If you want to start moving forward you need to stop going backward.
If you want to say ‘yes’, stop saying ‘no’.
If you want out of the box thinking, talk to people who neither live nor work in a box.
If you want to increase your optimism, talk with people who find solutions to problems instead of finding problems with solutions.
If you want to have answers you need to ask questions.
If you want to ask questions be prepared to take action.
If you want to take action, take actions that yield positive results.
If you find yourself in a continuous loop and want a different outcome than the one you’re in, you’ll need to create a different pathway; one that takes you forward instead of returning you to the same place you started.
If you think positive change happens without you changing, think again. If you think you don’t have control, or power, or authority to change, try again.
Reframe your situation from what stops you to what gets you started.
- If you want out of box thinking, think again: Listen to yourself. If you keep saying the same things, trying the same things, doing the same things and you’re not making any progress you need to start listening to those who think, try, and do things differently and more successfully than you. It doesn’t mean they’re right and you’re wrong or that you need to be, act, and do as they might. It does mean that you can apply what they’ve learned to do well to what you could do better. Reframe your challenge and refresh your approach.
- Increase your optimism and change negative thinking to possibility doing: Stay away from naysayers and doomsdayers if that’s the only way they relate to you. We can all learn something from cynics and critics, and yes, we know that constructive feedback is a “gift.” Yet when all we hear is cynicism, criticism, and destructive feedback we cease to benefit from its selective wisdom and instead lose confidence in our ability to think, act, and thrive on our own. On the other hand, when all we hear is applause and all we get are hugs and kisses when we’re not doing a thing to get unstuck we’re lulled into repeating the same patterns and believing in the same limitations that got us stuck in the first place.
- If you want to have answers you need to ask questions: Look for balance from those whose counsel you seek. If they make it all sound too good to be true, too easy to do or just not for you, separate what won’t work from what will, and take action.
- Take actions that yield positive results: Ready fire aim describes a sequence designed to miss your target. Ready, aim, then fire. Know what you want before you set out to get it. Aggregate, prioritize, and organize the resources you’ll need to achieve what you’re going after and know what you’ll do once you get there.
