I’ve heard–and agree that the gap between expectation and reality is called disappointment. In the world of critical thinking if that gap is about something important to you and the gap is big enough to matter then it’s also a problem. The challenge in some situations is knowing when you should settle for disappointment or accept the situation as a problem you want to try to solve.

With all the writing and commentary on our new President-elect, we are reminded daily that forty years ago a sniper took the life of a man who refused to let discrimination and bigotry remain a lingering disappointment–he embraced the civil rights of all Americans as a problem that needed a solution. A problem he wanted to solve. While in many ways and in many places, that problem is still painfully alive 40 years later, Martin Luther King’s enduring efforts to address the deep issues–the root causes of inequality and injustice give us a model of persistent endurance and relentless determination that other problem solving initiatives should follow.

Today is a good opportunity for you to look in your world and ask yourself, “What disappointment am I accepting that needs more than a sigh–it needs a solution?”

Don’t settle for disappointment when you can have a problem–a problem that’s dying for a solution.