Change Our Routine And We Change Our Life!

Wasn’t it Einstein that said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting to get different results? Do things the same and we’ll get the same, right? And do something different and we’ll get something different, right? Simple! Not easy, but certainly simple logic, right?

I would like you to imagine three containers lined up neatly in our ice box and every day we scoop ice cream out of the container on the far right. Every time we do this routine we end up with chocolate ice cream in our bowls. And since it is chocolate ice cream, and chocolate ice cream is so good, we tend to be relatively content with this daily routine of reaching for the far right container.

Now imagine one day we do something different and we reach for the middle container. We did something different in our daily routine and now we got something different in our bowl. This probably makes sense to us though because if we do something different like reach for the middle container, then we expect to get something different, like vanilla, instead of chocolate. And it turns out that vanilla ice cream taste good too, so we’re pretty happy that we tried something new, and this all makes perfectly good sense to us.

Now, let’s look closely at the things we do every day. Is there anything in our daily routines that we can change? Can we get rid of a bad habit? Can we have more patience? Can we get up an hour earlier and read, or even something else that we used to love to do? Do you have the courage to change your routine?

Now teens, go learn, lead, and lay the way to a better world for all of us. Remember that in order to positively change our lives we have to change something in our daily routines. Maybe we’ll even reach for that far left container and get strawberry yogurt… And once again, thanks in advance for all that you do, and all that you will do…

Daniel Blanchard is a teacher at New Britain High School, has published multiple teen leadership books and an academia book. He also writes a parenting column. Dan is available for speaking engagements. Learn more at: www.DanBlanchard.net