Winnie The Pooh And Doing Something Else
“Here is Edward Bear coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he know, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it”.
I’ve come across this quote from Winnie the Pooh twice in the last month, which got me thinking about why it is we keep on doing the same thing even if we repeatedly get the same negative result. Is it because we don’t know what else to do? How often have you heard someone saying, “What else can I do?” If you ask them the question “What else could you do?” they often reply very quickly, “Nothing, I don’t have any choice”, or “There is no other way”.
We can automatically shut off any thought of doing something different or differently because it would mean getting out of our comfort zone, and the thought of that can be worse than constantly doing something that produces little of what we want but is familiar.
But what if you allowed yourself to think about doing something else instead of bemoaning the fact that you’re not having much luck? For instance, if you’re looking for work via the internet and keep getting rejected, is it worth going to networking meetings or even considering a change of career? If you keep trying to get fit by going to the gym and it’s not working, is that because you’ve picked the wrong exercise? Could dancing suit you better?
Whatever the issue, as they say in NLP “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. If what you are doing is not working, do something else”. Like Winnie the Pooh, you may know there is another way, which means you’ve taken the first step; becoming aware. The next thing to do is allow yourself to think about the alternatives, then take some action; take that first step – preferably not bumping downstairs on your head.
About the Author:
Pam Stokes is a Business & Personal Development Coach. Besides coaching, she provides interactive online programmes for busy people, supervises newly qualified and trainee coaches, runs workshops in stress management and a Diploma Course in NLP. Free downloads are available at http://www.pamstokesassociates.co.uk