Same Choices, Same Results

A change in perspective, behavior, or response can do so much more to help us move

past issues left unresolved.

Repeated bouts of adversity are an unavoidable aspect of human existence. We

battle against our inner struggles or outer world forces, and in many cases, we

emerge on the opposite side of struggle stronger and better equipped to cope

with the challenges yet to come. However, we can occasionally encounter trials

that seem utterly hopeless. We strike at them with all of our creativity and

perseverance, hoping desperately to bring about change, only to meet with the

same results as always. Our first instinct in such situations is often to push

harder against the seemingly immovable obstruction before us, assuming that

this time we will be met with a different outcome. But staying power and stamina

net us little when the same choices consistently garner the same results. A

change in perspective, behavior, or response can do so much more to help us

move past points where no amount of effort seems sufficient to overcome the

difficulties before us.

Whether our intention is to change ourselves or some element of the world

around us, we cannot simply wish for transformation or hope that our lives will be

altered through circumstance. If our patterns of thought and behavior remain

unchanged, our lives will continue to unfold much as they have previously.

Patterns in which fruitless efforts prevail can be overcome with self examination

and courage. It is our bravery that allows us to question the choices we have

made thus far and to channel our effort into innovation. Asking questions and

making small adjustments to your thought processes and behaviors will help you

discover what works, so you can leave that which does not work behind you. To

break free from those unconscious patterns that have long held sway over your

actions and reactions, you will likely have to challenge your assumptions on a

most basic level. You must accept once and for all that your beliefs with regard to

cause and effect may no longer be in accordance with your needs. 

Stagnation is often a sign that great changes are on the horizon. Courting the

change you wish to see in yourself and in the world around you is a matter of

acknowledging that only change begets change. The results you so ardently

want to realize are well within the realm of possibility, and you need only step

away from the well-worn circular path to explore the untried paths that lie beyond

it.