From the Desk of Keith Hafner 

Interrupt!

So, this Mom I know.  Six year old kid.  And  I watch them have the same fight every week  Here’s what I observe:  They’ve gotten very good at this fight.  Each actor has rehearsed their part many, many times.  Follows the script to the letter.  Fully emoting.  Mom says to me, “What should I do?”  I say:  “Change something.  Alter the script.  Doesn’t matter what.  Interrupt the pattern, somehow.”

Perseveration.  Definition:  the irrational repetition of an act. That’s what the Mom was doing in the story above.

Taking something that wasn’t working and continuing to do it.  Many times, when we find ourselves doing something that isn’t working, we say to ourselves, “Maybe I haven’t done it long enough!” or “Maybe I’m not doing it hard enough!”  So — we do it (the thing that isn’t working) more frequently.  We do it with more intensity.  This is where “pattern interrupt” should come in.  When, after a reasonable experiment has been conducted…and it’s still not working…change something!  And — if that doesn’t work, change it again!  And again and again and again…until you find the right solution!  Remember…we are not trees… permanently rooted in the same spot!