Sep 12, 2019
What are you waiting for? It's time to get in, take up your oars and start rowing!
It has been said that successful people have a limited wardrobe because they have realised that we have a finite amount of decisions we are able to make each day and they don’t want to waste a single one of those decisions on what they are going to wear – the same can be said for our energy – we have a finite amount of mental energy each day and if you spend all of it complaining about what’s not working, there is very little left for doing anything about it.
We all have these people in our lives, who complain day in and day out, the circle the same drain, they look only at the problem, never the solution, they blame the world around them for what’s not working and wearing their problems as a badge – we don’t want be that person. Moaning and complaining says, I have no power over this situation but even worse, it admits that you aren’t going to do anything about it, you’ve given the power away. Venting, moaning, complaining just keeps the problem alive, it feeds it, it gives it breath and momentum – even worse, whilst you’re looking at the problem, you’re not finding the solution – THERE IS ALWAYS A SOLUTION. …ask your cheering squad ….what do they say?
In the coaching world we have this exercise called the boardroom – fire the executives in your mind who don’t cheer you on, who don’t build you up and believe in you and your ability to embrace life and live it to the full.
The reality is, you can choose to be the victim of your circumstances or you can choose to be the victor – the one who holds the victory to overcoming whatever it is. We can’t avoid the trials of life, going back to quotes, I read one just this morning “…. Sometimes God will put a Goliath in your life, so you can find the David within you – Goliath was the giant, the impossible enemy who David was able to defeat with one single shot – he focussed his attention on overcoming, he had a sling shot, not an army of weaponry and he overcame.
The proactive person takes control of a situation, you might want to call them the risk taker, they just get on with it, they don’t really ask questions, don’t hang around, they just decide that they are going to do it and they figure it out along the way – they are the original Nike brand – just do it – focus is on the prize, on the change, on the opportunity – with the intention of growth, of exploring options along the path, pushing the door of all possibilities and creating change – I’ve always said, push every door and if it doesn’t open, move on to the next
The reactive person however spends more time thinking about it, you might want to call them the risk assessor, analysing all the different angles, considers the pros and cons, explores the what ifs etc. The danger here is there is limited taking of control, by drawing in every external factor possibly imaginable, it complicates and dilutes focus which then in turn becomes about reacting to external factors and making decisions accordingly – that person will forever be avoiding, steering clear of situations, constantly trying to find the RIGHT way and only then taking a step.
It’s back to Leicester square last week, when you know where you are going, you head that way, but if you aren’t focussed, you’re constantly reacting to everything going on around you – its exhausting!
So the question is this, where is your attention today? Where are you focusing your energy? Has the time come to stop circling the drain and to get in that boat and start rowing…..?