Stop Being A Hammer

I have a new favourite saying:

“For a Hammer, everything looks like a nail.”

I like it because you can apply it to almost any situation where something might be different from the way you or someone else sees it.

We are so used to being told that things are like they are, in respect to the world and to ourselves, that we don’t question them anymore.

When children grow up they have that phase (one of the most annoying after some time to most parents I guess) where they keep asking “why”.

And after some time we stop doing that. We think that we understand how the world works and how we work. And we base our actions on those assumptions.

But what if we’re nothing more than a hammer that only sees nails because that’s what his job is? What if we only see the things we want to see or want to believe so they fit what we believe is our job?

An example:

If you’re convinced you’ll never make it as a writer, that’s what your brain will focus on. And every setback on your way will be seen as part of the proof that you don’t have what it takes. Because those are the “nails” you are looking for.

Stop being a hammer and start seeing new possibilities and new answers.

How to make seeing new possibilities a habit?