In graduate school I managed an apartment complex. For those who know my lack of anything resembling handyman skills, this may sound like a tall tale, but it is true. I collected rent, advertised for openings, checked backgrounds, cleaned, and did some maintenance. My boss oversaw buildings and grounds for what was then Sioux Valley and everytime I'd come to him with a problem- a late rent payment, a vacant apartment, a police call for a domestic disturbance, or a bat in the apartment of Anne who was 90 and both blind and deaf, he'd take a break from chewing on his cigar (mind you, I am not making any of this up!), and say, "Brian, problems are just opportunities." At first, I was like any kid- annoyed and frustrated. But as time grew on, I saw what he meant. Some of the problems were my fault and so the problem was an opportunity to grow in an area. Some of the problems were the faults of others, and those were also opportunities to either get some experience with conflict or help the tenant realize that this perhaps wasn't the spot for them!
I was in some training last week and the trainer was doing a great job with the material. As he fielded questions from people who were envisioning some problems with the application of the training, he'd keep saying 'well, you have an opportunity . . . '.
I'm not close to being there, but I'd sure to love to be a 'opportunity' person and not a 'problem' person.
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