No. 68 of the MaxLife Reflection Series · prints to one 8.5 × 11 page · 3-hole-punch ready
MAXLIFE
Reflection Series
68
No. of 75

The Trap of Being the Problem Solver (And What It’s Costing You)

Companion to the MaxLife episode with Chris Clearfield

Chris Clearfield, author of The High Altitude Entrepreneur, named a trap that looks like responsibility but is really reactivity: jumping in to solve every problem because fixing it feels good, while the thing you actually want slips further away.

▶ Watch the full episode with Chris Clearfield for deeper context on how to approach these questions
01

The Fix You Grab

Picture last week. What's the problem you grabbed and handled yourself before anyone else got the chance, even though someone on your team could have done it?

02

The Hit You Get

Be honest about the reward. When you swoop in and fix it, what does that moment give you: the rush, the proof, the feeling of being needed?

When I solve it myself, it makes me feel ___.
03

What Your Grip Costs

Chris says every time you grab the wheel, your team learns to wait for you. What stops happening, and which person or plan stays stuck, because you're the one always fixing it?

04

Satisfaction, Made Real

Reward is the rush of fixing. Satisfaction is different, and you can actually picture it: a team that handles things without you, a day off that stays off, time on what's next. Which of these feels furthest from your real week right now? Circle every answer that fits.

A team that owns itA truly free dayTime on the big visionQuiet, not chaosTrusting people to failWork that feeds me
05

The Fire You Don't Touch

Pick one problem this week you'll deliberately let someone else handle, even imperfectly. Which one, and who gets it?

Chris describes gripping the wheel, forcing yourself to let go, then grabbing it back the second something wobbles. The way out isn't trying harder to let go. It's getting honest about what the grip gives you. So if the fires went out tomorrow, what would you finally have room to build?
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