Are You Solving the Real Problem Or Just Chasing Symptoms?

Stop scrolling. Think about the last time you hit a wall in fitness, business, life. Be honest: were you fighting the real problem, or just the symptom? Today, I’m here to challenge everything you think you know about problem-solving. If you’re ready for change, read on this could be the breakthrough that gets you unstuck.

The Mission That Drives Me

If you’re new here, welcome to my journey of 1,891 consecutive days of running, vlogging, and pushing myself to raise £1,000,000 for children’s causes. The scale is huge: 40,075 km (the lap of the world, barefoot style), and my mission is bigger. The more people we reach, the more lives we save.

But today, let’s talk about something every one of us faces, whether we’re trying to run around the world, scale a business, or finally feel happy in ourselves.

The Question That Changes Everything

Here it is:
What’s the problem not the symptom?

Sounds simple, right? But believe me, most of us never truly answer it. We get stuck fighting the surface issues while the real problems quietly sabotage results.

I first heard this put brilliantly by Keith Cunningham, in his book The Road Less Stupid. It turned everything I thought about problem-solving upside down.

Symptom vs Problem The Weight Loss Trap

Let’s use an example that most people can relate to: weight loss. Let’s say you’re a stone overweight. Instinctively, you might buy an exercise machine, start running, or hire a personal trainer. You’re addressing the symptom being overweight.

But if you dig deeper, the real problem could be that you’re eating too much poor-quality food, or perhaps not moving enough day-to-day. The truth is, you can’t out-train a bad diet, no matter how many hours you spend in the gym. Nutrition is at least 80% of your results, yet most never look further than the obvious.

If you build strategies based only on symptoms you’ll be going in circles. But unearth the real problem, and everything changes. Progress gets faster. Results finally arrive.

This Goes Beyond Fitness It’s About Every Part of Life

Since reading about this approach, I realised:

• In business, we’re always putting out fires addressing symptoms rather than the causes.

• In relationships, we argue about specifics and never address the underlying disconnect.

• In personal development, we chase hacks and fixes when the root problem is our thinking or habits.

I challenge you right now to look at whatever you’re struggling with:

1. What is the obvious symptom?

2. What might the true problem be, underneath everything?

3. Are your solutions addressing the root?

Why This Matters to My Mission

Every day, I run and vlog not just for personal challenge, but to save the lives of children. To raise £1 million, I know I can’t just post videos and hope they're vehicles for a more profound problem: not enough awareness, not enough people sharing the mission. The root issue is reach and engagement.

That’s why I’m asking you help me dig deeper, spread the message further, and turn awareness into action.

Be Part of the Solution

• Comment: What’s the problem in YOUR life that you’ve mistaken for a symptom?

• Share: If this message hit home, pass it on let’s help others get unstuck.

• Subscribe: Join me as I run the world for children’s causes together, we can make real change.

Remember: The more people we reach, the more lives we save. That’s why I do this every single day.

Stay positive, stay happy.
I’ll see you on the next run,