Mental Health Training
Were You Taught the Definition of Insanity When You Were Young?
A lot of adults never grasp the true definition of insanity. You might be thinking of some defining terms yourself. While there could be many definitions of that word depending on the situation, there's one that we'd like to talk about.
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results."
That's a pretty simple definition. It's been credited to Albert Einstein, one of the smartest humans ever to walk the planet. Whoever came up with that definition is absolutely on the money.
Think of how many times in your life you suffered from this practice. We all have. We tried something and failed. So we tried it again, doing the exact same things we did before. The reward was once again failed.
Sometimes we do this unconsciously. We don't consciously choose a certain set of behaviours. However, that's exactly what happens.
You'll hear people say that they always choose the wrong type of partner. By saying this out loud, they're virtually guaranteeing they're going to continue to do the same thing. What you speak often times becomes your reality because it's planted into your subconscious.
Simply put, if you don't change your actions, you're not going to change the results you get from those actions.
People Should Be Taught This Insanity Definition Early in Life
Do you have a few extra pounds you'd like to lose?
A lot of us do. It's believed that as many as two out of three adults in the United States are overweight or obese. The numbers are very similar in other countries.
This means you might have tried a few diets. Then you started exercising.
Did you lose some weight?
Many people lose a few pounds at the beginning of embracing smarter lifestyle choices that lead to weight loss.
Then they inevitably gain those pounds back, sometimes packing on a few more. What happened?
Insanity struck.
They had changed their actions in the beginning. They were eating better and working out. The reward was the results they wanted.
Then they slowly went back to an unhealthy diet and quit being physically active. The same thing is going to happen in that situation that happened every time they adopted those unhealthy habits in the past.
You can't go back in time. That's a shame because you have so much to teach the younger version of yourself.
All you can do now is remember this insanity definition for the future decisions you make. You can't create a different reality without doing things differently. Embrace different behaviours if you want to create a new and different life.