“Don’t go in and hide; don’t come out and shine; stand stock-still in the middle.” ― Zhuangzi, The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu

Here is how a common mistake occurs. When an undesirable development occurs or a difficult situation arises, we often think,

 “Oh, I have got such rotten luck, why is this happening?’

We start to feel so miffed about our situation; we lose all enthusiasm for putting it right.

‘What’s the point?’ we wonder.

‘It will probably all go wrong again soon enough.‘ That expectation of frustration becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Management trends come and go, management theories come and go, organizational trends and restructures are never-ending, not to mention those other inherent nasties that we must dance with from time to time, that can and do wreak havoc and cause many distractions.

So now the question becomes, why do we do things the way they have always been done? Is it because the old ways are the best? A process may have been tried but we can’t automatically assume it has been properly tested. A plan may work but that isn’t to say you couldn’t find a way to make it work more efficiently. Generally, we stick with tradition because it stops us having to think.

OK, so what have we got to work with on this scenario thus far?

An expectation. A theory. An opportunity.

In addition, this scenario requires something different, something that we have not done before or even questioned before.

If only this was like that, and that was like this. If only we were here, instead of there. And whenever something went wrong, something else would make it okay again. What a complicated set of conditional causes? Might it not be simpler to just accept that there are a few shortcomings in an existing situation but that, if ways can be found to live with these, easy, happy experiences can be had?

Either we are all victims of circumstance, or none of us are. Our circumstances represent a combination of processes over which we have no control, dramas in which we have become unwittingly caught up and arrangements we have most definitely, deliberately, made ourselves. No matter how these have come about, they have one thing in common. The ability to be altered if significant energy, effort and determination is applied.

Therefore, maybe the first question could be ‘If I need assistance and I am unable to recognise or give this to myself, what impact does that have elsewhere”? Am I objective enough to make that assessment? That depends on who you happen to ask at any given moment, and let’s face it, none of us wants to be seen coming up short.

At Cause and Effective, there are many people with specific skills and capabilities that fit any circumstance or situation, so no matter what your challenges are, we have the capacity and the energy to assist you in a variety of endeavours, no matter how daunting it may appear.

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.”  Bertrand Russell.

By Heather McCauley, a Cause & Effective Associate who helps not for profits and small business discover better ways to grow and, in the process, win friends and get the support they need.