Reflection: It took a while to resolve the puzzle of the resounding Thunk. Turns out there’s a robin trying to fly through our living room window.

From his perch on the bare-branched mountain ash tree, Buddy spends about an hour a day launching himself again and again at the very same window – with exactly the same result. Thunk! Drop! Back to the tree!

He’s done this for more than a week now. In fact, even as I write this message, the Thunk, Thunk, Thunk continues.

Now, I’m not a bird whisperer, so I can only imagine what he’s thinking – or even if he’s thinking. Bird brains are notorious for their small size. Is Buddy trying to fly through the glass to land in the branches of the hibiscus tree in the living room? Is he seeing his reflection, not realizing it’s his mirror image, and protecting his territory from what he perceives to be a challenger to his robin-hood? Is he just looking for a decent place to take a bath? I have no idea.

I do know that we’ve tried to discourage his behavior. We tap on the glass. He flies off, only to return moments later to the same routine. We lower the blind, thinking the louvers might give him a new perspective on the situation. No change. We close the blinds thinking that might cut the glare and he’ll get the picture. No go. No way. No go away.

So, now we’ve given up and left him to his routine. Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

Action:

As pointless as Buddy’s behavior may be, it caused me to reflect on my own. Might there be, I wondered, situations in my life where I am taking Buddy’s bird-brained approach?  That is, busily repeating the same actions, being disappointed by the same results, but never moving to try something different. And, yes, I can see a few.

What about you? What is one situation you face this week where you might benefit from a bit more thinking and a bit less thunking? What will you do differently?

Quote Of The Week: This week, a familiar quote from one who is most definitely NOT a bird brain. Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

And these words of wisdom from George Bernard Shaw who observed, “Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.”

Resource Of The Week: Check out this article from Tom Scheve: 5 Tips For Changing The Way You Think. Or, catch this 60 second video by Apple – in praise of Thinking Differently.

Readers Write: In response to last week’s message, Energy At Work, Pause reader DM writes: I was a bit startled to see the note in your lead in article: “They suggest that some actions undertaken in the name of renewal (taking micro-breaks or switching to another task) may not be as energizing as we think.”

To me, the micro-breaks and switching gears were wonderful ideas and they have been very helpful. In fact, it seemed to me that they are the very symbol of your signature ‘Pause’ and what attracted me to your work in the first place.