Limiting Belief – Page 3

Perspective. A Little Something Extra.

“The more we narrow the definition of beauty, the more beauty we shut out of our lives.” – Jim C. Hines

That quote appears in a fantasy novel. In this particular section of the book, one of the main characters is thinking about the other characters in the book. This sentence intrigues me for several reasons. First, I think it is true.

Second, it reflects a chicken or the egg puzzle. Did the author craft this part of the story to make this point, or did the author have this thought while crafting this part of the story? We may never know, but just like the chicken and the egg, we get to enjoy both. We can appreciate the story, and we can appreciate the egg.

The third reason this sentence intrigues me because it gets at a very important point about our lives. We live day to day from our own perspective. Our view of the world is unique to ourselves. If we are not aware of the limits our reality, then we are not aware of our potential. We limit ourselves. I find it important to always challenge our own thinking.

I did not expect to find this quote in this book. Many people probably have read that sentence and not spent time thinking about the implication. But it is a great example of what we can find when we take the time to pause, become aware, listen, and think.

It also shows us that not all great ideas have to come from a textbook, or a professor. There are lessons all around us.

Are You Sometimes Reluctant to Delegate?

As Ronald Reagan said, “Surround yourself with great people; delegate authority; get out of the way.” But at times, you may find this difficult to do. Here are three key reasons, I have found that people fail to delegate.

1. A desire to maintain control. If a leader tries to maintain control through involvement in all the details, the team will be limited in their success. A leader will be more likely to embrace delegation if they can develop their leadership knowledge and skills. Moving the focus from task success to team success can unleash amazing results.

2. A belief that the team does not have the required knowledge. This can be a valid reason to stay more involved with a team. But as a leader, you should be focused on getting your team the education they need to be successful. A leader’s worth is not in the knowledge they hold, but in the knowledge they share.

3. A belief that the team does not share your values. This may be the hardest challenge for a leader to overcome. Teams need shared values. However, not all values will be shared. Individual values also play a part in the strength of a team. To overcome this delegation roadblock a leader must be able to identify the difference between key team values, and supporting individual values. A leader will be more successful if they embrace the diversity of individuals within a framework of strong team values.

If you are feeling stress because your team is not achieving to their potential, examine your level of delegation. Is one of these reasons holding you back?

Luck or Skill?

Thomas Jefferson said, “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” Successful people make their own luck.

Success is not about luck. Success comes from awareness, competence, discernment, initiative, preparation, and hard work. No one is just lucky. You have to work for luck. Do you want opportunities that seem to be lucky? Here are some tips to think about.

1. Prepare. Prepare yourself for the future you want. Become a student of whatever subject you want success. Hang out with like minded people, and study those that are successful. Know what it takes. Know what the opportunity will look like.

2. Be aware. Keep yourself ready to take advantage of opportunities when they appear. Most people will miss the opportunity because they are not looking. They are still waiting to be lucky. Put yourself in situations and environments where opportunities happen.

3. Take the initiative. When you see the door of opportunity you must walk through it. Successful people take risk. They do things despite their fear. They step out into the unknown. Many successful journeys start when you do not know how, but you are focused on why.

Prepare for success, find your opportunity, and make yourself some luck!

What Do Your Fears Cost?

Throughout our lives we experience success and failure. Events that shape us, and slowly create the bars of our cell. We build a cell based on our own success and failure. It is a comfort zone within which we live. Bar by bar, we build it.

The funny thing is we don’t realize we are caged. We enjoy our cell.

It is our fear that keeps us in the cell. We all have fears. People that say they don’t… well let’s just say they are afraid to admit their fears! Our fears are designed to keep us safe. But they can also keep us trapped, if we are not willing to test our limits.

As Mark Twain said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.”

If you let fear control the size of your cell, your success will be limited. I like to ask myself, what is my fear costing me today? What am I missing when I fail to stretch beyond my comfort zone?

After some reflection this week, I have created a plan to step out of my comfort zone next week. The tasks I defined will not be easy. If I want to achieve my goals, I need to push myself to step out of my own cell.

Do you have a fear that is limiting you? Are you ready to step beyond your cell? Join me in creating a plan to break through next week.