Sometimes It Is a Good Idea to Flip-Flop
I read an article titled "The Dog Handler" in the October 29, 2007 edition of Time Magazine. The article was about the new White House press secretary Dana Perino. Apparently she trained her Hungarian hunting dog, Henry, to retrieve a flip-flop whenever he hears the name John Kerry. Now...I am neither supporting nor defending Kerry; however, I do want to support occasional flip-flopping in certain situations.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could always get things right the first time. Unfortunately, that's not the way life always works. Okay...I'll admit it. I don't always get things right at first. I bought a Corvair, an 8-track player, a Betamax recorder, an IBM PC Jr., and I always seem to buy Apple computers and iPods just a few days before they announce a "new and improved" (and often cheaper) model. At one time in my life, I even decided that it was a good idea to be a CPA...and I did it! As it turns out, it is a great idea...for some people...but it was a dumb idea for me. I didn't like being a CPA. So, I decided to be a teacher (to be more specific, I am a self-designated, renegade teacher operating outside the formal or factory school system). Here's one of the problems with being a teacher...sometimes people actually listen to what you say...or read what you write...AND THEN REMEMBER IT, FORRRR.....EEVER!!! As Martha Stewart used to say, "That's a good thing!" As Martha now knows oh so well, it's only a good thing for people to remember what you said in the past if you got it right.
Maybe this has happened to you. You make a statement in the presence of someone who took the time to listen to you in the past. The NIGYSOB listener quickly jumps in and says, "Wait a minute! That's not what you said before! You're flip-flopping aren't you?" A friend of mine, Kate Harper, relayed a story to me a few years ago that I think offers a near-perfect response to such NIGYSOB-ers. If someone accuses you of flip-flopping, you can always say, "When I get new information...I change my mind. What do you do!" I got new information on Corvairs, Betamaxes, 8-tracks and IBM PC Jrs. I don't still own them because at one time I thought it was a good idea to own them.
So, flip-flopping is another of life's dualistic concepts. Sometimes it is okay and sometimes it is not. If you are constantly doing it just to try and suck up to voters, it's probaby going to get you in trouble. However, if you have encounted new information and genuinely believe it is appropriate to upgrade your beliefs...why not flip-flop!
Chris Crouch, president of DME Training and Consulting, has spent years researching and studying both the mental and physical aspects of being productive.
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