The truth is, we are all nearly always capable of achieving much, much more than we currently achieve, in pretty much all areas of our lives, whether as a teacher, an AI engineer, a chef, or a CEO â  we simply lack a different perspective, a different skill-set, a different take on what we can do, a different appreciation of our potentialÂ
We often lack perspective on our own potential because we feel we donât have the courage to shine a light into the blind-spots of our lives by reflecting on what we really want, and who can really help us do that. We do not Welcome Feedback  Â
Often this is because we are honestly a little bit scared of the outcome, believing that welcoming feedback in the most important areas of our lives will be like opening Pandoraâs box...
In fact, we often sacrifice our health, our relationships, even our sense of self to the ideas that culture has given us of what we 'should want'. The thing is, are we actually in control here, do we truly want this?
Whatâs more, so many of us live like this that most of us actually think this 'wanting things' is ânormalâ
There is an interesting theory, developed by French philosopher RenÊ Girard. The theory posits that human desire is fundamentally imitative. We don't want things because they are good or useful, but because someone who influences us, someone we admire, or envy, wants them. This means our desires are more often external, rather than internal. We are not in the driving seat, we are a passenger, being driven by other people's wants and desires. Wants and desires which may or may not be right for us
Wait a minute, that's a bit crazy when we look at it through this lens isn't it?
...Famously, even the multi award winning actress Meryl Streep is quoted as saying,
What is fascinating is that these âsuper successfulâ people are often falling for the myth that everyone else surrounding them is way more confident and composed than they themselves are. The Meryl Streep sentiment is playing on repeat in their mind
It's fascinating because we often don't realise that the reason you canât hear other peopleâs inner monologues of self-doubt isnât that they donât have them. Itâs because you only have access to your own mind, your own imposter syndrome playing repeat, minute by minute, hour by hour
As the UK organisation Action for Happiness points out, one of the biggest reasons many of us feel miserable is because we constantl...
So many of us are fed up of feeling overwhelmed. We are bored with our own catastrophising. We are drained by the lack of hope and optimism. We want to swap this feeling so often labelled as 'overwhelm' for a feeling that we can face any challenge that comes our way head on, roll with the punches and enjoy - even relish - the ride!
The truth is, for a lot of us, we can improve our lives dramatically by letting go of the rubbish that a lot of us carry around in our heads today about how life should be, without challenges or difficulties, and start to Show Up, roll with the punches and actually enjoy the ride of this wild thing we call life
We spend our entire lives in our minds, yet very few of us ensure they are a great place to be by carrying out a regul...
Well are you?
Some of us are totally unaware that we 'could do better' â others of us are too tired to even think about our untapped potential
The thing is, seriously, what a waste!
What it boils down to, is that we are all nearly always capable of achieving much, much more than we currently are â in pretty much all areas of our lives â whether as a baker, a designer or a CEO â we are simply oblivious to our strengths
So we stay, comfortably uncomfortable in our own âone day I willâ â but never do
Often this is because we donât have the time or courage to shine a light into the blind-spots of our lives by reflecting on what we really want, and who can really help us do that. We do not Welcome Feedback Â
From our experience this is because we believe to welcome feedback in the most important areas of our lives will be like opening Pandoraâs box. The potential for discomfort and disruption on learning about where we truly are in a particular a...
If you don't, you arenât alone - we are all aware of the increase in the number of people feeling anxious or stressed in todayâs world. The amount of people who fear they cannot cope with what may be round the corner, the increasing numbers of people feeling imposter syndrome are on the rise
We know these feelings of stress and anxiety are not helpful. In fact, they are harmful to our bodies as well as our minds, to say nothing of the impact we have when we appear anxious and stressed on our friends and loved ones and frankly, also our credibility at work. But what can we actually do about it? Especially because some of the factors which are making us feel this way, may appear to be so far out of our control?
Some of these things we may be vaguely aware of. For example, the i...
As humans, one of the biggest mistakes we make is forgetting everyone doesnât think like we do. We assume what we are thinking is what everyone else is thinking
Not true
Look around and you will see this clearly is not the case in reality
The truth is people are different. We think differently, want different things, and fortunately have different ideas. The way we process and share our ideas is often different from one another. This can be frustrating if we allow it to be, but with intentionality it can also be the secret sauce which unlocks our potential. Increasing our insight unlocks our potential
So, if we recognise the need for different perspectives, how do we actually gain them?
Left on our own, we judge ourselves by our intentions and we judge others by their actions. This gap between intention and action is often the context for our relational conflicts â we expect others to give us a break and at the same time we blame them for not doing what they should be doing
Have you also ever wondered why people complain about politicians yet not vote? Why do people talk about the importance of climate change, yet moan about recycling their rubbish? Why do people extol the virtue of integrity yet tell numerous white lies every day?
Because we are imperfect, flawed, human beings and our intentions are a different thing from our actions. The great leadership guru, Ken Blanchard said,
That is a really helpful way for us to think about Owning C...
Guess this is why that of the 5 Progressfull Principles, the one which people often find the most appealing, is Being Playful. The very idea that being playful is something which successful, evolved, high performers incorporate into their life is refreshingly new and a real relief, a lot of our clients tell us
As the philosopher Elbert Hubbard once said,
This is because in todayâs world of constant change, hyper-visibility and endless choices, many of us end up agonizing over even the tiniest decisions. We can spend hours re-writing emails, overthinking comments, ruminating on conversations - believing that the endless hard work of perfecting every detail of every aspect of our lives is the route to success and therefore the good life
Hubbard reminds us that time is a precious gift we canât get...
How sad is that? Yet alsoâŚlook aroundâŚhow normal!
Itâs true that most of us are often looking for the sources of success and confidence in the wrong places â a new job, a new makeup haul, a new pair of sneakersâŚ
Instead of our barometer for success being externally derived through âseeming perfect on the outsideâ we can choose our own internal barometer. Our own personal progress, not a mark on an exam paper, a response on social media, a performance review at work, or how fabulous we look (or donât look) in the mirror
This means we are much more in control of our own happiness, our own fulfilment, because our confidence is sparked by our own progress, not someone elseâs approval
So the great news is real confidence is something we choose to develop and grow - itâs a work in progress. Even better news is, prog...