Give Me New Direction
Hello, how are you feeling? This isn’t a trick question. I really want to know. This last few weeks, on the home front here, and just about everywhere else (or so I hear), life has been fraught with changes and not necessarily the good kind either. But then again, is change ever comfortable? Even the good kind? I don’t think so. And this global, collective change we are all experiencing is BIG.
But staying in a cycle of repeated patterns isn’t helpful either. One could argue that’s worse than the alternative – making a change. Yes, I know, this crazy time that we are in is not a change anyone could have imagined or desired. The Universe has swooped us all up in a cosmic hand, shaking us up, and has yet to toss us back onto the game board. Trust me, the game of life will continue, only we may not be on the same square that we started from.
Any Hoo, back to repeating patterns…you know the kind you subconsciously fall back into when you go on autopilot? Yeah, those. Stop it. Some wise person said that doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. Yeah, let’s pay attention to that wisdom and change our patterns to move forward in a new direction, bypassing the insanity bit.
3 Powerful Questions To Ask Yourself To Move Forward
Since we all find ourselves with a bit more time on our hands, as we practice social distancing and singing the ABC song while washing our hands, I figured I’d share a few powerful questions to think about to move yourself forward – and off autopilot.
- What have you tried so far?
- How do you feel about it?
- What are your other options?
Spend some time on each question and explore the answers that pop up. Don’t discard anything. Just write. Yep. Write. Trust your intuition – even the craziest answers that spring to mind. WRITE IT DOWN. All done? Happy? Not happy? Doesn’t matter. You got it out of your head.
Now walk away.
Yep, that’s right, walk away. Put the journal, post-it or iPad away and go on with your life for at least a day. Give your subconscious time to percolate while off living your busy life. Play with your kids, bake dinner, walk your dog – whatever you do, just don’t revisit your answers – oh, and don’t forget to practice social distancing and washing your hands too.
24 Hours Later
Let’s get back to it. Only give yourself some time to review your questions and answers from yesterday. Any surprises? Anything here you want to explore? Maybe you see options you hadn’t seen yesterday? Are there any actions can you might be able to take to shift you off autopilot, therefore shifting your patterns? It’s OK if you need a bit more time to decide on action steps. But do yourself a favor and whenever you find yourself back on repeat, hit delete by revisiting these questions (or download a pdf from this older post) and doing something, anything differently.
Sending you love and happiness.
I absolutely agree with you: change is always challenging. Even when we know it will be good in the long run.
I try to do something a little differently each time: even if it as simple as running a slightly different route, or taking a detour in my driving route – just to keep my brain ready for change. Have been for years since someone wiser suggested this.
I love your process. It will be so helpful when encountering a decision or an obstacle or a routine proposition. And the 24 hour review – fantastic! Thank you.
I’m a creature of habit and need to be better at switching things up for brain health! And so happy to have caught up with you again. That’s the good thing about having a bit more time in my hands! LoL 😂 stay safe out there! 💗💗💗