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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN

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Bitter Pills & Defeated Habits

posted 03/30/03
The world is different today than it was even a few weeks ago, and it seems to be changing faster each day. Many of us are facing sudden challenges with which we have no prior experience. The skills and strategies that used to work for us no longer achieve desired results. We are overwhelmed with new information and paralyzed by anxiety. So how do we cope?

George Lois, a New York advertising pro known for what has been called his "stun 'em and cause outrage" philosophy, once said, "Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything."

Historically, habits and traditional ways of seeing the world have held mankind back. At one time we thought the world was flat. Some said that if God meant for people to fly they would be born with wings. Diseases such as polio and tuberculosis were once believed to be incurable; and telephones, attached to walls, merely transmitted voices.

Whenever I complain about problems and challenges in my own life, a dear mentor reminds me of the name of this column. He tells me that I have to practice what I preach by thinking outside my own box. It is a bitter pill to swallow, but my friend is right. When I allow myself to break habitual patterns and discover new ways of being, thinking, seeing and doing, obstacles disappear magically.

Students and coaching clients have often proved to me that any single problem usually has multiple solutions. As we attempt to defeat habits with originality, we must recognize that there is not a single right way to do it. By brainstorming without judging, we can come up with many creative approaches as one idea spawns another. Then, by applying these ideas and learning new skills in the process, our challenges are overcome.

  • What is the biggest challenge you face in your life today?

  • How would you normally approach it?

  • Can you list five other creative or unusual ways to approach it?

  • Who can help you brainstorm ideas and try them out?

© 2003 David Bentley

David Bentley, M.Ed. & Personal Coach, coaches clients through the game of life, helping them find balance, clarity of direction, and purpose in an ever-changing world.

You may contact him at 360.378.8436

by e-mail at david@coachbentley.com

or visit his Web site: www.coachbentley.com

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