“How’s That Working For You?”
Posted: January 30, 2015
I’ve been writing about a series of some of my favorite quotes. One of my all-time favorites is from noted Psychologist and TV talk show guru, Dr. Phil.
A regular guest on the Oprah Winfrey show and then on his own show, Dr. Phil became famous for his straight talk. The best example has become an iconic statement: “How’s that working for you?”
We usually hear this when offered with some sarcasm, but I think it’s most powerful when delivered as a serious question. The goal is to get the person to stop and think for a moment.
Albert Einstein has said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing but expecting a different result. Put another way, if we keep repeating certain behavior, it’s kind of dumb to expect different results.
Dr. Phil was able to take that idea and turn it around in a way that anyone could understand. After a guest on the show landed in the same big old mess, he’d say “How’s that working for you?”
The key is to recognize that some of our behaviors are pretty closely linked to bad outcomes. In fact, they often cause em. If we keep doing the same dumb thing, we’re gonna keep having problems. This can apply to lots of different things, from fat to finance.
Like Dave Ramsey says in another quote I really like: “You can’t out-earn stupid!” I’ve personally found this to be true. Whatever we make, it won’t be enough if we don’t learn how to live on a budget, and quit spending all we’ve got.
You also can’t out-exercise stupid. Any calories burned in your workout can be easily undone by just a few mouthfuls of (fill in the blank). I’ve learned this the hard way too.
Like most wisdom, it’s been written about in the Bible too. In Romans, Paul wrote about how we do things we know we shouldn’t, and we don’t do the things we should.
So how about you? How’s your New Year going for you so far? Are you still doing the same old things and getting the same old results? Might I ask, “How’s that working for you?” Maybe it’s time to try a new approach.