Assessing Life Problems: See the Wood for the Trees

Life is never short of problems—big or small, they tend to feel all-encompassing at times. In episode 1718 of the Runpreneur diary, activist Kevin Brittain shares his personal approach to navigating these problems by putting them into perspective.

Kevin recognises that when things go wrong, it’s easy to become so consumed by stress or anxiety that we can’t see the wood for the trees. The key, he suggests, is to assess problems using a logical framework to gain clarity and reduce overwhelm.

The Seven Value Areas of Life

Drawing on Dr. John Demartini’s Values Factor, Kevin highlights the seven key areas where life’s problems usually arise:

1. Vocational – Work, business, or career challenges

2. Familial – Issues affecting family, particularly children

3. Financial – Money worries and financial instability

4. Mental – Mental health concerns or issues affecting mindset

5. Physical – Physical health and well-being

6. Spiritual – Faith, purpose, and beliefs

7. Social – Relationships, friendships, and social circles

While each area has its own weight depending on the individual, Kevin proposes a hierarchy to help prioritise and contextualise them.

How Kevin Prioritises Problems

For Kevin, problems linked to his family, especially his children, are the most significant and hardest to recover from. Next comes health—both mental and physical. Issues in these areas represent the highest level of challenge and often require the most resilience to overcome.

The remaining areas—social, vocational, financial, and spiritual—though certainly stressful, are generally easier to bounce back from, provided family and health remain intact.

Why This Framework Helps

By categorising his problems in this way, Kevin finds it easier to put everyday pressures into perspective. Most people, he notes, experience frequent issues in the lower-priority categories. Applying this logical hierarchy helps him (and can help you) see which problems are truly critical and which, while unpleasant, are manageable and temporary.

Gaining Clarity and Peace of Mind

Understanding the relative severity of life’s challenges doesn’t diminish the impact of everyday worries—it simply helps us move forward with greater clarity and less anxiety. As Kevin puts it, when you know that your core priorities—family and health—are safe, you realise that you can handle almost anything else life throws your way.

Stay Positive, Stay Happy

Kevin finishes with a reminder to take stock, assess problems with a logical mindset, and keep moving forward—always working to save children’s lives through his barefoot-run vlogging challenges.

Share your thoughts below, and if you’d like to support Kevin’s ultramarathon mission for children’s charities, don’t forget to subscribe, share, and comment!