Or, Do Something Different—On Purpose

By Paula Renaye

Have you ever felt like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, where you keep living the same day over and over? You follow the same route to work, hit the same pothole in the road, talk to the same people, complain about the same things, and then get up the next day and do it all over again?

When we feel stuck in a situation, it can seem like there's nothing we can do to make things different. Just the thought of what it might take to make things different can be overwhelming. One thing leads to another, and before you know it, it seems like everything needs to change so you don’t do anything. Still, things “just happen” anyway, and it takes a long time to figure out what’s really going on. Here’s a classic piece that says so much with so few words.

THERE'S A HOLE IN MY SIDEWALK

Autobiography in Five Short Chapters

By Portia Nelson

Chapter One

I walk down the street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I fall in.

I am lost .... I am helpless.

It isn't my fault.

It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter Two

I walk down the street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I pretend that I don't see it.

I fall in again.

I can't believe I am in this same place.

But, it isn't my fault.

It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter Three

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I see it is there.

I still fall in ... it's a habit ... but, my eyes are open.

I know where I am.

It is my fault.

I get out immediately.

Chapter Four

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I walk around it.

Chapter Five

I walk down another street.

So, today, start by doing just one thing differently—break one pattern—take one small action that gets you off of automatic pilot and tells your brain it’s okay to do things differently. It can be as simple as having an apple or granola bar for breakfast instead of a donut, holding your coffee cut with your opposite hand or parking in a different spot. Whatever the case, do something differently today.

By "showing yourself" that you can do things differently—and that the world won't end because of it—the same old patterns can’t keep playing out because you’re not longer doing the same things. When you change, your world must change accordingly, and you automatically find yourself on a different street. And isn’t that street you’ve always wanted to be on anyway—happiness?

Break your patterns and live your joy!

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Paula Renaye is a coach, empowerment speaker and five-time award-winning author of Living the Life You Love--The No-Nonsense Guide to Total Transformation which is now available for preorder from Barnes & Noble. Read more at http://paularenaye.com