This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.
A long-term solution to deal with your problems once and for all
A couple of ants kept crawling around my stove and oven. I got rid of them as I saw them, but days went on, and I kept seeing an ant here or there. I thought to myself, if I keep treating the symptom (the ants), they will continue to pop up. It’s time to deal with the root issue. I got behind the stove and oven and found that food had fallen between the cracks. I immediately cleaned it up. And guess what? No more ants popped up.
The Addict
If you’re an addict, you can’t always avoid your triggers, so you’ll need to remain aware of your triggers, attend support groups consistently, and revamp your coping mechanisms to ensure you respond positively to triggers.
Abstaining from your substance of choice, cold turkey for an extended time is excellent, but what happens when your world crumbles into tiny pieces? How will you deal with it? You’ll need to have a system in place so you don’t reinstall your addictive behaviors.
The Overweight Person
Someone whose joints always hurt might turn to medication to alleviate the pain, but in reality, the real action they need to take is to lose the extra hundred pounds that are sitting on top of their knees; this is the root. The joint pain is merely a symptom. But most people don’t feel like investing the time, effort, energy, and discipline to lose the weight wreaking havoc on their bodies.
The Debtor
A consolidation loan will help you compile your debt and potentially get you a better interest rate and one simple monthly payment. Still, if you don’t transform your financial habits, you will soon find yourself back in debt again.
The consolidation loan is merely a cover-up for your poor money habits. Frequently, people find themselves conducting credit card balance transfers, taking out personal loans, compiling their debts, and borrowing more than they can afford; it’s a never-ending cycle that will continue until they treat the root issue: poor money management.
Treating Symptoms Are Like Makeup
If you’re struggling with acne and dark spots, you can cover it up with makeup, but once you take that makeup off, those dark spots and acne are alive and well.
The makeup will never be the solution. You will either have to change your diet, drink more water, eliminate certain foods, try new skincare products, or visit a dermatologist.
Skip The Quick Fix; Go For The Long-Term Solution
If we want to keep experiencing our symptoms, we can continue temporarily eradicating them with quick fixes and bandaids. But if we no longer want to deal with our symptoms, we need to ask ourselves what the root issue is?
Notice I had to put in extra effort to move the oven and clean up all of the food between the cracks. I also had to wipe down the sides of the oven and spray the cleaned area with ant spray. It took additional time that I was not eager to give up, but if I continued to treat the symptom, my time would continue to be eaten up by eradicating ants instead of eradicating the root issue.
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.