February 2024 - Week 4 Breaking out of Patterned Behaviors

“Why Not?”

-Sanitation Engineer

The other day as I was walking my dog, the sanitation truck stopped and one of the engineers was standing in front of me.  I asked if he liked dogs because my dog wanted to greet him. The man said, “Why not?” Exactly, the attitude we can adopt as we move through our day, to become more open-minded. 

It may seem simple to develop an open-minded spirit, but in application, it can be difficult. We are drawn to our old ways of acting, and our old way of thinking, even if they are ineffective and problematic. There is a comfort in our patterned behaviors. The known thinking and acting patterns are ingrained, you've been doing and thinking this way your whole life. Is it possible to change and create a new neural pathway? Absolutely! Will it be hard? Probably, but as my new friend said, “Why not?”

Today and then this week, start to build a neural pathway by saying why not do something you have been tempted to try. If it is difficult, congratulate yourself for attempting it and try again. You may be opening the door to more possibilities and the quality of being open-minded.