The ONE Idea

It occurred to me that we can sort things into two main categories:

Old Response to an Old Situation

Nothing changes. The situation repeats, and we respond the same way. Sadly, if this response is unhelpful, its damage increases exponentially over time.

Old Response to a New Situation

"Once you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail." Without intentional examination, every situation feels like the same old situation, we default to reflexes and churn out ineffective old responses.

Way Forward

To stop a self-repeating cycle, we need to be acutely aware of the harm our inadequate responses can cause, and be courageous enough to design new responses.

Common barriers are:

1. Outdated mental model. Often, we're stuck in old ways because we haven't updated our mental image of ourselves. Although we've grown and evolved, our self-image lags. It takes conscious effort to acknowledge the lessons we have learned, the values we dropped and acquired, and the new life situation in which we reside.

2. Failing to recognize the new situation. We might not realize that the current situation is fundamentally different. In coaching, I often help clients recognize how their current situation, role, or pending decision differs from the past. With this realization, I witnessed how they activate their resources to develop new and adequate responses.

Embrace spontaneity

With acknowledgment of a new self in a new situation, a wonderful response is spontaneity. It is a no-pressure state filled with acceptance and curiosity. Our brain gets in its plasma state. New ideas flood out. We are fully in charge of our power. Creativity happens.

Question to You

Where are you using old responses that no longer serve you?

Growth comes from recognizing when to change our responses to better fit our evolving lives.

Reflect on your behavior patterns and identify areas where spontaneity and new responses can improve your life. Embrace the journey of continuous growth and adaptation. If you need support in this process, schedule a coaching session to explore these concepts further and develop a personalized strategy for success.

Until next week,

Yolanda Yu
Coach and lifelong learner

​

Past issues

This ONE – How trustworthy are you?

This ONE – Specificity in action: From Drama Class to Strategic Thinking, Leadership, and Managing your boss

This ONE: Competition and the matter of envy, jealousy, peer pressure, and external validation

This ONE: Office politics, toxic environment, and other people’s judgment

This ONE: From the gym, harnessing creativity in flow, and focus with my ADHD brain

This ONE: What’s the point? The leadership grill, unstuck from tech roles, and job searching in a bad market

This ONE: On fulfilling career potential, how to be more assertive, and the powerful way to manage difficult conversations.

About this newsletter: You are receiving this email because you have engaged me as a coach or explored my service before. Please excuse me for taking the liberty of sending you the first issues. If you wish to unsubscribe from it, please reply to the email. I will remove you from the mailing list.

Every Friday, I share ONE idea and its manifestations and 1 question for you to ponder. Other ingredients you can expect will be book extracts, quotes, metaphors, tools, resources, and mini-exercises to keep growing your self-awareness.