The fastest way to get attention is to point to a problem and say, “Here is the Problem.” It gets even more easier to get attention on social media if you point to problems. There is a tendency for people to gather around you to express whatever you want to call it – empathy or sympathy as the case may be.

You do this a few times and getting that kind of attention can become an addiction. After sometime getting to the “Here is the problem…” situation becomes automatic and you will start looking for problems to highlight.

Don’t get me wrong. There is a good side of the above as companies (and even Government institutions in some cases) are now more caring as they know that people to have the power. Mistakes and not-so-caring acts are not only exposed but also get amplified via the social media.

The real problem?

You are now so used to pointing fingers with “Here is the problem…” that you start following the same logic for problems that you can do something about because just pointing fingers is easier than doing something about it.

Sadly, you will get attention for those problems as well from most people. But people that matter (e.g.: Your Boss) will often be confused and mostly annoyed with your behavior. You might have been carried away with pointing fingers but THEY know that you could have done something about that problem.

You can get attention alright but you won’t get ahead by simply pointing fingers about problems that you COULD have done something about.

If you want to make a difference in the world and in turn make a difference in your own life, then you have to follow “Here is the problem…” with “And here is what I am doing about it.”

It’s a lot of work to do something about a problem but that is what will separate the signal from the noise.