Like a Monkey Doing a Math Problem

“I look like a monkey doing a math problem” said the spin instructor this morning as she blankly stared at her sets. How many times have you felt like that way? Staring at your computer wondering how long you’ve been doing that. Standing in front of the fridge cooling down the entire house. Getting hit with bad news and unconsciously walking through the rest of the day; every thought bringing you back to the news rather than being present where you are. It seemed like several people had that day yesterday, including me. Although the phrase “like a monkey doing a math problem” is cute, it conjures the image of our stuckness. When you find yourself on a small-scale or in a big way, out of your realm of potential. I didn’t write a blog yesterday because I was stuck on my math problem. Actually my math problem was with the IRS.

I was swinging from a tree looking for a banana and whop I found myself in a game of “Are Your Smarter Than a Fifth Grader”, third grade math question. The IRS disagreed with my answer on the 1040 exam. Since I’d been in Mexico for eight months, I never opened the mail. I failed to appear at the audit and now the math problem is high school algebra. Debbie plus IRS equals lots of zeros. Some of you are afraid of spiders, others exercise, disease, being laid off, ending your relationship, I’m afraid of the IRS. Here’s the thing about fear, it will drop you in your tracks, or in my case knock you out of the tree.

As much research as has been done on monkeys, they can do a little math, I am not a monkey and neither are you. You can stay stuck in your monkey mind or you can choose to solve the problem. Moving forward is probably the most difficult challenge when you’re feeling helpless and hopeless and generally as if you are a monkey.

Solving the problem is all about action. The old adage you must get back on the horse, applies to monkeys falling out of trees as well. Climb back up the tree by putting one foot in front of the other. Forward motion will move you away from the problem as long as you are not carrying it with you. You will never “beat” it by lugging it around. To begin the process of moving forward you must change your state. What do I mean by change your state? Move in another direction. It’s as simple as moving away from the state you are in. Simple things:

Walk around the block;

Jump in the shower for 5 minutes;

Play your favorite song for 5 minutes

Call a friend who will support you in changing your state;

You can change your state in hundreds of different ways. Today do something for yourself. Compose your own list of ways that you can change your state. Do this while you are in an unstuck state. Be creative. Don’t wait to do this for the stuck time. List 10 ways you can change your state in an instant. Once you have your list put it on a 3 x 5 card and keep it with your always. You never know when the math problem will show up. It’s your own personal flash card.

Once your state changes, amazing things happen. You awaken to the newness, the opportunities return, you see life from a different perspective. Possibilities abound to solve the problem, the puzzle, the math problem. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is impossible. There is an answer to every question. The difficulty becomes when you cannot hear the answer. You cannot hear the answer because you’re stuck on the problem.

For me my Tarzan answer showed up when I was willing to see the IRS, taxes, money are not who I am. I forgot for a moment the truth of who I am is the essence of those qualities that are creative, beautiful, loving and unique. So too you are not your job, your car, your relationships, or your financial status. You are that being that shows up in the world and expresses through those things. Do not confuse the masks with the true essence of who you are. You are not a monkey solving a math problem.