Change Either/Or Thinking to Both/And Please
InsideOut Empowerment Principle #7: People often see their choices as either/or choices, creating imagined dilemmas and forced choices. For as long as I can remember, my family serves both pumpkin and apple pie for dessert on Thanksgiving. The question is always, “Do you want pumpkin or apple pie?” I want to know why I can’t have both? Now that’s a simple example with a simple solution. Think of some things you force yourself into a choice over when it would be possible for you to have both. For example, I want to eat chocolate/I want to lose weight; I want to buy the things I want/I want to eliminate my credit card debt; I want people to like me/I want to be myself.
