Do Something DIFFERENT
If you do what you’ve always done, you get what you’ve always got.
How many times have you heard that? It’s something we all know to be true and yet, how many of us still continue doing things in the same old way and still wonder why nothing ever changes?
Most of us, actually!
It’s because we are all creatures of habit – and being creatures of habit makes ‘change’ often very difficult for us. If you need convincing of this, just take a few minutes to think back over your morning – did you get up at the same time, having slept on the same side of the bed? Did you have a shower or a bath because you always have a shower or a bath? Is your first drink of the day always the same? Do you sit in in the same seat at the breakfast table as you always sit in…..? You’ll soon see that much of your morning activities were a repetition of yesterday’s activities. Now don’t worry – you are certainly alone in this behaviour – it appears we are all the same!
According to Karen Pine, a psychologist who works in the area of behavioural change, as much as 95% of our days are made up of habits! NINETY FIVE PERCENT!
What’s so interesting about that?
Well firstly, is it any wonder we find ourselves in a rut if we keep repeating the same old stuff day in, day out? And secondly, is it any wonder we find it difficult to break out of the rut when we keep repeating the things that got us into it in the first place?
But before you throw your hands up in despair, you may be interested to hear there is a simple solution – and it’s this:
If what you do isn’t getting you what you want – DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT!
Research conducted by Professor Pine and her team has shown that simply doing something different, weakens old habits, enabling new ones to be put in their place. Doing things differently helps us become less habitual thereby increasing our behavioural flexibility – all of which is pretty essential if we are to make changes in our lives.
I’ve tried it and once I got into the groove, I really enjoyed this approach and started doing things such as taking different routes, buying a different newspaper, going to the cinema alone or at different times, sitting in different seats (this one caused big ripples of consternation around the breakfast table one morning!) and so on.
So if you are looking to make some changes in your life, it is pretty obvious that continuing to do what you’ve been doing isn’t an option – if you want to get something different, you have to DO something different.
So forget willpower, forget self-discipline – start the process of change TODAY by simply doing something different.
Have fun!
