The Art of Changing Course

CHAPTER 5See It, Face It, Fix It

KEY TASKS FROM THIS CHAPTER:

• Use the “See It, Face It, Fix It” tool to tackle all obstacles in life with urgency and effectiveness.
• Recognize problems with honesty and ownership.
• Face each problem from a standpoint of what you can do from here instead of what you could have done in the past.
• Take action to progress toward a future you want and away from a past you don't want.

In Dr. Spencer Johnson's timeless classic Who Moved My Cheese? (1998), four rats are in a maze with cheese that suddenly moves from its familiar location. While the main story seems to focus on two of the characters, Hem and Haw, as they resist and avoid finding new cheese until one slowly ventures out, the other two characters, Sniff and Scurry, go about change differently. As soon as the cheese moves, they notice and immediately go in search of the cheese. Toward the end of the book, Haw finally works up the courage to find new cheese and sees that Sniff and Scurry are way ahead of him and have even found more cheese in different places. There is no overanalysis or avoidance on their part, just a quick reaction to change with a big payoff: new cheese.

Think about a time when you had a negative thought about yourself. A time where you caught yourself thinking a losing thought such as, “I'm not worth it,” “Nobody will ever date me,” “I'll never get a better job than this,” etc.

Got one? Okay. Hold it for a minute.

When I was younger, I battled losing thoughts all day, ...