A Life-Changing Equation
Have you ever felt stuck in life? I mean really stuck? So stuck that your brain high-jacks you into believing that the only way out of your pain is to wait for something/someone “out there” to change?
So stuck you are certain that the only way to feel better is to get your spouse, your boss, your kids or society to treat you differently?
So stuck that in moments you feel there is no way out. You are exhausted from constantly strategizing how to change things. First trying one tactic, then another and another; only to meet with familiar frustration and disappointment.
Nothing seems to change. You’ve become angry and resentful, or depressed – or both.
If you are, or have ever been, this stuck you’re in luck because I have the solution.
It’s a simple equation really. Simple meaning easy to understand, not necessarily easy to implement. The equation looks like this:
SEE differently
+ DO differently
= CHANGE (get unstuck)
The first part of the equation is to “See Differently.” This requires openness to changing your perspective of yourself, others and your circumstances. Sometimes this is more challenging than you might expect.
By the time you feel stuck you have likely developed a story in your mind, complete with characters, motivations and explanations for why things are the way they are and what needs to happen for change to occur. You’ve come to believe certain things about yourself and the others involved; about what’s possible and what’s not.
What’s more, you’ve developed an emotional attachment to what you believe about your situation. I’ve observed that the more emotional pain people are in, the more attached they generally are to the way they see things. It is easy to be more concerned with which perspective is “right,” than which perspective leads to being unstuck.
“Seeing differently” is so powerful that Marianne Williamson defined a miracle as “a change in perception.” I have certainly witnessed this to be true.
A shift in perception – or seeing differently – opens new possibilities, so the second part of the equation is “Do Differently.”
To “do differently” requires a willingness to change your behavior. Behavior can include the way you communicate, treat yourself, treat others, work, play, express your emotions and the practices of daily living.
Amazingly, it doesn’t take big changes in behavior to change your life. Small, subtle changes in your behavior can have a big impact. The key is a willingness to be consistent about them until they become natural for you.
PRACTICE – PRACTICE – PRACTICE
Learning something new is rarely comfortable at first, and yes, it usually requires effort and intention at the beginning. But over time, your new behavior becomes the norm, requiring less thinking and less energy to implement. Until one day you do it without thinking at all and “ta-da” – a new pattern is formed!
When you combine a new way of thinking with new behavior your experience cannot stay the same. This does not necessarily mean that others will change or that your circumstances will change – but your experience of it will.
CHANGING YOUR EXPERIENCE is the solution to getting unstuck.
See – Do – Experience….
You have the power to change your life today.