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Recently, I read a story about famed singer John Denver, who had somewhat of an impact on West Virginia. His song “Country Roads” is now one of the four (4) state songs. The story is as follows: “John Denver was giving a commencement speech to his old high school and offered encouragement to the graduates and audience to simply be themselves in all things. He said: “The best thing you have to offer the world is yourself. You don’t have to copy anyone else. If you do, you’re second best. To achieve success is to be first, and that’s being yourself.”
Denver recalled how after high school he went on to Texas Tech with the intention of becoming an architect. But he quit, becoming a singer. Not one person said he was doing the right thing. I was told I was making a mistake. As he noted, “I was turned down for the shows at Six Flags, and would up handling the little cars that kids drive.”
“I knew deep down inside I was born to sing for people. Singing is the most joyful thing in the world for me. It’s what’s inside you that counts.” Denver further pointed out that if it’s not what you want to do, don’t do it. Listen to yourself. You will always know what’s right. Listen to that voice. That’s how you find success as a human being. Do not be afraid to be who you are. It’s not that tough!
Too often we allow people to put “labels” on us that seem to always work against our personal psyche. We are labeled an underachiever; being too slow; too short; too fat; too skinny; a geek; book worm; not a people person; a bad apple, etc.; labels that more than not cause us to believe and fall short in changing ourselves to allow the “seeds of greatness” within us to product the fruit of greatness we all are cultivated to obtain.
People do not control the labels on us. We control the mental pathway that allows those labels to stick or to prove to be false. Achievement is only a thought away and we must understand and firmly control that mental option.
As John Denver pointed out, we must not be afraid to be who we are. Ordinary people can accomplish unusual things. We need to adapt the “Bumble Bee I Can Philosophy.” As we look at the bumble bee, aerodynamically the bumble bee cannot fly. His wings are too short, and his body is too big; but yet, he flies! You see, he listens to that inner voice and he sets about doing his thing of defying the odds and flying while all the so called experts proclaim the impossibility of his feat.
Never allow others to put labels on you. Yes, some may have known you at one time or another for not following through or for being from the wrong side of the tracks so to speak; but, that was prior. It is not now! Do not listen to the naysayers! Your age, your personal position, your lot in life does not matter; it is what lies between your ears that makes the difference. Your mental attitude and view of yourself and your ability to be you will determine whether or not the “seeds of greatness” within you produce the final product you deserve to have and the world deserves to see.
Be you! Believe in you! It is never too late to change; to accomplish more and to enjoy the wonders of living a life of allowing the world to enjoy you and what you can contribute. It is as John Denver noted, “…not that tough.” It demands only that you be like the bumble bee… and BELIEVE!
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Energy Leadership and You
The Big 4 energy blocks keep you stuck and prevent you from achieving what you want to in your life. We’ve already explored limiting beliefs and assumptions. This month, let’s look at the third energy block, interpretations. When you interpret something, you create an opinion about an event, situation, or experience. In essence, you create an explanation and then look for evidence to support its validity. When you make an interpretation, you don’t even see that other explanations exist. In actuality, though, an interpretation often represents only one viewpoint among the many that are possible.
Your interpretations hold a strong energetic charge, which affects your emotions and actions. If you believe your viewpoint of a particular situation is the only explanation, you might not be aware of another point of view. You may end up wasting a lot of time and resources marching off in the wrong direction. Because you don’t see that other possibilities exist, you remain stuck in your story, and feel like you have no control over the outcome.
So let’s say you come home into work one day, and your boss barely nods hello, and then goes into his office and closes the door. If you think that your boss acted that way because he is angry with you, you might spend the morning wondering what you did to get him mad, and you might be hesitant to approach him with the great idea you’d come up with on the way in to work.
As with assumptions, interpretations are personal and are somewhat difficult to let go of and challenge. Holding onto them may seem like the easy way out, as facing them may move you into uncharted territory. However, challenging your interpretations opens you up to a world of possibilities, literally.
Typical interpretations may sound like this:
He doesn’t like me.
She thinks I’m incompetent.
They don’t want to follow orders.
My son is just not interested in doing his homework.
Interpretations can be directly challenged by asking: “What’s another way to look at that?” Just realizing that there are other ways to look at something lessens the power of your interpretation. One way to do this is to imagine what another individual’s perspective of the situation might be. Asking for someone else’s point of view on a difficult situation (even if they are not directly involved) can break existing paradigms and open pathways for more successful solutions. Challenging yourself or others to argue the point of view directly opposite your interpretation also works remarkably well to arrive at new information, new angles, and new paths to success.
In the example of the boss above, perhaps the reason why he barely acknowledged you was that he just received a disturbing phone call about a family member, or he had a deadline that had to be met – or…….well, there are many possible explanations. What an opportunity you’d miss if you decided not to present your great idea based on your false interpretation.
This month, before you “jump to conclusions” and believe the first story that comes to mind, consider other possibilities that could lead you to new, empowering choices and actions.
For more information on how Energy Leadership can help you achieve the potential that has not yet been reached, contact us at: herman@thinkbigcoachingandtraining.com; call us at 304-839-5101; or, sign up for our breakthrough session on our website: https://thinkbig-coaching-training.coachesconsole.com
BIZ Bits
Great article on employee talent: http://www.business2community.com/human-resources/holding-employees-back-new-training-methods-0794712?mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRoluaTIZKXonjHpfsX77OUkXaag38431UFwdcjKPmjr1YcDTMR0aPyQAgobGp5I5FEKTbfYXq51t6ENWw%3D%3D#!zd69P
Operating your business :http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/231966
Leadership moment:http://smartblogs.com/leadership/2014/03/07/coach-ks-ah-ha-moment-and-his-secret-to-sustainable-success/?utm_source=brief
Herman Dixon / 304-839-5101 / herman@thinkbigcoachingandtraining.com / https://thinkbig-coaching-training.coachesconsole.com
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