To paraphrase Albert Einstein, insanity can be defined by doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result.
Think about this statement in terms of everyday life, and how this quote can be applied to it. What are some things that can be categorized by constant repetition?
Say a person has an ex on social media that they don’t unfriend, and they spend a few moments of every day torturing themselves with the pictures of their lost love.
Maybe a person hangs out with a bad influence because they’re loyal to their “friend.” However, that friend serves more like a parasite in life, working to drain their hosts of their time, potential, money and aspirations.
Maybe somebody finds working day-in and day-out at a minimum wage job unfulfilling, but they continue working there anyway.
Why? Why would anybody continue doing something that affects them negatively? Is it due to an innate fear of change? Is it some diluted sense of loyalty to those people, establishments or situations that have become customary?
I am not innocent of these types of self-destructive actions either. In fact, I bet if I dropped all of my bad habits at once I would physically weigh less. However, I am becoming much more in tune with what makes up who I am.
“Once you’ve seen enough fires burn down what you’ve worked for, you’ll become a lot more observant of a spark,” as an old family friend of mine once said to me.
This quote means a lot of things to me, but I think the most obvious one would be that of observation. Being aware of what is in my forest, and what could potentially leave it in ashes.
One thing that can surely start fire is misery. Misery can be caused by a variety of things, but a lot of that unforgiving feeling originates from one’s surroundings. Luckily, there is a simple remedy to misery. It’s called change, and change is very effective.
This brings me back to Einstein. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again.
That person keeps looking at their ex’s social media. That person keeps associating with a bad influence they used to call “friend.” That person keeps on waking up to work for pennies on the dollar.
Repetition is the common factor, and it only breeds redundancy for the mind and body.
Never changing means never experiencing anything new. Never taking a risk means there is no reward to claim. Staying exactly the same means one can never adapt to the world around them.
My point is this: change what has become a redundant source of misery. This may come by altering one’s surroundings, making new friends or finding a new passion. Whatever it may be, there is only one person can make that change.
Do anything it takes to live life in a way that creates happiness. The effort it takes to change is miniscule in comparison to the effort needed to stay miserable.
Andrew Ward can be reached at [email protected]