Find out what works and do more of that (Steve De Shazer)

You might be bored in work, or in life.  You might find your colleagues, workmates, manager, customers, clients, family, situation are causing you to have a bad day.

Traditional psychology takes you down the road of finding the root cause of your problems, and look to change the cause of your problems.  There is another way.

Most problems do not exist in every moment.  There are always exceptions, or times when the problem either does not exist, or we don’t notice it as much. Steve De Shazer was a big proponent of noticing these exceptions.  Focusing on the things that are working, and growing our awareness of these exceptions.

These can be really small, the smell of a nice cup of coffee, a piece of work you are proud of, a team member you work well with, a great phone call with a customer.  Look for them, and when you look, you will find more of these exceptions.

Like a candle.  If you cannot find the light, then look for the oxygen that sustains it.

It is always there.