Ever have one of those experiences that you enjoyed so much, you do it again? Do you remember being on a swing? I do. Recalling an adult pushing me harder so I could go higher and higher. Being a swing brought lots of glee. I sure don’t remember learning to be afraid heights being on a swing.
My legs moving made me feel strong. The air on my face and wind blowing my hair made swinging fun. Competing on who could go higher or stop sooner was also fun. As adults we continue to do the wrong things “again and again”. This isn’t so much fun
Adults remarry in hope of getting commitment correct or finding a greater amount of joy. Job jumpers look for security in the same industry or an utterly new field. Again and again people are in search for something or do the same things repeatedly because it feels good. I mean who can stop at one potato chip?
Going to my favorite places on vacation is great. Escaping to warm climates where I know the hotel staff will treat me well keeps me coming back. If you got a routine that yields results you want like pleasure or weight loss. Keep doing it. What if the same attitude or the same system stops working?
Attending my classes helped me advance in school. I attended class, did the homework and repeatedly succeeded. Being a student was easier than being in the workforce. In school there were ways to make a for a bad grade. Applicants who don’t even make it to the interview stage can get discouraged by the repeated rejections. Why do those people keep trying? Jobseekers are often motivated by financial need or a desire to serve or show off their talent.
How does a person not become a quitter? Or should a person learn to accept and withdraw from an untenable situation. The answer to both is “repeated introspection”. One of my favorite questions is “so what”. It’s sounds much less pointed and judgmental than “why”. Asking yourself what is the significance of preferred outcome or its absence helps a person discern the long-term impact of an outcome on oneself and others. Some events can have a multifactor ripple effect and others don’t
Periods of uncertainty will come and go. But values are forever. Our core values help answer the “so what” questions of life again and again. Will survive another economic downturn? Will be happier in this new marriage? Questions such as these can be answered by our values of how we see ourselves, our role in the world and the world itself. If you can separate yourself from the situation and based on your values can see that DESPITE the bad situation that you are intrinsically good, then the situation is easier to endure. If you know and believe that you are good as opposed to malicious then it’s easier to look at one’s role in the situation. Sometimes there no one played a role to a job ending or a relationship going south.
Our values can greatly influence our attitude and reaction to bad events in the world; whether they happen once or multiple times. People who keep trying either learn from their mistakes or don’t see an unhappy ending as a failure. An attitude of hope or belief that one is deserving of something good keeps us trying again and again. Not to mention that success, though infrequent sometimes is sufficient reward to keep us going in the game of life.
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