Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
- Albert Einstein
We can all be forgiven for doing the same things over and over again, that's what gets us through most of our days. We drive the same way to work, we do the same things every day at work, we eat the same foods, watch the same kind of television programs, read the same kinds of books, fall into bed and repeat ad naseum.
Occasionally of course we decide that TODAY we are going to do something different. TODAY is the day we are going to:
Lose weight
Stop smoking
Build our website
Ask that cute girl out on a date
Write the first pages of the novel we've always wanted to write
And then just for today, we do just that. But then the following day rolls around and all of a sudden, life - that normality thing kicks back in again, and projects are shelved. OK, sometimes it takes more than a single day, but it's quite fast how quickly we run back to our zones of comfort.
And you thought you were alone?! Nope, not by a long shot.
One thing I have learned is that you cannot get rid of a bad habit. What you have to do is overlay something new over the top and repeat... just for today. Over time, the new practice becomes the habit and ... Just for today I am going to ...
Go for a walk at lunch time
Not have a cigarette during my breaks
Smile more
Do all my homework
Go to the gym
Eat more fruit and veg
That's all well and good, and believe me, it does work. But there is a faster way, and that is doing something completely different, something you have been putting off until ... well today is that day.
Today I am going to choose something different - Today I am going to:
Pluck up courage and book those dance lessons
Pick up the phone and give the girl a call
Go and see a movie on my own
Try a different restaurant
Ask for help
When was the last time you did something for the first time? How did that make you feel?
I would recommend spending some time over the next couple of days and work through your habitual behaviours. What are you happy to keep? What are you hoping to change? What can you overlay?
Then choose a simple, single thing that you have always wanted to do, and simply pick a time, and enjoy. Don't feel guilty, just do it - as the saying goes. As you challenge your routines, you will open yourself to a myriad of experiences and I would suggest you make that a regular habit to get into.
- Albert Einstein
We can all be forgiven for doing the same things over and over again, that's what gets us through most of our days. We drive the same way to work, we do the same things every day at work, we eat the same foods, watch the same kind of television programs, read the same kinds of books, fall into bed and repeat ad naseum.
Occasionally of course we decide that TODAY we are going to do something different. TODAY is the day we are going to:
Lose weight
Stop smoking
Build our website
Ask that cute girl out on a date
Write the first pages of the novel we've always wanted to write
And then just for today, we do just that. But then the following day rolls around and all of a sudden, life - that normality thing kicks back in again, and projects are shelved. OK, sometimes it takes more than a single day, but it's quite fast how quickly we run back to our zones of comfort.
And you thought you were alone?! Nope, not by a long shot.
One thing I have learned is that you cannot get rid of a bad habit. What you have to do is overlay something new over the top and repeat... just for today. Over time, the new practice becomes the habit and ... Just for today I am going to ...
Go for a walk at lunch time
Not have a cigarette during my breaks
Smile more
Do all my homework
Go to the gym
Eat more fruit and veg
That's all well and good, and believe me, it does work. But there is a faster way, and that is doing something completely different, something you have been putting off until ... well today is that day.
Today I am going to choose something different - Today I am going to:
Pluck up courage and book those dance lessons
Pick up the phone and give the girl a call
Go and see a movie on my own
Try a different restaurant
Ask for help
When was the last time you did something for the first time? How did that make you feel?
I would recommend spending some time over the next couple of days and work through your habitual behaviours. What are you happy to keep? What are you hoping to change? What can you overlay?
Then choose a simple, single thing that you have always wanted to do, and simply pick a time, and enjoy. Don't feel guilty, just do it - as the saying goes. As you challenge your routines, you will open yourself to a myriad of experiences and I would suggest you make that a regular habit to get into.
