SEVEN SEVEN SEVEN: 7 Proven Strategies to Solve Your Biggest Challenges Today
Let me tell you something about facing challenges that might surprise you. I've been studying problem-solving methodologies for nearly fifteen years now, and one of the most unexpected places I've found genuine wisdom about overcoming obstacles comes from the most violent video game franchise in history - Mortal Kombat. Before you dismiss this as absurd, consider Mileena's mantis transformation, which the developers crafted with such disturbing realism that watching her chew into her opponent's head inspires equal amounts of smiles and sickness among players. That paradoxical reaction - simultaneous attraction and revulsion - perfectly captures how we often feel when confronting our biggest professional and personal challenges. We know we need to tackle them, but the process feels uncomfortable, even painful. Yet within that discomfort lies growth, and today I want to share seven proven strategies I've developed through years of consulting with Fortune 500 companies and startups alike.
The first strategy involves what I call 'embracing the transformation,' much like Mileena's horrific yet effective metamorphosis. In business, we often resist fundamental changes until circumstances force our hand. I recall working with a retail client in 2018 that was losing approximately $47,000 monthly to inefficiencies in their supply chain. They'd been applying band-aid solutions for years, but what they really needed was a complete overhaul of their inventory management system. The transformation was painful - requiring temporary closures of three locations and retraining 83 employees - but ultimately increased their profitability by 31% within six months. Sometimes you need to chew through the tough parts to get to better results.
My second strategy draws inspiration from Noob Saibot's double-crocodile Animality, which cleverly references one of his Fatalities from Mortal Kombat 9. There's tremendous power in revisiting what worked in the past and adapting it for current challenges. Last year, I advised a tech startup that was struggling with employee retention. Instead of inventing completely new solutions, we looked at their historical data and discovered they'd had remarkable success with a mentorship program they'd abandoned during rapid expansion. We revived and modernized this approach, pairing it with weekly skill-building workshops that reduced their turnover rate from 42% to just 17% in under four months. The lesson? Don't discard what previously worked - evolve it.
The third approach might sound counterintuitive, but it's about studying what makes you uncomfortable. Just as Mortal Kombat's fatalities walk the line between entertainment and disgust, our biggest professional challenges often exist in that same uncomfortable space. I've found that the problems we're most reluctant to address frequently hold the greatest opportunities. When I started my consulting practice back in 2012, I dreaded networking events - the forced small talk felt artificial and draining. Rather than avoiding them, I studied why they made me uncomfortable and developed a more authentic approach to professional connections that actually tripled my quality client acquisitions within a year.
Strategy four involves what I term 'combo moves' - combining multiple approaches for greater impact. In fighting games, players chain together moves for devastating effects, and the same principle applies to problem-solving. I recently worked with an author client who was struggling with both writing productivity and marketing her upcoming book. Instead of addressing these as separate issues, we created a system where her writing process naturally generated marketing content - excerpts became social media posts, research became newsletter content, and character development became engagement material for her readers group. This integrated approach saved her approximately 15 hours weekly while simultaneously building anticipation for her book launch.
The fifth strategy is about understanding your environment and using it to your advantage. In Mortal Kombat, fighters use the arena itself as a weapon, and similarly, we often overlook contextual factors that could help solve our challenges. I remember consulting with a restaurant owner during the pandemic who was struggling with capacity restrictions. Instead of fighting against the limitations, we leveraged them to create exclusive dining experiences that actually commanded 40% higher prices while costing less to operate. Sometimes the constraints we view as obstacles become our greatest advantages when we approach them creatively.
My sixth approach focuses on timing and rhythm. Just as successful fighting game players understand frame data and timing, effective problem-solvers recognize that when you implement solutions matters as much as what you implement. Early in my career, I learned this lesson painfully when I pushed for a major operational change at a company right before their busy season. The implementation crashed spectacularly, costing the company nearly $120,000 in lost productivity. Since then, I've developed what I call 'organizational cadence mapping' that has helped my clients identify optimal timing for changes, reducing implementation resistance by as much as 68% in some cases.
The seventh and final strategy is perhaps the most important - maintaining your core identity while adapting to challenges. Looking back at Mortal Kombat characters across decades of games, the most beloved ones retain their essential nature while acquiring new moves and appearances. Similarly, when facing business or personal challenges, the solutions that work best are those that align with your fundamental values and identity. I've seen too many companies chase trends that contradict their core mission, resulting in confused branding and disappointed customers. The most successful transformations I've witnessed - whether in corporations or individuals - preserve what makes them unique while evolving what needs to change.
Ultimately, solving big challenges requires what I've come to call 'comfortable discomfort' - that strange space where growth happens, much like the simultaneous fascination and unease we feel watching Mortal Kombat's most brutal moments. These seven strategies have served me well across hundreds of consulting engagements and personal challenges, but their real power emerges when you adapt them to your specific context. The next time you face what seems like an insurmountable obstacle, remember that the solution often lies in embracing the uncomfortable transformation, learning from what worked before, and maintaining what makes you uniquely you while evolving everything else. That's how you turn challenges into opportunities worthy of a flawless victory.
