Try a New Approach

May 6, 2011 by Stacia Rogan

Sometimes I feel a bit like that dog. I’ve got a great idea and I feel really enthusiastic about it, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t make it happen. It’s like the famous quote from Albert Einstein – Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Over and over again, we find ourselves dropping our stick just like this dog and waiting for it to fly through the air. And we wait and we wait and we grow more desperate to see those results but nothing happens. How many times have you found yourself in a situation where you were sure if you just tried harder, if you just kept going, it would work this time? And how often did that actually work out for you? Whether the task at hand was something simple like trying to unscrew the lid on a jar or something larger like landing a new job, it’s rare that using the same approach over and over will yield different results.

In the past, when I’ve felt frustrated, I’ve stayed the course. I kept doing the same things, sometimes taking a brief break and then doubling my efforts. The result was most often more frustration. Sure, sometimes I achieved the result I was after, but I often find myself wondering if there was an easier way to accomplish the same thing without all of the aggravation.

It’s only recently that I’ve learned to take a step back when something isn’t working and try a new approach. Not surprisingly, sometimes it works! Maybe I would’ve gotten there using the old method. Eventually. Maybe not. But there’s a certain wisdom in being able to stop ourselves and at least consider other ways of reaching those goals.

I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks after all!

Is there something in your life that might benefit from a new approach?