How Not To Go Backward

Slipping back into the same unproductive routines? Learn a lesson from a hurricane.

 Grasshopper Notes are the writings from America's Best Known Hypnotherapist John Morgan. His podcasts contain his most responded to essays and blog posts from the past two decades. 

Find the written versions of these podcasts on John's podcasting site: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628038

"The Grasshopper" is the part of you that whispers pearls of wisdom that  seem to pop into your mind from out of the blue. John's essays and blog posts are his interpretations of these "Nips of Nectar." Others have labeled his writings as timeless wisdom. 

Most of the John's writings revolve around self improvement and self help. They address topics like:

• Mindfulness
• Peace of mind
• Creativity
• How to stay in the present moment
• Spirituality
• Behavior improvement

And stories that transform you to a wider sense of awareness that presents more options. And isn't that what we all want, more options? 

John uploads these podcasts on a regular basis. So check back often to hear these podcasts heard around the world. Who wants to be the next person to change? 

Make sure to order a copy of John's new book: WISDOM OF THE GRASSHOPPER – 21 Days to Creativity. These mini-meditations take you inside where all your creative resources live. And you'll come out not only refreshed but recommitted to creating your future. 

It's only $16.95 and available at BLURB.COM at the link below. https://www.blurb.com/b/10239673-wisd...

Also, download John's FREE book INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change. It's available at John's website  https://GrasshopperNotes.com

Transcript

How Not To Go Backward

Years ago, I learned a powerful lesson from a powerful hurricane.

The storm knocked out our power for several days, and suddenly, all of our normal routines went right out the window.

I can’t remember the last time I played “500 Rummy,” but I know I never played by candlelight . . . until then.

We went to bed earlier. There were no TVs, computers, or cell service. Fortunately, we had plenty of batteries for our flashlights, so we could at least read.

Of course, some people were devastated by the storm. We were lucky. For us, it was mostly an inconvenience.

And then, a few days later, the power came back on.

And just like that, everything went back to . . . “normal.”

That got me wondering.

How often do we go through something challenging in our lives, make some changes because we have to, and then, once the crisis passes, go right back to doing things the way we did them before?

And if we simply go back to the way things were, did we really learn anything from the experience?

You’d think the logical thing would be to look at what got us into that predicament and then make some changes so we don’t end up in the same place again.

But logic doesn’t always run our lives.

Our routines do.

And that’s why we so often repeat the same behaviors, even after those behaviors have caused us pain.

We do go back to the way it was more often than not, and painful lessons are not our teachers but, rather, predictors of our future.

That hurricane helped me see something I hadn’t really considered before: Sometimes we need an interruption to change our direction.

The power had to be interrupted before we discovered different ways of doing things.

The same thing can be true in our lives.

If our routines keep taking us to the same destination, we have to interrupt those routines if we want to arrive somewhere different. 

Interruption can be an agent of change.

But it has to be applied repeatedly if we want the change to stick.

Interrupting a behavior once usually isn’t enough. Repeated interruption is what begins to create a new pattern.

I can’t tell you exactly how many times you have to interrupt a behavior before real change takes place.

I just know the method works.

It reminds me of spit-shining shoes in the military.

In basic training, you’re given a pair of leather boots with a porous grain, and your job is to make the toe shine like patent leather.

That takes some work.

You fill the tiny holes in the leather with polish. Then you dip your polishing cloth in water and rub it in small circles over the polish.

And then you do it again.

And again.

And again.

More polish. More water. More rubbing.

For what seems like an eternity, you’re looking at a boot that still doesn’t look anything like a mirror.

Then, almost imperceptibly, something happens.

A small section of that toe suddenly starts to shine.

You can see your reflection.

Yahoo!

And now you know the process is working.

Changing a behavior can feel a lot like that.

You interrupt the old pattern. Then you do it again. And again.

For a while, it may seem like you’re just going in circles and nothing is changing.

But keep at it.

At some point, a little light starts to shine through.

And when enough of those interruptions become a new way of responding, you discover something pretty remarkable:

You’re no longer going backward.

You’re moving forward into a different version of “normal.”

All the best,

John