This morning I was having my coffee after meditation and looking out my bedroom window from my chair, noticing neighbors going about their morning routines. A few doors down, a man takes his dog, Molly, out to the front yard to go to the bathroom and pick up his yard from the debris that last night's rain tossed to the ground. Our neighbor across the circle was pulling out of the driveway to head to her job at the nearby elementary school.
Watching all of this has me thinking about our habits and routines and how sometimes, when those habits are internal, we can get stuck in the same loops of routine thinking.
Albert Einstein is attributed with the quote, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." I've always loved that quote, but it hits me differently as I notice the way people, myself included expect different results without different mindsets.
Why Our Old Thinking Patterns Don't Work
It's funny how we can fall into these patterns, isn't it? Maybe its the way we've always seen things and aren't even aware there is another perspective to view our circumstances from. Our old ways of thinking are what got us into some of the challenges we face, so how can we expect to solve them by thinking the same way? It's like expecting my coffee to magically refill itself without getting up to pour another cup.
It's easy to keep walking the same path, hoping something will be different or that a magic pill will come in and save us. I see this a lot with my clients who are working on weight management. They have tried every diet and diet pill but nothing works long term because their thoughts about food remain the same. We all know how that ends- we just end up in the same spot, frustrated. Einstein is right. To really solve our problems, we need a new perspective, a different approach- something that breaks us out of that comfortable but ultimately unhelpful loop.
How New Thinking Opens Doors
This is where it gets interesting. Whether it's dealing with the daily juggle of work and home life, trying to solve a bigger issue, or breaking a habit we know isn't good for us, we have to look at it from a new angle. Sometimes, that means stepping out of our routines, or maybe even asking for help.
There is a level of comfort in sticking with what we know, even if it's not working, but when we allow ourselves to entertain new ideas and perspectives, it is like opening a window in a stuffy room- the fresh air that blows through and fills the space can be a game changer.
How to Implement New Thinking
I often meet people who are stuck in old thought patterns. They have tried to will themselves through their problems or think their way out, but they end up circling back to the same place. That is where hypnotherapy can be very helpful. It's a way to access the part of the mind that holds those deeper patterns, and reprogram it.
But shifting the underlying thoughts, you can begin to see things differently- like changing the lens on a camera. Suddenly, what felt like being stuck, now has new possibilities and that is where transformation begins.
Expanding Your Thinking
One technique that I love to use with children, but works for adults just as well is the imagery of riding a red balloon up above a situation to see it from above and watch for new angles or options. If you are feeling stuck in a problem right now, how might you shift your perspective to that higher thinking? Here are a few ways to get started:
Adopt a beginner's mind: Approach the problem with curiosity, like it's the first time you have ever encountered it. This can open you up to simple solutions you haven't tried before.
Change your environment: A change of scenery- even just moving to a different room, opening a window, or going for a walk, can do wonders for your mindset.
Seek guidance: Sometimes it helps to have a pair of fresh eyes. A mentor, friend, coach or therapist can offer insights we may not see ourselves.
Challenge assumptions: Ask yourself what assumptions or presets you come with. Are they true? What would happen if you let them go?
Step Into Your New Framework
As I wrap this up and plan to pack my things and take the same route to work that I always do, I'm reminded that Einstein's wisdom wasn't just for solving scientific problems or equations; it applies to our everyday life too. When we approach our lives with fresh eyes each day, we open ourselves up to new perspectives and fresh insight.
What if you approached your day with expanded eyes? What if you saw everything like it was the first time? We just might surprise ourselves with how much we can change.
Warmly,
Jennifer Ferrante, CHt.
Ferrante Family Wellness
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