Do you want more success?…Do Things Differently

Throughout the course of our lifetime we will develop certain habits and routines.  We will get accustomed to doing things a particular way and even looking at things from the same perspective. For example, we may do the same type of work for decades, we may view the world and our abilities from the same viewpoint for years, we may resolve conflicts in the same manner consistently, we may have a certain way we approach issues…the list continues and continues.  Sometimes that consistency and our self created routines will work for us and allow us to continue moving forward…other times the consistency and routines can be limiting and restricting.

The alternaview:
The alternaview is that we can never become complacent with doing or seeing things a certain way simply because that is the way we always have seen or done things. In order to realize our absolute potential, we have to be willing to break the mold and do things in a manner that will provide for our greatest growth and success. We have to always be on the lookout for what is working and what is holding us back and be willing and ready to change things and revisit our approaches.

As an example, there are many people that are just unhappy with their jobs and have been for a long period time.  Despite their unhappiness, they will continue to wake up at the same time every morning, drink the same type of coffee, drive the same way to work and complain about the same things for years and years.  They will do this because they say they have no alternative and this is the way they have to do things. They have responsibilities and this is the most practical way to handle them.

OR

There are those people who have just always handled challenging situations and people the same way, despite the fact that their approach has never really worked. When someone has disappointed them or done something they believe is wrong, they continually choose to address the situation the same way.  They have decided that it is best if people understand everything they have done wrong and that it is necessary to prove people wrong regardless of the fact that this approach is really not working.

These are both examples of situations where it is necessary to break out of the routine.  It is time to do things differently or look at them from a different perspective.

Why?

Because when what you are doing and what you have consistently been doing is just not working, you have to take notice of it and change it.  I am sure you have heard the definition of insanity…doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.  The reality is that if we get stuck doing things a certain way that is not working and continue to have limiting viewpoints on anything in our life, the only thing we should expect is what we have always gotten. This even applies to things that are somewhat working.  If we are only having moderate success, then there are things we can do differently that will allow us to achieve more.

It is easy to become complacent when things are okay and it is also easy to sit around and complain about what is not working out the way you had hoped.  However, in both instances, we have to be honest and ask ourselves what we are really doing about it?  Are you trying to change your approach?  Are you trying to be more open minded and look at something from a different perspective? Are you trying to do things differently? Are you trying to break free from the same decent or disappointing results?

The only way we are going to find ourselves in the place where we want to be is by making certain that we have developed the most beneficial approach and perspective for every aspect of our life.  What this means is that we must evaluate how we handle things, how we look at things, what we have learned, what seems to continually work, what seems to continually not work and then be open and willing to do things differently.   This is what living and learning is all about.

How to use this alternaview:
1.  Consistently be on the lookout for what is working and what is not working. Are you seeing the same problems appear over and over again in your life in different ways?  Are you seeing the same issues arise in different circumstances? Are you having the same problems with people and resolving issues?  If so, that means you are not taking notice of an important lesson and that is why it keeps appearing in one way or another.  It’s time to do things differently…

2.  Realize that you can change things immediately. After you have identified things that you should probably change or approach differently, you need to be willing to make immediate changes.  Change is a process and can take time, but the sooner you begin the process, the sooner you complete it and you have to make positive strides every day.  Don’t try and convince yourself that it is okay if you wait to change…don’t wait for the new year to make a resolution.  Once you have identified what is not working, you need to start focusing on changing today.  Every day counts.

3.  Don’t become complacent because things aren’t terrible. You need to survey your life and do an honest assessment of what is going well and what is not.  Life is designed to be great and you should have wonderful things in your life.  Don’t wait for things to get terrible before you start trying to do something about them.  Go through the major areas of your life: (1) work, career, goals (2) physical shape, health (3) relationships with friends and family (4) financial well being (5) emotional well being.  What are your feelings on each of these aspects of your life?  Could any of these areas be improved?

Conclusion

We can develop the perfect formula for our life so that everything will fall into place the way it was meant to, but in order to do that, we have to be open minded and willing to do things differently.  We have to break free of things that have held us back in one way or another, whether we realized it or not.  Once we begin understanding and welcoming change, all areas of our life will either begin or continue to unfold…this is the alternaview.

Do you have anything you need to change?  What do you think about this alternaview?