Here is Edward Bear coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he know, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it. Ive come across this quote from Winnie the Pooh twice in the last month, which got me thinking about why it is we keep on doing the same thing even if we repeatedly get the same negative result. Is it because we dont know what else to do? How often have you heard someone saying, What else can I do? If you ask them the question What else could you do? they often reply very quickly, Nothing, I dont have any choice, or There is no other way. We can automatically shut off any thought of doing something different or differently because it would mean getting out of our comfort zone, and the thought of that can be worse than constantly doing something that produces little of what we want but is familiar. But what if you allowed yourself to think about doing something else instead of bemoaning the fact that youre not having much luck? For instance, if youre looking for work via the internet and keep getting rejected, is it worth going to networking meetings or even considering a change of career? If you keep trying to get fit by going to the gym and its not working, is that because youve picked the wrong exercise? Could dancing suit you better? Whatever the issue, as they say in NLP If you always do what youve always done, youll always get what youve always got. If what you are doing is not working, do something else. Like Winnie the Pooh, you may know there is another way, which means youve taken the first step; becoming aware. The next thing to do is allow yourself to think about the alternatives, then take some action; take that first step preferably not bumping downstairs on your head. |
