Challenge Your Thinking to Achieve Better Results

A few years back I worked with a client, let’s call him Eric, the COO of a medium sized established company. I was inspired to write this article as it often tends to be our thinking / mindset / perspective that can trip us up, as was the case with him.

Everybody has set ways of thinking about things. This is true for your private life as well as in your working environment. Where your perspective comes from and what it is based on comes usually from past experiences. By past, I mean it can come from way back, or even recent bad experiences with the last boss or partner or life in general.

What matters now, in the present moment, is the awareness that these experiences exist, might be driving your behaviour and give you your perspective on things.

This can form beliefs, biases, judgements and any, negative thoughts. If you are ready to start changing the results you are getting then these tips can help you challenge your thoughts.

After all Einstein says: “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.”

• Think of the specific situation that is difficult.

• Ask yourself: Is this a one off or part of a recurring pattern?
• If it is part of a pattern then it is time to get to know yourself. Raise your self-awareness by observing yourself. What exactly sets your trigger off?
• What is it that you are feeling in that moment? Anger, Frustration, Lack of clarity, inability to communicate or which other emotion? Narrow down what exactly you are feeling - not thinking
• feeling.
  Should that not work you can stay with what you think about the situation.
• What do you normally do next when you feel that way?
• Really get to know your own behaviour so in the future you can catch yourself. This will take some time to observe yourself. I find 2 weeks is a good amount of time to observe your behaviour.
  This can often become a self-sabotaging routine that you are not even aware of UNTIL you get to know it.
• What can you start doing differently? Please be realistic. As an example: I usually cringe when a client who wants to re-start running tells me they are going to start tomorrow and run every day! I encourage and prefer if they set a realistic target, 1-3 times per week is a great start. That way if they manage to do more they can feel proud of themselves rather than demotivated. It is so much harder to get your motivation back up than feeling good about yourself! 
• Once you are familiar with your default behaviour pattern think of what you can do instead.
  A baby step is fantastic already ... it is a change. 
• Remember you are the one who has the choice in this moment:  Go down the same old road and get the same results or start changing what you do. Einstein did say: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".
• Keep exploring and experimenting until you found what exactly works best for you.
  
  

According to the neuroscience the brain will work with you not against you if you give it time to practice and repeat the new behaviour. Not given time your thinking (brain) will stay the same and you in default behaviour mode.

To give you an example should the issue be communication where you feel pressure to respond: More often than not the very first change to practice is not to react i.e not say or do anything at all.
Buy yourself some time by saying ‘I will get back to you on that’.  

By the way the CEO had good results for the company. It was Eric's assumptions that triggered him. 

Reach out if you want to have some support.
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by Suzie Doscher, Professional Executive Coach focusing on Personal Development

Self-help Books: Self-help Author since 2014 - 3 Editions of BALANCE - A Practical Handbook for Life's Difficult Moments (2014, 2018, 2022)
​Photo credit: Pexels   
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