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Do One Thing Different

"Do One Thing Different" by Bill O'Hanlon, M.S. Mr. O'Hanlon is the author of 16 books; he teaches seminars worldwide; and he has reached thousands through his website.

"Do One Thing Different" is a commonsense approach that changes your life and solves problems. It has two main components:

changing what you do
changing how you view things.

Insanity is Doing the Same Thing Over
and Over Again (and Expecting Different Results)

Most people do not have enough time to spend analyzing their problems to make changes. Trying to make too big a change sets you up to fail. This is especially so when your busy life, fatigue, or discouragement interfere with your good intentions. Instead of trying to make big changes like getting a divorce, quitting your job, or moving, try small experiments that help break old patterns.

"Do One Thing Different" lets you control the process of change by starting small and shaping the changes more to your liking.

Try something new.
Change your patterns.
Break out of ruts.

The "Do One Thing Different" approach calls this "changing the doing." Inertia tends to go in the same direction. If you are doing the same old thing in a situation that isn't working, then doing more of the same will only keep things going in the same problematic direction. If you try one thing different, you can break the logjam and start a snowball of change that gathers momentum as it goes.

Changing the Doing

Make the smallest change you can make.
Start with the least amount of time you think is reasonable.
Focus on discovering the actions and the things you can change most easily.
Change the timing of the pattern.
Change the location of the pattern.
Change your clothing.
Change your body behavior.

There is Nothing as Dangerous as an Idea
When It's the Only One You Have

People get stuck when they think about things in the same old way. Try changing how you are thinking about a problem by refocusing your attention. Getting a new perspective can help you make changes that may change the situation or solve a problem.