Tag Archives: patterns

“The gravity of the status quo is so strong.”

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“The gravity of the status quo is so strong.”

—From a webinar with Michael Bungay Stainer and Chip Conley

Image from Unsplash by Mark König

Tidal Locking is a term used in astronomy where a planet or moon does not rotate on its own axis as it travels around a star or planet. Two examples of tidal locking are the moon that circles our earth and Mercury as it circles the Sun.

In both cases these celestial bodies only show one side of themselves to the objects they orbit.

Where in your life are you tidally locked to the status quo?

In what ways are you traveling around the world, operating in the same ways, showing the same face in all your interactions?

EXERCISE:

What steps can you take to diminish the gravitational pull of the status quo?

What patterns can you break to have new worlds emerge in your life?

We find stories and patterns even in sparse data

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“We find stories and patterns even in sparse data.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Unsplash by Shubham Dhage

How do you navigate the complexities of your world?

How bombarded do your feel with so much information constantly coming your way from all directions?

To insulate and protect ourselves, most of us have set up systems that filter and separate the relevant from the irrelevant. One way we do this is to look for patterns and make up stories that fit with past experiences that are stored within.

When our minds fill in the gaps — regardless of whether they are accurate or not — we can more easily take our next step, and the next.

EXERCISE:

Where in your world do you invent stories and find patterns to deal with information overload? How does this strategy serve you and where does it trip you up?

It takes two people to create a pattern, but only one to change it.

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“It takes two people to create a pattern, but only one to change it.”

—Esther Perel, Belgian psychotherapist

Image from Vecteezy.com

Take a few minutes today to do a relationship review.

Closely examine the health of your most significant personal and professional interactions.

What word or phrase would describe the pattern of these engagements?

Where do you experience difficulties getting along and find yourself judging and being critical of others?

Most of us would love — from time to time — to have a magic wand to wave over others, to have them think and behave as we’d like.

Although we have no such power over anyone else, we do have the magic touch when it comes to our own ability to change ourselves.

EXERCISE:

Display Tuli Kupferberg’s quote, “When patterns are broken new world will emerge” in a well-trafficked place in your life.

What patterns can and will you break to have a new world of more successful relationships emerge?

“How can you break out of old patterns and learn to look at life anew?”

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“How can you break out of old patterns and learn to look at life anew?”

—Author Unknown

Image from Unsplash by Simon Launay

Today’s quote is cousin to one of my favorites, by Tuli Kupferberg:

“When Patterns, are Broken, New Worlds Will Emerge.”

Examining these nuggets of wisdom may have some shortcomings if we use them only as thought exercises. Shifting our paradigms, altering our mental models, and simply looking through different perceptional filters is not enough.

We must also act in new and different ways if new worlds are to be realized.

An intention to act without action leaves us where or how we are—or perhaps worse.

EXERCISE:

As you look at life anew, what do you plan to actually do?

Feel free to reply to this post regarding the actions you took today.

#90: “Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.”

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– Edward de Bono, doctor and author

Years ago, I read A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink. The premise of this book was based on the importance and value of right-brain/non-linear thinking. Pink pointed to some of the critical limiting factors related to left-brain or linear thinking: the value of this type of thinking has been decreased due to the advent of technology.

Exercise:

How much of your day do you spend on right-brain versus left-brain activities?

How can you break some of your established patterns and look at your world differently, to develop your creative mind?

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