huh

If you stop searching, you create the possibility that you discover you are already there

huh?! The Technique of Changing your Thinking by Berthold Gunster is all about taking a novel approach to situations that seem to be hopeless. It is not about the glass being half-full or half-empty, it is about a 3rd alternative. As one of the few Dutch (no translation available) books I have read recently it is certainly one of the more inspiring. In short chapters, full of funny examples, Berthold Gunster gets us out of the comfort zone and into change!

The five techniques on which the plenty applications are based read as follows.

Stop with thinking in the same direction as you used to; the reality can (and should) be shaped, it is not set.
Accept the reality; some things cannot be changed – stop fighting the wind.
Observe carefully; we see what we think – not what there is (it is biased).
Start with the premise that problems do not exist; problems are in our head – in reality there are only facts.
Learn to live with stress and instability; thinking in terms of satisfaction is troublesome – good is the enemy of greatness.

With these five techniques, you are now ready to change your thinking.

Of the 15 applications that are explored in the book I will explore only one. The technique of remembering (thinking back). The chapter concerning this technique starts with an urban legend. During the space race, the Americans were looking for a way to write in space, but their conventional pens did not work in space, so they invested millions in inventing a pen that could work in zero gravity. At the same time, Russia was faced with the same problems, they used a pencil. The key message is that a solution does not have to lay in the future, the answer may already be hidden somewhere in the past. The same applies when you have invented something new, you do not have to think about the future needs of people, but how can you satisfy a current need with your new product.

All 15 techniques

1. Wait

2. Accept

3. Validate

4. Respect

5. Persist

6. Focus

7. Remembering

8. Eliminate

9. Import

10. Collaborate

11. Seduce

12. Showcase

13. Change Roles

14. Unsettle

15. Invert

Each of the techniques has its own effect, timing and way it works. Together they can tackle almost any difficult situation and make your life a whole lot easier (and unstable, see the second paragraph). Not every technique is as clear-cut as the next. There is a strong key message: Changing your habits can have a tremendous positive effect. As a trainer for more than 300.000 people, Berthold Gunster has established a great reputation in this field. As his third book, this one gives actionable advice to people who want to implement the different techniques. Reading a chapter every few days is the recommended way to get the most out of it.

The Book:

huh?! de techniek van het omdenken – Berthold Gunster – ISBN-10: 902299404X| ISBN-13: 978-9022994047