Albert Einstein once said that insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Now, I don't know for sure but I am guessing that he was referring to scientific experiments when he made that observation.
Whatever the context, there does seem to be a universal truth to the statement – haven't we all experienced that feeling of déjà vu, having the same arguments, with the same people, about the same things... over and over again?
Doesn't it make you feel like you're stuck in some surreal version of the movie, 'Groundhog Day', expecting Sonny and Cher to burst into song with 'I've got you babe', at any moment!
OK, levity aside, there are lessons to be learned from Groundhog Day. If you recall, our hero was stuck in the same day, every day, having the same experiences, the same conversations and repeating the same behaviour... every day!
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| Meditation - a great way to experience the joy of 'Present Moment Awareness' |
He was trying to win the heart of a lady and because events were the same every day he was able to practice new, some might say, manipulative techniques, based on his previous day's experience and lack of success.
Some would say that he had the cards stacked in his favour because he knew exactly what was going to happen and be said every day, whilst to everybody around him it was a new day. Another upside was that he was never penalised for the day's activities – he had the chance to get things right, by learning from his experiences.
The trouble was that none of his manipulative and habitual behaviour worked for him. The day always ended the same and he never ended up with the girl.
The penny finally dropped for our hero and the magic began to happen when he realised that he needed to change his thinking about his situation. The plot-line revealed that he had some sort of an epiphany when he finally understood that if he wanted things to change, he had to change.
He began to change his thinking about his life and his habitual patterns of behaviour. He finally understood that when he changed, people would change around him. In the end he won the girl and he was finally released from the prison of living in the same day.
This wonderfully scripted film acts as a perfect metaphor for real life – how many of us are stuck in this self-created prison of perpetual repetition, always doing the same thing and hoping for different results? How often do we look outside of ourselves for solutions to our problems?
A lifetime of conditioning has created the belief that happiness and success lie in the adding of things to our lives, such as material possessions and affirmations and endorsements from others. The truth, in fact, lays a lot closer to home.
With personal awareness comes the realisation that true fulfilment comes from within and we come to understand that adding things to our life does not provide the answer we are seeking. The patina soon wears off the new 'thing' whatever it is, leaving us craving for something else to provide a new hit.
Then we begin to ask ourselves what is missing and what can fill this void. Eventually, we start to look inwards and then the real process of personal growth starts and we come to realise that no amount of external 'stuff' will fill the void.
The desire to look outside of ourselves for a solution to a 'different, happier life' is akin to the insanity that Albert Einstein spoke of.
We begin to realise that we have been doing the same thing over and over by trying to 'add' to our lives and it almost always ends in dissatisfaction, only providing a temporary and hollow form of happiness, leading us us to reside in that wistful state of 'if only'.
The solution is simple. The practice a little more challenging. There are a number of ways to start on this voyage of self-discovery and they all require some personal effort. Whatever method you choose it needs to include a process that promotes 'present moment awareness', or 'living in the moment'.
It is also important that your practice promotes the development of a non-judgmental awareness of your present moment thinking and behaviour. Once you start to develop your practice you will begin to understand that you have been making choices every second of every day of your life and you will realise that many of your choices have been made unconsciously as a result of life conditioning.
Such conditioning has promoted the development of neural pathways in your brain, which then allow you to act on autopilot in given situations. For autopilot, read 'habitual unconscious behaviour', or the 'Groundhog Day effect'.
Probably the best method to promote present moment awareness is daily meditation and there are many different types to choose from. Personally, I recommend Insight Meditation, which is a Buddhist technique.
There are many good books available on the subject to get you started and if you want more, a host of retreats where guidance will be given. If this kind of spiritual practice does not fit in with your views on life, then I would suggest that you develop a new and positive habit of identifying the choices that you are making every second of every day.
When you are acting in present moment awareness you will bring your choice-making to your conscious mind. Then, before you make your choice ask yourself these questions:
* What will be the impact of this choice to me?
* What will be the impact of this choice to others?
* Does this choice feel right in my heart?
When you ask these questions you will make the right conscious choice as opposed to a habitual unconscious choice. In time, you will become what Deepak Chopra describes as a spontaneous right choice-maker: Chopra D: The Seven Laws of Spiritual Success: 1996: Bantam.
Finally, you will understand that if you truly want to change your life, all you have to do is change your mind.
Marik is a professional life, performance and personal development coach living and working in Essex, UK. He has been involved in the field of personal development for the past 15 years and is keen to work with people who are committed to making positive change in their personal lives or careers.
Marik has considerable experience coaching in the corporate environment and is currently working with staff employed at senior levels at a large London-based public organisation.
In addition to coaching, Marik offers workplace mediation in his portfolio of skills, saving businesses thousands of pounds through early intervention, avoiding costly Employment Tribunals.
If you would like to know more about Marik and his work, then visit his website at http://www.markrobertscoaching.co.uk.
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