This is my favorite question at the beginning of any development program. The answer from the overwhelming majority is Yes! No surprise, for this is the Growth Imperative in life, a common legacy. The alternative doesn’t bear thinking about. “When you stop growing, you start dying!“ (Wm S. Burroughs).
It likely comes as no surprise that, when pursued, what everyone wants more of, is different. This way we can thrive together; we can stimulate and support one another, an essential component because getting ‘more’ means change. We have to change the way we look at, and think about, the world. If we continue to think the way we’ve always thought, we’ll continue to get what we’ve always got!, but we want more!
So, we need to change how we look at things, our perspective, and this is most definitely uncomfortable. A small demonstration – interlock your fingers and observe which thumb is on top. There’s no physiological reason for this, it’s just a matter of habit. Try repeating the task with the other thumb on top. How does this feel? How many times would you need to sustain this change for it to become as comfortable as your present preference? The answer is 21 to 28 days!
Habits are the ‘enemy’. We adopt them to conserve time and energy and each one we adopt costs us! Habits also make us comfortable, so we’ll need new habits to replace them – assuming we want to get different outcomes. This has to be a considered investment; let us consider the motivations and obstacles involved.
Might it be that there’s someone or something in your way right now? You’d like to move forward but other interests are interfering because your interests and those of others are at variance. Alternatively, could it be that you’re unable to envision the right pathway forward, that is you don’t have the information or skillsets to achieve needed outcomes? When the process or outcomes are clearer to you, then you’ll be able to progress.
A third option lies in the timing, this not being the right circumstance to take a fresh initiative. Perhaps there are other conflicting or contradictory circumstances that make success impracticable at this point.
There’s a good chance that your inability to achieve your intended success is resident within one or more of these three options. They appear to be insurmountable – but they are not!
The basic assumptions that underly each of these obstacles are false, effectively smothering your motivation to achieve ‘more.’ The assumptions are mythical, having no basis in reality. The first obstacle is based on the view that you and your interests are mostly separate from those of others. The second is founded on the idea that for every problem / challenge there is a ‘right’ answer, and the third is premised on the illusion that there’s a past and a future, independent of and equal to the present. A new perspective is needed.
Which or what is in your way?
Let’s take a look together.
