Have you ever put a lot of time, effort, and even money into something, only to find that you weren’t getting what you thought you should out of it? It happens all the time. You buy a product, commit to a plan, or adopt a new strategy, only to be disappointed because it ended up not giving you what you thought you’d be getting.
What I find so surprising is that people, despite being let down in terms of their expectations, often continue doing the same things. Their results are not what they expected, the strategy has not worked, and they continue to be disappointed, yet they stick to the same plan.
We all know the definition of insanity… doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. Why is it that, as humans, we somehow can’t see our behavior for what it is… insane!
I had a friend once tell me that his marriage was struggling. He then boasted about all the things he had done, and had been doing, that should have made things better. But things weren’t getting better. I finally had to point out that despite his valiant efforts, what he was doing wasn’t working. More of the same was not the answer. He needed to try something different.
One of the best examples of “insanity” is our healthcare system. We think that the more money we spend, the more advanced our procedures and treatments get, and more drugs we have access to, the healthier we will become. Well, despite spending more money on healthcare than any other country on the planet, despite consuming more than half of all the drugs available, and despite having the most advanced healthcare system in the world, the U.S. continues to rank last, or near last, in almost all healthcare measures. We’ve been doing this for decades, yet continue to see pathetic outcomes.
One of my all-time favorite quotes is from Winston Churchill… “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” Our actions, our plans, and our efforts may seem brilliant, but at some point, we need to step back and ask… is this getting me the results I want and need?
Think about driving in a car, trying to get to a pre-planned destination. If you are heading in the wrong direction, you’ll never get there. No matter how fast you drive or how convinced you are that you will make it, there is no way you can make it. What’s worse is that if not on the correct path, all that hard work actually leads you further and further from where you need to be.
I have new patients regularly tell me all the things they have been doing to correct their health issue. They share the programs they’ve done, the work they put in, the money they’ve spent, and the time they’ve invested. I have to point out that despite all of that, they are still struggling with the health condition. Those things… did… not… work.
I’m a big fan of trying new strategies, experimenting with new methods, and investing in new products. But I am also a big fan of ensuring that these things are producing the results I expect. If I am not getting results, then I try something different.
Our healthcare system, school systems, politicians, and even friends and family often boast of beautiful strategies, but all we have to do is look at the results to see that what we are doing is not working. The most convincing is usually ourselves. We believe in our own strategies, we commend ourselves on all of our hard work, and we boast about how clever we are, yet these strategies, the hard work, and cleverness aren’t always getting us the results we want or need. Think about what you believe, where you spend your time, where you put your energy. It’s a good time to step back and look at your results. If your life isn’t looking the way you dreamed it would, then what you are doing isn’t working. Your strategy may be a beautiful one, but if your results are not what you want, then it’s time to re-strategize!
