"Insanity - doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." - Albert Einstein

I'm going to say that a lot of us are guilty of the above and we've been called out by none other than Albert Einstein. 

The reason why we do the same things over and over again even when it's not yielding our desired results, is because it is engrained into our psychological nature - we tend to stick to, and like, the familiar. We would rather continue down the current status quo path than get over our fear of trying and not succeeding. Whether it is in relationships, in our careers, in life in general, we gravitate towards what we know. 

Why does she / he still date this type of person knowing it won't work out? 

Why is this person still in the same job after a decade? 

We may have asked ourselves these questions or observed the actions of our friends and family and wondered why their actions are bordering on insanity. Why are they doing the same thing again and again hoping the result would be different this time? 

How many times have you heard someone say "this time it's different"?

I have to say, whenever I have attempted something different, even though it was really scary, it has turned out for the best. The only thing holding you back from doing something different in any part of your life is the fear of losing the familiarity. Humans are creatures of habit, but do you want to live out your life in a vicious cycle, going through the same pattern again and again, or gather your courage and pave a new path? You at the very least will feel the relief that you gave it a shot, rather than being a coward and coming up with 500 reasons why you can't (translation: you won't) do it.  

"Defeat is only temporary. Giving up is permanent." - Marilyn vos Savant

If you failed, know that it means you failed once, in the current state under the current conditions; it doesn't mean you won't succeed in a future scenario. People are so easily defeated that if YOU are able to develop persistence and perseverance, you will be the winner in the long run.

So are you insane? Or are you going to try something new today?