I depend on other people to help me out of a rut. I have a good group of friends that I do not see often but we remain very close, and when ever I am having a problem and feel like things are never going to change, I pick up the phone and give them a call.
I tend to stay with things I think are safe and I like to stick with things that I know the most. I believe that change is good, but I am a strong believer in tradition. I would like to be an innovator but I know that that is just not me. I rely on my friends to shake things up and keep me up to date with things.
Posted by at December 7, 2005 6:24 PMHi Karen - It's really important to have a trusted, dependable group of core friends for support. But, what can you do for yourself in the case that they are not readily available?
Edward deBono has an interesting "Six Hats" theory to move beyond lateral thinking that you may want to explore. Each of the six hats sees the situation in a particular light:
White hat - just the facts
Yellow Hat - positive benefit
Black Hat - difficulties and dangers
Red Hat - feelings and intuition
Green Hat - possibilities, alternatives, and new ideas.
Blue Hat - manages the overall thinking process
There's more to the strategy, but examines that situation for different viewpoints to help you see the big picture and get out of your rut. There's a book called "Six Thinking Hats," and Edward deBono has written dozens of other books and articles as well. Hope this resource helps you.
Posted by: Aimee at December 12, 2005 7:11 PM