We’re all pattern seekers.

It’s how we learn.

It could be a pattern of
behavior or thought.

It could be a personal
style or preference.

People seem to replicate patterns
without even realizing it.

I was stuck in traffic the
other day looking at a lot of tail lights. It seemed like the back of every car was a face.

The tail lights were eyes,
the license plate was the nose, and the seam of the trunk looked like a mouth.

Is it a coincidence that
cars have two prominent headlights and tail lights? Why not three or four?

Could it be because the
facial pattern is established so early in our development that we “recruited”
it for cars?

Once we find a pattern
it’s hard to see anything else.

Even when the world around
us changes, we keep trying to accommodate those changes in our existing repertoire
of patterns.

We’d rather bend and
contort them then discard them and start over.

Or, we don’t even notice
the changes because our established patterns of thought and action make them
invisible.

Is something you’re
working on starting to get increasingly harder to accomplish?

Are the same actions on
your part suddenly producing different results now than they did before?

You might be stuck in a
pattern.

What’s the best way to
break out of a pattern?

Dissect Dissonance – It’s
very uncomfortable to have your patterns threatened. If you’re having an emotional reaction to a
situation (anger, anxiety, etc.), poke it and find out why.

Seek Diversity – Seek the
input of someone very different from you in approach and background. Avoid
trying to convert them to your point of view. Instead, allow yourself (even temporarily) to be converted. Fully digest their perspective. Identify new ways to tackle your issues.

Experiment – Concentrate
on those things that make you the most uncomfortable, apply what you’ve learned
from your diverse counsel.

Change is usually painful
before it’s exhilarating so stick with it!