Originally Published in February 2019

Children have a unique way of looking at life and approaching problems. We can learn a lot about running our businesses effectively from them. We can even help ourselves become more successful and profitable by following several of their examples.

I'm reading the third book in the Freakonomics series Think Like a Freak, and I have to admit that I really love the way these guys think. Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner have another great book that's really about changing your way of looking at the world and attacking problems.

Here are three ways to approach life demonstrated by children that I think you'll really find helpful.

First, think small. Often we get tied up in trying to solve a whole problem when we can get better results quicker by just attacking one small piece of it. Many times we can't really solve the entire problem at once, but we stand a good chance of conquering or correcting one small piece of the problem. This will give us a small, immediate “win”.

 Next time you're faced with a problem, see if you really need to solve the entire problem at once or if you can pick it apart into small pieces and take them one at a time.

Second, don't be afraid of the obvious. You will be surprised at how often the answer to a problem is right in front of your nose and you have completely overlooked it because you are over-analyzing something. Try simplifying your analyses and start with the obvious causes. Many times you'll get to the true solution quicker and with less effort.

Lastly, don't be afraid to like what you like. This is great advice for any adult, especially business owners. If you truly love what you’re doing, it will never seem like work and many business and life coaches do feel that if you love your profession, no matter what industry, the money will definitely follow.

Now go out there and think like a child and have massive success!