Ever been in a situation where things weren’t where you wanted them to be, and whenever you looked at changing the variables to make things better, the little voice in your head said “yeah, but”?
Terrible thing, these voices.
I remember being in a swimming race when I was 13 and as we took off, there I was, out in front. Killing it. Then for some strange reason that will probably bug me till the day I die, the voices in my head said, “hang on, this isn’t right, you’re not that fast. Better slow down because you really shouldn’t be in the lead.” So I did what every sane 13 year old would do at that point... I slowed down and let the guys in the adjacent lanes pass me, before I realised, with about 10 metres to go, “what the hell are you doing? You slowed down so you’d lose?!?!?!”
Too late. Finished 5th and didn’t make the finals.
Fast forward 30 years and in the past week I had an opportunity to look back at the last few months and in the immortal words of Brittney Spears, go “oops, I did it again”... in a manner of speaking.
I’ve been working on some projects and while they’re challenging, they’re not insurmountable. But there I was... yeah butting my way through every issue, every challenge, every opportunity to move the dial and make progress. Then a few weeks down the track and I’m angry and frustrated because I’ve not made a lot of progress, and can't quite work out why.
It wasn’t till an old friend asked me point blank, “so what?”
Yes, the stars haven’t aligned, yes this will be difficult, yes we’re not 100% ready but so what? Will it ever be perfect? And if not, what the hell are you waiting for? Why are you waiting for the opportunity to pass you by? Why are you waiting to be overtaken?
Great advice.
It’s never ideal. It’s never perfect. Take control. Take ownership.
I am the master of my fate.
I am the captain of my soul.
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