Taming the Dragons of Change :: A Book By Dick Stieglitz, Ph.D.

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	RECOGNIZING YOUR DRAGONS - Back to Table of Contents
	PART I THOUGHTS - New Ways To See Change
	*We can change our thought patterns when we want new results, or when we* *are forced to change them. Either way, change cannot be avoided forever.* To learn how thoughts influence actions, a counselor suggested that I try to give a five dollar bill to several strangers. Accepting the dare, I approached four strangers at random on the street, held out a five dollar bill in my hand, and said: "Here, I'd like you to have this." The first gentleman glared at me as if he did not trust me, and walked away. Another man looked at me with disgust and said: "I don't need that." A woman was insulted and threatened to call the police. The fourth was a beggar who grabbed the money and ran. It probably was the best thing that had happened to him that day. The strangers' reactions had nothing to do with me or the five dollar bill. Instead their reactions were a reflection of how they thought about themselves in relation to five dollars. And such thoughts can change in an instant. For example, I started smoking a pipe when I was 18 years old and smoked for 30 years. I thought of the pipe as relaxing and sophisticated. I tried unsuccessfully to quit many times. One day at a business meeting, I looked down and saw holes in my necktie and shirt from pipe ashes. In that instant, my thoughts about pipe smoking changed. I thought of it as a messy habit and have not smoked since. Changing our lives is a painful and difficult process when we focus on changing what we do, rather than how we think. Fundamental changes in our thought patterns usually occur only if we begin a new role like spouse, parent or manager; or we face a life-threatening crisis. A new role or crisis compels us to look at new possibilities and to set new priorities. A heart attack may cause an instant change in unhealthy exercise and eating habits that had persisted through decades of good health. A painful divorce may force changes in relationship attitudes that were ineffective for years. What stops us from changing how we think before the dragons of our old habits breathes their fire? It is within our ability to change our thought patterns before tragedy strikes. We could even do it today.