When I saw this ad, I cut the words out as the truly spoke to me. During interviews I am asked how I have achieved certain accomplishments in my life. Often I have a hard time articulating the "core" of why I have been able to achieve a given goal. When I stumbled on this print ad I realized that "rethink your approach" sums up the vital and crucial component between achieving or abandoning a goal.
This is what rethinking your approach looks like: Imagine you are driving your car to a very important family get-together that you have been anticipating for months. While driving you come to a closed road. What do you do? My guess is that you would retrieve
your map or just wing it by taking an alternate route; or perhaps you would call someone at the gathering and ask what route they used to maneuver the road block.
Yet when we face blocks on the road to our dreams many people turn off the car and just sit there. We don't bring the same constructive thinking to our achievement. If I were to do that, since I live in Wisconsin (and road construction projects seem to
average 3 years) I would likely starve or freeze while sitting in my car and waiting for the road block to leave. And many of us starve or freeze on our path to achievement, versus rethinking our approach.
I have always loved solving puzzles - word searches, crosswords, logic problems, or the latest craze soduko. Even more than these puzzles, I love solving the problems and challenges that arrive on my doorstep each day. "What if I tried this?" "What if I looked at it from this angle?" "What if I...." and I incessantly evaluate and ask questions and rethink my approach again and again until I maneuver past the block.
Your Turn:
Think of something that is challenging in your life. Incorporate the process of rethinking your approach by completing the following sentence at least 10 different ways... "What if I....." If you have a hard time getting started, brainstorm with a friend. Come up with outlandish solutions-- anything, just get the creativity going. Let the list sit for a day. Then highlight one approach to try. Enjoy the challenge of life.
