How to Avoid Insanity and Stay On Course

In the title, I’m referring to the now, widely accepted definition of insane.  That is, doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result.

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No doubt, most of us have heard that definition and laughed.  And yet, is it possible that we are doing that exact same thing ourselves?

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I recently discovered that I was, but I didn’t realize it until I looked back on the situation.

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Let me explain.  When I was a teenager, I developed the habit of working out three or four times a week.  That’s a habit that’s stuck with me all these years. Okay, I admit there have been periods of time when I’ve slacked off.  But for the most part I’ve stuck with it.

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I’m sure you realize that there are a lot of different approaches to working out, and I’ve tried most of them over the years.  I don’t want to bore you with a lot of details, but without some details the story doesn’t make any sense.  So, I’ll try to keep it as uncluttered as possible.

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When something quits working
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My standard approach has always been to lift fairly heavy weights in the 7-10 rep range. This approach worked extremely well when I was younger.  But that was then and this is now.

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Back in May, I herniated a disk in my neck.  On it’s own, a herniated disc is bad enough, but there was a complication.  A main trunk nerve that runs across my upper back and down my left arm was damaged.  Part of the nerve died, and all of the muscles fed by that nerve atrophied.

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As a result I lost about 90% of my strength in certain exercises.  Determined not to let this stand in my way, I designed a new approach.  I started to use lighter weights, and much higher rep ranges.  I reasoned that higher repetitions help to build neural pathways, so it seemed like a reasonable approach.

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After much trial and error, I found that the sweet spot for me was 25 to 30 reps. Using this new approach has allowed me to make consistent progress with each and every workout.  Now here’s the surprise!  I actually started to build muscle and burn fat at a rate I hadn’t experienced for over a decade.

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Why?  Because I was forced to try something new, As a consequence, I began to produce a different result.

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So what’s the moral of the story?

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If what you are currently doing isn’t working, try something else.  Don’t be afraid of change.
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I made a change because I was forced to.  But as I look back, I realize that it’s a change I should have made quite some time ago.  What I had always done was not producing the results I wanted.  So why did I stay with it?  Obviously, I must be a little bit insane.

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When something isn’t working, there is no need to wait until change is forced upon you.  It doesn’t matter weather we’re talking about relationships, business decisions, food choices, or any other dimension of your life. 
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When your standard approach quits producing the desired results, try something new.  If that doesn’t work, try something else. Keep making adjustments until you start producing the results you want.

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Keep learning to keep progressing
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One of the greatest life skills any of us can learn is to pay close attention to the results we produce.  When something works well do more of it.  But if it doesn’t work, or it quits working, make adjustments. 

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Life is a learning experience.  True learning requires that we take action according to what we learn.  Then we learn from those actions and then make further adjustments.
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It would be nice if we could always get it right the first time, but that’s not reality. Even an ocean liner is slightly off course about 90% of the time. Changing currents and wind direction mean that constant adjustments are necessary to stay on course.
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There are a lot of things that can affect the results we produce. Some of them a predictable, others will be a surprise.  But they all have one thing in common.  They all require that we make constant adjustments so that we too can stay on course.

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Every successful person does this.  It’s a simple formula that will allow us to continue producing results while avoiding insanity.

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Why not take a careful look at your own life, and ask yourself the following questions:

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1. What areas of my life no longer seem to be working?

2. What goals have I been unable to reach?

3. How long has this been going on?

4. What adjustments seem reasonable?

5. What’s preventing me from trying a new approach?

6. What price I paid for not making adjustments?

7. When am I going to try something new?

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Now write down three possible approaches for each area that needs some adjustment.  Choose one approach, and take action.  Notice how things changed.  Were your new results better, the same, or worse?  If they were better, look for ways to fine tune your approach, and take more action.  If they were the same or worse, try the next approach on your list.

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Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to change everything in your life all at once.  Take on one challenge at the time, improve your results, and move to the next challenge.

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Improving the quality of your life is not always about making huge changes all at once.  Even small changes, made consistently can transform your life in a very short time.  If you keep moving in the right direction, sooner or later you will wind up exactly where you want to be.  Life is a marvelous journey of learning and growing. Why would we want it any other way?
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Have you had a similar experience?
Has changing your approach ever made a big difference?
We would love to hear your experience or thoughts.
Please take a minute to leave a comment.
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The Power of Decisions - Part 2
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Tagged as: insanity, Making adjustments, new approach, new results, stay on course