Change Perspective

We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them”. That quote has been attributed to Albert Einstein, of whom I am a great fan, not just because he was a genius, but because he also appears to have been very human.

And he's absolutely right - there's no point in repeating the same behaviours and expecting a different outcome. I frequently meet people who are looking for a solution to their problems outside of themselves - actually, that's not strictly true, it's probably fairer to say that they don't even realise that that's what they're doing, because they are so focussed on the problem, they don't recognise that there is a solution, and certainly don't know that it is within themselves. They just want it all to stop. But they are the problem too - it is their way of looking at matters which has made it a problem. So when you suggest alternative positions, they don't want to hear, because they just want everything to be tickety-boo without having to confront reality.

These are the very people who are trying to solve their problems with the same level of thinking. The saddest part of it is that they remain stressed and anxious, angry or miserable, blaming others (perhaps with justification), stuck, because they are unwilling to reflect on how they could manage the situation differently and make progress. Often, they want to punish those they see as their tormentors, believing that is the only way to be happy, when "justice" has been served (whose justice, I wonder?) and the "proper" balance restored. It's a futile approach, largely because in those circumstances, the actual tormentor is ourselves.

The answer IS within, for all of us, look closer to home, think about how a new perspective could change your life.