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Well, pimples are problems – but that’s a whole different story. Anyway.

Problems are like pimples. They’re annoying, they’re painful, and they don’t last forever. They can be really big or really tiny, and you could have many or just a few.

People usually don’t notice you’ve got them unless they’re huge – or unless you point it out. (“Is my pimple really obvious?” you ask, and the person next to you goes “Well, it wasn’t, but now it is”)

Kids don’t get them, and constantly worrying about them is only going to get you more.

They take lots of patience and lots of dedication to get rid of. Nobody likes them, but they keep coming back.

So, how does anyone ever get rid of their problems?

Well, unlike pimples, you can’t completely get rid of problems. They’re always going to be there, because you don’t like them. You may be able to get rid of the major ones, and then lose your socks.

But that’s completely normal.

Warning: I guarantee this will not work if you’re not going to try. However, results may vary. We’ve all got different faces, and our faces face different problems.

1. Fighting the shadow isn’t going to make anything better.

Know your enemy. Know what they are, where they are, and what’s causing them. Are they really pimples problems, or are you just over-thinking things? (Which is the problem)

There could be more than one cause, but that’s okay. A tree has many roots, right?

It’s like telling yourself, “Okay, so I got this pimple because I didn’t wash my face last night. I put on a lot of make-up. I ate too many peanuts. I rubbed my face – a lot.”

Identifying the cause lets you see where to start tackling them.

Cutting the branches of a tree isn’t going to bring it down, is it?

2. Find the because behind the “because”. What’s causing all the causes?

I didn’t wash my face because I was tired and lazy. I ate too many peanuts because I’m an elephant and I skipped lunch. I put on a lot of make-up because I was knew I wouldn’t look so great without it (which is a problem behind a cause behind the cause of the real problem).

3. Set your aim before you shoot.

What are your goals for your current situation? How would you want it to rather be? Try keep it realistic – I know it’s hard to stop dreaming, but you want this to work out, don’t you?

Don’t wish for forever flawless skin, because it won’t happen. You’ll grow old one day and the pimples will be replaced by wrinkles.

Set specific goals, and help yourself with a deadline too. Why is it called a deadline anyway?

I want to have no pimples for the college reunion in two weeks time.

4. Now what?

So you know what you want, and when you want it. But it’s not just going to happen. How will you make it happen? You can’t fire your boss – how will you make your job easier for yourself?

Brainstorm!

Come up with as many solutions as possible. Plan A to Z. Chances are, plans A to Y will be illogical. But that’s what brainstorming’s all about, right?

I could start washing my face every dusk and dawn. I won’t skip lunch. I could stop using so much make-up. I could use some ointments or go for a facial. Or I could use some honey or toothpaste or yogurt or lemon or or.. Or I could just pop them all right now!

Let your thoughts ramble on, and try jot everything down. Don’t stop your brainstorm till it dies down on its own. Sorting the possible and the impossible – the logical and the illogical – can come later.

You might want to take a break then; just about everything may look right when you’d just thought of it all.

5. Decide.

Which of these storm-tossed solutions will work? Make sure you look at the possible side effects of each – You don’t want to cause many more pimples trying to get rid of one!

Washing every night might not get rid of them fast enough. A facial would be expensive. Popping will give me scars – and a lot more pimples.

Get creative and merge things together to form an action plan. What steps do you have to take? Backup plans are a plus.

6. Then comes the hardest part.

Getting it done.

You know why it’s the hardest? Because we’re humans. We procrastinate. We change our minds. We second-guess ourselves. We underestimate our ability to make things better.

We run marathons in our heads and refuse to move a step.

After all that planning and that splitting headache, life still continues as usual.

What if it doesn’t work?

Then you try another.

Just because one key didn’t work doesn’t mean none of them will. Don’t let anyone change your mind until you’ve tried it first.

Nothing’s going to change if you don’t change anything.

“If you want something you’ve never had, you’ve got to do something you’ve never done” -Anonymous (he really writes a lot of amazing quotes, doesn’t he?)

Good luck!

Bonus: Just in case your problems are pimples, you could try detox first. What’s on the inside shows on the outside, right?

Worked for me, I hope it helps!

If only we could detox all the negativity, procrastination and fear of failure from our minds, huh?

Try taking a teaspoon of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a cup of water every day. Three times a day if you’re in a hurry. Persistence is key! It won’t happen overnight, but it’s got long-lasting effects.

Yes, it tastes terrible, and yes, you’ll have painful, squishy, third-grade-science-experiment-teeth soon if you don’t use a straw, but it’s totally worth it! It’s supposed to help shed weight too, but I’m a chocolate addict, so I wouldn’t know.

Make sure it’s in a cup of water though, or you’ll get ulcers down your throat.

That’s a scary thought.