It just doesn’t seem logical that we can actually become addicted to the same life, the same circumstances, the same business structure we’ve built around ourselves, but it’s true more times than not. Line’s like creatures of habit and better safe safe than sorry are all too familiar in this state of stagnation, and Einstein’s definition of insanity (doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results) seems to fair well.
We hear time and time again how we’re living in the “age of possibility.” That actually might be one of the problems as it’s easy to become mesmerized by all the directions we can actually go, kind of like that sense of over-whelm you get from internet traffic which can drain your interest. This kind of personal immobility, very sadly, can actually go on for years which is partly (mostly) our own fault coupled with the fact that never in history has there been such an abundance of available distractions, which my dark side tells me in many cases is no accident.
The Problem
You’re intellectually absolutely baffled at why you cling to the same work-structure and the same set of circumstances day in and day out. It’s a far cry from what you envision for yourself, but you feel that sameness in a sense keeps you from falling apart. You have the tendency to reinforce pre-existing assumptions about who you are, and these assumptions are the stories you tell yourself that tend to just keep things where they are. You can’t get beyond these dominant modes of thought, your possibilities are limited because of this limited perspective, and you continue to fail to take action on it – looks damn near like an addiction to me, and I promise you’re not alone on this.
The Solution
First and foremost – take it seriously and treat it like an addiction, something to get rid of for all the obvious reasons. Get out of the well, that’s just how things are mentality that does absolutely nothing to serve you. One of the more well known quotes from the Alcoholics Anonymous organization shares this message:
“I have found that the process of discovering who I really am begins with knowing who I really don’t want to be.”
My take on that; heighten your awareness to how blatantly counter-productive it is to continue on the same path you’ve been on – get angry with yourself, which leads me to my next point.
Wish these were my words, but they’re not. “If we can (generate) the right emotion inside of us, we can get ourselves to do anything.” Tony Robbins.
There is the beginning of your game plan! Bring an emotion into this predicament, something that jumpstarts your motivation to bring on change. Don’t just be uncomfortable about your circumstances, be enraged. Don’t just be cautious about your stagnation, be suspicious. Don’t just be dissatisfied with your progress, be crushed.
Here’s a quote from Dr. Joe Dispenza from his book Evolve Your Brain that presents an additional point of view on this stagnation enigma.
“We choose to live stuck in a particular mindset or attitude, partly because of genetics and partly because a portion of the brain (a portion that has become hardwired by our repeated thoughts and reactions) limits our vision of what’s possible.”
We’re weighted down with an almost biological need to hold onto the familiar. We’re “hardwired,” and this is why it’s going to take an emotion to crack it. You’re going to have to bring that state of a new emotion to your conscious mind, and “feel” it. Plato stated that human behavior flows from three main sources – desire, emotion, and knowledge. Amass an overwhelming desire for change, be firm in the knowledge that it’s entirely possible to complete your quest, and bring your emotional strength into play on this. Please read on.
Some Thoughts
Here’s a personal story that explains why I’m convinced an emotion has to power to initiate change, as Robbins stated.
After a couple of decades in the Arts, a musician to be exact, I lost the use of two of my fingers on my left hand. It was a devastating blow. Long story short, after a year of working with almost a dozen doctors (Eastern & Western based philosophies, including hand surgery) and thousands of dollars later, there was no viable prognosis and no change in my condition. Medically speaking, there was no where else to go, and it looked to be a permanent physical dysfunction. It was a thumbs down from the doctors.
Deciding this was absolutely/unequivocally out of the question, I took it upon myself to find and enact my own healing process. Three months later, my fingers were up and functioning. There are a few things we could discuss about this particular phenomenon, but here’s the greater point I’m looking to share in terms of the solution I offered you above.
It was an emotion, or better said, an emotional state that drove me to beat this abnormality rather than submit to it. I was infuriated that my body for whatever reason was putting an end to everything that I had worked for and aspired to, and I redirected that rage into the mindset of failure is absolutely not an option, and, I prevailed. If I can literally change my body’s physiology, I think it’s entirely plausible to be able to change the circumstances that are holding you back from a life of design rather than default. How bad do you want it?
