Imagine, if you will a road trip where you are at the wheel.
Your focus shifts momentarily to the solid white line on the side of the road.
What happens?
Well provided there wasn’t a car for you to rear end in front of you, you most probably drifted to that side of the road.
Why?
Because you were focusing there!
Our life’s journey is very much the same and those “white lines” come in the form of:
Negativity
Fear
Regret
Our Sad Stories
Much like the white line in the road, these things, when focused on
Draw us in and delay the journey.
By way of confession, I believe my “white line” is a fear of losing everything I have.
This is exactly what happened to me back in ’95 and I was fortunate enough to rise from the ashes.
Even still, it is both a sad story and a story of victory . . . its also a white line I need to be aware of.
Now that I briefly bared my soul . . .
What’s your “white line” on this incredible journey?
Safe travels and don’t forget to pull over and enjoy the scenery!
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Paul when I hear stories like this I get nervous. It seems to me the majority of people others would consider “successful” in life hit rock bottom at some point in their life.
I don’t believe I have ever hit this point, but am I really reaching my true potential? Perhaps I am living closer to a mediocre life than reaching my true potential. Maybe I don’t take enough risks?
There is an old saying in hockey “If you never get penalties you aren’t playing the game hard enough” The point being you need to push the envelope putting yourself on the edge of being aggressive enough to win but trying play within the rules.
Great question you pose Adam and one I am asking myself too.
I’m known for taking bold leaps but after 14 years of a very successful corporate career, I took a new role and failed spectacularly. It was a risk that backfired but the humility of the failure was the shove I needed to send me in a more fulfilling direction of running my own business. So in the end, it had its benefits too.
Since then, whilst most of the time I don’t operate within my comfort zone, I do find myself holding back and prevaricating before taking the next bold step. Knowing what failure feels like can be paralysing in a way that it wasn’t before. That said, I realise that the leaps I take are bolder than they were before too so perhaps it’s no wonder I need more courage!
I love Paul’s idea of “delaying the journey”. What I take from that is that I will still go in the same direction but I’m wasting time prevaricating and focusing on the white lines. That seems a fairly pointless exercise when I look at it that way.
Seth Godin in his book “Tribes We need you to lead us” said: “If you are not uncomfortable in your work as a leader, it’s almost certain you’re not reaching your potential as a leader.” Perhaps we should just gulp and get on with it 🙂
Well said Jude.
The other thing we have to be mindful of is focus and how that can attract that which we continually focus on.
So if my “white line” is a continual fear that I will fail, I will swerve towards that failure and attract it.
Conversely, if I know that failure is very real and present (as is the white line) and I keep my focus on the road ahead, the destination . . . I have a higher probability of moving ahead and reaching the desired outcome.
And I don’t think you failed spectacularly, I think you found a road way that doesn’t take you where you need to get to.
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us Jude . . . I really appreciate it!
Jude,thanks for opening up with us on here.
I agree with you on operating outside our comfort zone. I think to progress we need to be outside the comfort zone and with our focus in the right direction we will increase our competency. This in turn will probably force us to take bigger and bigger leaps to get outside our comfort zone which will require a re-focus as well.
You’re right Adam and there’s no easy answer to your question.
My suggestion would be to continue to ponder it because its obviously an answer that needs to be answered by you, after some soul searching.
Perhaps one answer could be “hitting rock bottom” is at the extreme end of a taking risks spectrum that also includes mistakes, minor setbacks etc.
Thanks for stopping by and for jolting my thinking!
Me too Paul.
Without turning this into a sob story, the type you hear on Britain’s/America got talent, I was born and grew up in relative poverty and what consistently drives me on to do better on a daily basis is also the fear of failure and not being able to provide for my family.
I don’t want myself (Or my family) to go back to those days I experienced as a child ever again so I need to have the motivation and tenacity to constantly perform to the best of my sales ability on a daily basis.
There’s an old saying when it comes to these experiences that we should let the experience be a counselor and not a jailer.
We learn from counselors and jailers limit our mobility.
Sounds like your experience counseled you well!
Thank you for stopping by . . . continued success to you and your family!
Amen!! Thank you for this. Personally, it takes a great deal of focus not to be drawn toward the white lines. Oh, and I love the pic from Wayne’s World!
Thank you Rebecca and quite frankly, I’ve been dying to make a Wayne’s world reference lately!
Rock on my friend!
Great metaphor use! Mine is definitely “fear”. Fear of losing my job (was laid off for 6 months about 2 years ago). I love your honesty and making us think about our own!