If you are paying attention, you can gather quiet a lot of insight about people and the world in general. What people say or don’t say, how they respond to stress, what situations provoke them or enthrall them. And if you are really paying attention, you can gain some truly meaningful insight into yourself.
I’ve been doing that. Some of the insights I’ve gathered are simple but powerful. For example, more than almost any other factor, sleep determines my mood. Not just some sleep either, but eight hours of sleep is what I need. When I get it, I’m in the flow of life, doing what needs to be done but believing that all my little efforts will eventually produce something meaningful. If I get like six hours of sleep, watch out. Stormy seas ahead. The world just feels more difficult to manage and less hospitable in general. Conversely, if I find my mind sinking into worst case scenarios or have one of those days when everyone I encounter is obnoxious, it’s probably lack of sleep. That’s an insight that is actionable and that’s what I love. This is something I can do something about.
Another insight I got just this morning (thanks to my friends Yvonne and Ben). I’ve been scattering some seeds to expand my consulting practice and I don’t know where those seeds may land or when they will take root. Out of the blue, I got leads on two very different potential projects. Immediately, my mind races to think through why one isn’t right for me or why I’m not qualified or how hard it would be to coordinate with other things I’m doing. It’s like I scatter these seeds and then follow right behind them with Round-Up — extinguishing them before they even have a chance to take hold and grow.
Brene Brown calls this dress-rehearing tragedy. Others say these are self-limiting beliefs. Fear keeps us locked into the known world and tries to crush any thought of escape. Rather than risking failure or disappointment, I’d something rather cause these new seeds of life to wither and die, forcing me to retreat and retrench. To stay safe. But isn’t playing it safe also playing very, very small.
Thanks to that insight, though, that’s not how I’m going to behave. I’m going to practice openness and allow for the possibility that I don’t know what’s to come. I’m going to move forward, not back, and embrace the fog. I’m going to risk the unknown and maybe it won’t work out, maybe I will be disappointed. But at least I will have tried. I’m very grateful for insights when I get them and rare as they are, I don’t want to squander them.
I’m also feeling grateful for influencers today. People who inspire me, influence my thinking, expand my world. They are all around me in friends and family, personal and professional life. They write great books, podcasts, and TV shows and help me reframe my world. I have lots of influencers, but today I’m feeling grateful for ones like Rob Bell (my very favorite spiritual guru/podcaster), Oprah (my all time hero), Richard Branson (who really lives life), the Energy Gang (another podcast I love), Malcolm Gladwell (author and insight guide extraordinaire), Arianna Huffington (who just seems so, so cool), and loads of others who dream big, speak up and make me believe I can use my power for good.
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Boonedoggler 