Einstein once said,
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”
And it would seem that I have spent a lot of my life showing up as the physical manifestation of that quote and I know a lot of other people do the same. It’s almost like it’s engrained into our DNA to believe that we are who we are and that comes with limitations that are built in. So we try harder believing that if we just put more time in or become more efficient and do more in the time we have we will break through and be able to…and then the list grows and we manage to achieve even less.
The problem of course, is that we spiral down the rabbit whole of, ‘It must be me’ or ‘I’m not good enough’ or ‘Smart enough, young enough, tall enough, cool enough and…’ Yep, the list goes on and worse, it’s insatiable and never ending.
I suppose the question is, “What would I do differently and how would I know when I am heading down the rabbit whole?” I mean after all, working hard is a noble thing, and to work harder is the sign of commitment and desire, isn’t it? I mean it is right? Shit! I think I see the problem. One of the things that we inherited from my generation was “Work hard Son, it’ll pay off in the end.” You need to hear that with a very ‘Northern’ working class accent and then it will make sense. There was no such thing as quitting back then, ‘Not when ay were a lad’ and what did I do when I left school? I joined the Army! Jesus, absolutely no way of quitting that one, and the only way forward in the Army was to work and try harder. So, while not quitting can be a strength, it can also be a downfall because at some point there are signs that say “RABBIT WHOLE THIS WAY” It’s usually indicated by an arrow.
Like the title says, it’s like constantly stubbing your toe on the bed post every time you get up to take a pee in the dark, when all you had to do was put the slippers on that are right in the spot where your feet land when you swing your legs over the edge of the bed. Or install a nightlight, nah, too easy.
We can of course go on like this forever, but that would only be living out Einsteins quote. Instead, why not try something new. Instead of putting a never ending amount of harder work into whatever you are struggling with, why not give a reasonable amount of time (and this is where you need to trust yourself) you will know when the time is right and if progress has stopped try something completely new or even quit and try something completely new and different. Seek help and advice. The thing I have discovered at my age is, I don’t have five years to see if something would work, that would make me 76. While I’m not saying give it two weeks, maybe more people should try using a different approach in stead of doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
Be Brave, Be Kind and don’t keep heading down the rabbit whole!
Lee
Middle Aged Not Dead 