Thinking/Problems

"The significant problems we face today cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them."

I read that quote, often attributed to Albert Einstein, in my gratitude journal this morning. I may be paraphrasing it slightly, but it made me pause.

What are the most significant problems I am trying to solve in my life today? Not globally, but personally.

I can name several. I can also examine the kind of thinking that contributed to them.

The temptation is to wish I could go back and change my choices. But since time travel is not possible, I have to think forward. I cannot remake yesterday's decisions, but I can make a different decision today, even if it is a small one.

Money is one example.

Sometimes, after a stressful day at work, I want to comfort myself by buying something. Spending gives me a brief sense of relief. But two weeks later, when my budget no longer balances because I overspent, I am stressed again.

The solution I chose for stress created another source of stress.

That does not mean my need for comfort was wrong. It means I need a different way to meet it. In the moment, I can tell myself:

Yes, I need comfort. But I am not going to find lasting comfort by buying something.

That is a simple example, but it is a beginning.

Perhaps the way forward starts with examining the thinking behind the problems we face now. Not to shame ourselves for the past, but to make different choices in the present.

We cannot go back and think differently.

But we can think differently now, and see where that new thinking takes us.

What are you reaching for when you need comfort?

Here, I made this. My gift to you, for taking the time to read.