes. I enjoyed reading good books that can help my writing. I loved reading newsletters and from websites of authors and industry experts around the world.

I repeatedly practiced these good habits and I began to develop the skills of solving problems with my books. I have also ensured the continual trimming and development of these skills so that I can continue to move up the ladder of success as an author. Sometimes ago, I stumbled on one of the first set of articles I wrote many years ago when I was just starting out as a writer and the content and its organisation helped me to understand how I have improved my skills of book writing, content organisation and presentation. Those early articles and notes were good but they can't be compared with the ones I write today.

The bottom line here is that until you are able to form the right habits in your vocation and keep to them, you will not be able to develop good skills of solving problems in your vocation. You must understand that any skills you develop must continually undergo improvement. You must never allow an idle moment, you must keep on using it and you must keep on improving it.

Now I want you to learn the ways you can develop the skills of solving problems.

Understand You Have Problems to Solve and that There Are Rewards Awaiting You

This step is important because it will go a long way to help your commitment to the process. Habit formation and skills development and improvement are not easy tasks. You must be at the right mentality level which can always keep your focus and attention on the task. Paul said, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me" (Philippians 3:12). He pressed because he knew necessity is laid upon him and that there are rewards awaiting him. The Bible says this about Jesus: "who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2). He knew He had to face the cross to solve the problem of sin and that there is a joy set before Him. Please don't ignore this step!

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Find Out Your Problem-Solving Circle

What do I mean by this? I believe you can't solve the problem of the whole world, only Jesus was able to do that when He solved the problem of sin with His sacrifice on the cross. You need to find out your own problem-solving arena, you need to find out your God-given purpose. You need to find out your arena of specialty. This will help you go through the process adequately. It helps your concentration and development.

Find Out Relevant Habits and Get Committed to Them

There are general successes habits like diligence, excellence, goals setting, persistence, planning, time management and their likes; you need to embrace these habits. There are also some specific habits that are just peculiar to your industry or your vocation. You must find them out and embrace them. Good habit formation is very important in this whole process. Jesus knew He must form the good habit of teaching His disciples at regular periods and He kept at this practice. The disciples, after His death and resurrection, began to manifest all they have learnt from Him. Jesus' problem-solving actives even continued after He left the earth. Let me inform you that as much as you must learn to form good habits, you must also learn to unlearn bad habits. Remember that it is these habits that grow into the skills of solving problems. 

List these Habits, If Possible and Get Devoted to Them

You can go a step further than what I suggested under the last tip by listing the required habits you need to form on paper and get devoted to them. List them and place them where you can see them regularly. When you see them regularly, you will be renewing your resolution to practice those habits. For example, I fell in love with the habit of studying because it will help my skills of using books to solve problems. Reading and studying relevant information was of top priority for my quest to develop and improve my problems-solving skills as an author.

Find a Skillful Mentor

You should also prayerfully look for a skillful mentor or mentors who have results to show in the same vocation where you will be solving problems. These ones have already developed the required skills to solve problems in this area, their results can show this. You will be able to learn faster from these types of people. Have you not heard some football players who have publicly revealed football heroes whose skills and excellence on the field in the past have impressed them? Usually, these players always play almost like their chosen idols. Proverbs 6:6 also reveal that we should "go to the ants...and learn their ways" A mentor can reveal a secret of developing problem-solving skills to you within seconds which ordinarily would have taken you two to three years to find out!

Read Relevant Educational Materials

One of the ways you can connect with the mentors I wrote about under the last tip is to read their books or from whatever medium they use to give out information. You may not be able to meet a lot of them on a one-to-one basis but you can meet them through their books. I read relevant newsletters, books, blogs, articles that will be of use to my problem- solving skills. I read them regularly. I am subscribed to many of these newsletters and most times I read on my phone. When an educational material has useful content that is relevant to my cause, I go for them. The Bible shows that, "Daniel understood by the books" (Daniel 9:2). We also have read about the love Paul had for these types of materials when he asked Timothy to bring them for him from Troas where he left them (2 Timothy 4:13). I believe those were materials that helped his problem-solving skills.

You Need the Ultimate Skills-Training Manual

The ultimate skills-training manual is the Bible. If you are on a God-giving purpose (I have shown why everyone should be on one), you will need to be a strong student of His Word in the Bible. You can pick up valuable skills- development habits and skills here. I have been extremely blessed by this Book. God's Word in 1 Timothy 3:16 says, "Every part of scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another - showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word, we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us" (MSG). I can summarize that passage this way: "Through the Word, we can develop our problem-solving skills to fulfill our God-given purpose".  Moses said this statement to the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 18:15, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren, Him you shall hear". Moses was clearly talking about Jesus Christ here, he was asking the children of Israel (and us) to obey and always hear from Jesus Christ. Now we know that Jesus is the Word of God (John 1:1). If you have any problem, including your search for information on how to develop your skills, you should consult God's Word.

You Also Need Spirit Sensitivity

Jesus showed emphatically in John 16: 13 that the Holy Spirit will teach and guide us into all truths. I love this statement from Jesus Christ, I have leveraged on it to receive inspiration from the Spirit of God. Jesus says one of the duties of the Holy Spirit is to give me important information that I need to help my problems-solving duties on this earth and I have always approach Him for revelations based on this statement. Let me inform you that there are many occasions when I don't have to ask before God's Spirit before He shares information with me; He is ever ready to share good and relevant information with born again, maturing Christians. The Bible says in Romans 8:14, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" I also read this in Romans 8:16: "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God". You need to become born gain and ensure you mature your spirit consistently if you want to be led by God's Spirit. Remember it is a Spirit to spirit affair.

I hope you have learnt adequately from these steps. They are simple steps but you will need to put in everything you have got into the process to reap the rewards.

More tips are discussed in my new book, How to Develop and Use The Skills of Solving Problems to Create Wealth which is on sale on all major estores online. http://sesanoguntade.com/success-articles/book-review-can-rich-solving-problems/