New Tactics Fashion New Results

"To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did."

 - Annonymus 

Someone told me God said it... Where is that in the Bible?  Oh, right next to "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it."  FYI - God never said that.  Jesus never said that.  However, they both said things with similar sentiment... Here comes more religious folklore.

Now, all joking aside, I really love this quote above.  I think oft times we maintain "trying harder" as a good option to obtain what we desire.  There's another quote I enjoy,  

"The definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result."

In theater class, I loved learning and teaching about TACTICS.  As an actor or an actress we know that we have objectives for our character, and have to think of a way to gain access to successfully achieving that objective.  However, when one tactic doesn't work, you have to be willing to switch it up.  For example, if I want twenty dollars from my friend I might walk in and ask him if I can borrow it from him.  However, if he says no, I might try something different... I might beg him, bribe him, blackmail him, or seduce him.  I might even cry (low, I know).  I just know that I want that twenty bucks, and I need to get it at all possible costs.  So, I do whatever it takes to get it from him. 

I wish I applied this more to life... I think sometimes we get stuck in a rut in our jobs, relationships, school, etc. because of the monotony of it all.  We do the same thing over and over again until it exceeds being comfortable and easy, and grows to become boring.  On the same note, we may have big dreams and try to get to where we wanna go by doing the same things over and over again.  Obviously we haven't gotten to where we wanna go yet, so maybe it's time to change paths, or modes of transportation... Try something new, and a new result will ensue. 

It's science, really... It's a hypothesis and an experiment.  Though I hate science, this time it has a good point... and makes sense.

There is a story about Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, and him allegedly saying,

"I have not failed 1,000 times.  I have discovered 1,000 ways not to make a light bulb."   

Realistically, I'm not sure if the quote is 100% accurate.  Nevertheless, I've thought of this quote often.  Edison did not try the SAME thing over again... He changed things slightly until his idea came to fruition.   Do we do the same when in the process of creation... or do we stick to what's comfortable and safe?  

I'm guilty.  I'd like to say that I'm brave, and sometimes I am... but I have wimped out of plenty of things in my life.  I have missed opportunities because I was scared to fail or to be made uncomfortable.  For a girl who states that she rarely gets embarrassed or feels awkward (though I am VERY awkward at times), I wish that I would take more chances in relationships that might make me feel just that way, but could coincidingly pay off.  I wish that I would try for more things in theater, music, and events, suppressing the thoughts that I might miserably fail, because I might also succeed. 

Wishes are empty dreams... until you do something.  Action is required to make things happen.  I intend to be more active in achieving the things that I want out of life.  If it creates moments of failure, I'll look at is as an opportunity to learn and try something new the following time.  If it creates moments of discomfort, those too will pass... Awkwardness can only last so long.  Trust me.

So, color outside the lines.   
Break a personal barrier.
Go beyond your comfort zone. 

Push yourself to do one "hard thing" this week that has the potential to bring you closer to something you want to achieve.  If it doesn't work... change your tactic, change your game, and concurrently change your life.

I want to know, what will YOUR "hard thing" be this week?

*muah*

Sidenote:  I recognize that sometimes it's a matter of trying the same thing again to make something work... but think about it this way.  When your goal is to hit a bulls-eye with an arrow, you don't shoot exactly  the same the second time in order to hit the mark... You change the trajectory slightly.  In the words of Elder Uchtdorf, it's "a matter of a few degrees."  He talks about the negative effects of a bad decision in his talk, but what I'm drawing discussion over is that the unknown isn't always bad - just scary.  Use the spirit to guide you even in the simplest things and you'll know if the course is off-target... Trying new things is a part of life, because we don't always KNOW the path, and must trust ourselves to take chances and make mistakes.

Song of the Day: I have recently RE-discovered this band... and they are just as great now as they were in the past.  I have a soft spot for pop/dance/clubbing British bands of the 1990s, and that love will always be present.  Thus, here is Steps with "One For Sorrow," one of their MANY great jams!  In relation to my entry above, maybe if they had taken some different kinds of chances, they wouldn't be in "love sorrow central."  Haha... My favorite part of the video is the peace sign across the eyes... HAHA!  They're perfect party music... Enjoy!