The Gift Within the Problem
- Johanna Wegner
- Dec 21, 2025
- 3 min read
Methods Monday: The Gift Within the Problem – What Life Is Offering You
Some gifts do not come wrapped in gold paper.
They arrive as detours, crises, drawn-out phases, or situations we would much rather get rid of immediately. Especially during the holiday season—when everything is supposed to feel calm, harmonious, and light—problems often become particularly visible.
This method invites you to gently shift your perspective. Not in the sense of sugarcoating or forced gratitude, but as a quiet, powerful change in how you look at things:
What if there is something within a difficulty that allows us to grow internally—without the experience itself having to be good or right?
What Is the Method “The Gift Within the Problem”?
“The Gift Within the Problem” is a reframing and resource-oriented method.
It supports people in viewing challenging situations not only as a burden, but as a possible step in their own inner development process.
The core assumption is this:
Difficulties can—either in hindsight or while we are still in the middle of them—make a skill, an insight, or an inner strength visible.
The gift is not the problem itself, but what can emerge through our way of dealing with it: clarity, healthy boundaries, courage, self-compassion, or a new inner attitude.
Structure and Application of the Method
This method works strongly with reflection, inner imagery, and language.
It can be used in coaching conversations, in writing, or as a guided imagination exercise.
Key elements include:
consciously naming the problem
clearly distinguishing between suffering and meaning
opening up to new perspectives
adopting a resource-oriented view of one’s own experience
The guiding principle is: nothing has to be found or understood immediately.
The Coaching Process
Naming the problem
What is currently difficult, burdensome, or unresolved?
Acknowledging the difficulty
The experience is taken seriously.
Important: the problem is neither minimized nor trivialized.
Shifting perspective
Guiding question:
“If this situation were—at some point—to hold a gift for you, what might it be?”
Clarifying the possible gift
For example: clarity, courage, self-boundaries, patience, or trust.
Integration
How might this gift already be showing itself today—very quietly?
And how can it be used more consciously?
An Important Note on the Attitude of This Method
This method is not an invitation to positively reframe painful or difficult experiences.
There are situations in life that simply hurt, feel unfair, or involve a loss that cannot be made “meaningful”—such as illness, separation, or death.
“The Gift Within the Problem” does not mean that every event was good or necessary.
If there is a gift at all, it does not lie within the event itself, but may only become visible much later in the way a person relates to it.
And sometimes the most appropriate step is, first of all, not having to understand anything at all.
Even a clear “There is no gift here right now” is an honest and valid realization.
Why This Method Is So Effective
“The Gift Within the Problem” does not work through quick answers, but through its underlying attitude.
It clearly distinguishes between suffering and learning—nothing needs to be sugarcoated.
It strengthens self-efficacy, because the focus is not on what happened, but on one’s inner response to it.
It supports emotional relief by allowing problems to be seen not only as obstacles, but as part of an inner process.
It makes resources visible that often only emerge once inner pressure begins to ease: clarity, boundaries, courage, or self-compassion.
It supports a reconciliatory view of the year, without having to approve of everything that happened.
Especially toward the end of the year, this creates space for integration rather than judgment.
Who Is This Method Suitable For?
This method is particularly suitable for:
people in phases of transition or inner clarification
clients experiencing inner resistance, frustration, or a feeling of being stuck
people who sense that a situation is affecting them more deeply than they can yet grasp
anyone who wants to conclude the year consciously, honestly, and reflectively
calm coaching settings or guided self-reflection
It is less suitable for acute crises or shock situations, where stabilization, safety, and grounding are the priority.
Conclusion
Not every gift is something we choose ourselves. And not every event has to be one.
But sometimes—quietly and only with some distance—something emerges that allows us to grow internally.
“The Gift Within the Problem” invites us to look exactly there, where it feels appropriate—with compassion, clarity, and without pressure.
If you are currently facing a challenge and sense that there may be more within it than you can grasp right now:
👉 Let’s take a look together. Book a free initial call with me.
In my coaching, I support you in clarifying your own way of relating to difficult situations—mindfully, honestly, and at your own pace.
Yours, Johanna
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