"Paint It Black‪"‬

This book is a self-reflection exercise designed to help readers overcome challenging problems through the use of specific problem solving techniques.


In the introduction we learn about decision-making strategies that work in situations of uncertainty and we learn scenario planning - a technique invented in the 1960's for the US Dept. of Defense, later adapted for use in the private sector.


Each of the seven practical cases listed comprehend a short explanation of the context, a stated objective and a story.  Each story is summarized and at the end of the chapter there is a guided self-reflection questionnaire to help the reader adapt the story to a specific problem they want to solve, followed by an exercise.


For example the seventh story – "Pick a musical instrument or let the instrument pick you" – is the inspiration for the title of this book.  The story is the journey of a young musician trying to find a way to express himself through music. The problem on hand is to pick one instrument over another, so either a guitar or a bass.  The story presents two powerful instruments for self-discovery: the experiential approach and futuring. In the experiential approach the musician is presented with each instrument, one at a time, and after each interaction the observer records how the musician felt. Futuring involves presenting the musician with different situations using videos and then asking the musician which person they identify with in each case. It is important to note as adults, we have the added responsibility to exhibit positive behaviors – we must share our experience so that hopefully those who come after us will learn from our mistakes.  The goal of the seventh story is to help us conduct a similar exercise, making better choices and more enlightened decisions. 

The first story – "Buying a House" -  helps us consider the two most influential  macro-economic variables present in the purchasing of a house: inflation and unemployment. The second story – "A Life Changing Investment" – posts the challenge for us to decide between two good alternatives.  In the third story – "Where to Live" – we follow the journey of a person trying to decide on a place to live, but the alternatives are in dramatically different places and cultures. The fourth story – "Cousin Sophie's Wedding" – is a situation with various deeply ingrained conflicts.  The fifth story – "El Otro Lado" – describes the challenges a potential immigrant faces in the process of deciding to come to the United States or staying put where they are. The sixth story – "Aunt Angie Turns 100!" – presents a conflict with a person we could not otherwise avoid and therefore need to develop a coping strategy. 

In each story the challenges are real life problems involving characters we encounter on a daily basis and living through situations we cannot leave unattended, rather they require immediate attention and the use of good strategies to help us become more successful.

This is not a "feel good" type of book, rather it is written with the intent to guide the reader through a series of seven self-reflection exercises designed to challenge and push us to overcome each specific challenge with the help  of a decision-making technique. In other words, the reader is expected to actively use the exercises to find solutions to problems, and not to behave like a passive audience.


Author_Bio: Rom Gayoso is a professional economist with 12+ years of experience in the Semiconductor industry and he teaches graduate Economics, Statistics and Management courses at Wilkes University in Mesa, AZ. His expertise is in Econometric Modeling, Competitive Intelligence and Scenario Planning; he is responsible for developing several forecasting models for a Fortune 500 firm. His materials have been presented both in the United States and abroad - at SCIP, World Future Society, Institute of Business Forecasting, Intelligence for Business Strategy, Executive MindXchange,   Market Research Summit, and Future Trends Conferences.


Keywords: Self-Help, Problem Solving, Decision-Making, Uncertainty, Risk Mitigation, Strategy, Personal Problems, Challenges