Dorothy, in the Wizard of Oz craved novelty. She was bored with simplicity. She forgot where her real power was. To seek novelty in lieu of our routine helps us gain perspective. When we want something to change, we have to begin doing something we’ve never done.
It’s not always easy though, is it? So many people are unhappy, or unsatisfied with their lives, but they don’t know how to make the shift toward what they do want or how to go about doing it.
That’s why this booming positive psychology industry is doing so well! We’re thriving because so many people want us to help them to feel … something. They want help clarifying. They want companionship. They want belonging. They want their lives to have a more intense feeling of what it is to be human. Coaching is huge right now because that’s exactly what we do.
Novelty
“Where there is no novelty, there can be no curiosity” ~ Aphra Behn
In order to truly want that shift in ‘being’ toward something we desire or dream of, we must consider doing things we’ve never done before. Changing involves action, and action involves courage. We get bored, so naturally crave newness. The latest, greatest flash trend began with one person saying, “Let’s try …”, whatever it is that they’ve never done before.
But do we crave novelty? Not all of us. Many people like things exactly as they are. Many people are comfortable with the sameness of something. That also leads us to being familiar which leads to a feeling of safety which in turn, leads us to needing, ‘normal’.
Normal?
But is novelty truly the thing we crave when we become accustomed to the thing? Or, is it sincerity? Thomas Carlyle said, “The merit of originality is not novelty; it’s sincerity.” I for one, wonder if in today’s world, it’s not a balance of the two. We humans crave the newness of a thing, but we also feel depleted of sincerity.
We have cheated ourselves of pure intensions in the desperate need for the selfie soaked self-reported sense of importance. We need to be the best, the original, the authentic, the tag-line gulping biggest, fastest, newest, or most important. We are drowning in intensity, rather than content with simplicity.
Does that help us to enjoy life more? Not really. We’ve become obsessed with connecting immediately. We’ve become dependent on over-stimulating our brains; flash-passion; instant gratification everything and superficiality over sincerity.
Then again, returning to a time before the internet is becoming the new normal. I gave up my cell phone. I don’t miss it. I am learning about hygge. I like the feeling of comfort and joy from the simple things. I’m enjoying the novelty of returning to a time where we can cherish what worked before we thought we needed … more.
More is just more. The novelty has worn off.
Now?
None of us ‘needs’ a coach, or a positive psychology. We want it because we’ve forgotten that we’ve had the power all along. Just, click your heals three times. What a novel idea!
Karen
About the Author: Karen Henry [Daly], MA CRM owns Henry Healing as a holistic well-being practitioner and writer. She’s a former university professor and current scholar practicing the infusion of positive, existential and community psychology.