Coaching Corner: Change it up!
By "Coach" Marilou Butcher Roth
One of my favorite quotes is from Albert Einstein, in which he says “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” Think about his words and what they mean to you. When I see these words, they convey such truth to me about how our thinking can easily get us stuck.
Problems will surface at some point for each of us at points in our lives. When these ever so not-fun problems do occur, we find ourselves in a specific frame of mind. If we continue down this same mental path, it is extremely challenging to create our much sought after solutions to said problem.
Notice what those behind the scene thoughts are that bubble up for you when presented with life’s challenges. Let’s use the example of a down deal -- the reason it goes down does not matter for this example. Listen to the words floating in your head. You might hear something like “I get all the bad deals,” or “Why doesn’t anything ever go right for me?” Perhaps you hear “I can’t get ahead” rolling around in your head. There are a myriad of thoughts that you alone hold true for you. My invitation is to challenge those thoughts with one or more of these questions:
- Is this thought absolutely true?
- What would my life be like if I did not have this thought?
- I wonder why this pattern (if it truly is a pattern) is showing up in my life?
- What can I learn from this experience?
Another way to get yourself into a change of mind is distraction. Yes, I know that may sound silly, however, if you are in a lousy place mentally, it will be far more productive to place your attention elsewhere for a bit.
We can all agree that Albert Einstein was indeed a very smart man, so let’s benefit even more from what he has contributed by learning from his wise words.
