Staggering Toward Greatness

Winning an Olympic Gold Medal is a dream for many, and a reality for a very few. We watch an athlete like Michael Phelps compete, and it almost looks effortless -- like something staged for our enjoyment. An athlete dreams, he trains, he wins gold!

In reality, most of us are more like Gabriele Andersen-Scheiss than Michael Phelps. Andersen-Scheiss is the female marathoner who staggered into the the Memorial Coliseum in LA in 1984 -- clearly exhausted, barely able to walk, and brushing off all attempts at help. And she finished the race. She didn't earn a medal, some might say she embarrassed herself, but she finished the Olympic marathon under her own power.

And I find that when we are moving toward "greatness" in our lives, however we define that for ourselves, that we are not running swiftly toward that goal, with styled hair, matching accessories and a clever quip on the tongue. We look more like Andersen-Scheiss, contorted and exhausted, but so very human.

Where in your life are you staggering? Where are you aware that what you are doing is unfamiliar, rough, or messy? Good news -- that is the very place where you are moving toward something better for yourself. You are not content to sit on the sidelines, either cheering on others or complaining about how no one has ever bought you the right running shoes.

I find in my work with my coaching clients that we often believe that change is easy -- whether one desires to find a new job, become a more balanced person, or invite love into their life. We believe that if we only put our mind to it, we could run that Olympic marathon tomorrow; so we set out with the best of intentions. Guess what happens? We cramp up in mile 6 and have to walk, or feel dizzy and have to stop, or someone trips us and we fall flat on the pavement. "How could this be?" we often ask. "I must be a failure!" we might say to ourselves.

Just run. And when you fall flat, get up and start running again. Or go buy better shoes, or talk to someone about how you could change your form. Or simply ask for someone to help you stand up. But just keep running.

For, in the words of actress Mary Pickford, "what we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down."

As long as you keep getting up and staggering forward, then greatness truly awaits you.

Creating Value in Your Day

Ah, the tyranny of the task list! That neat, box-filled list we compile in Outlook or on an attractive magnetic notepad from the dollar section at Target.

As a former corporate executive, I know the experience of this daily and weekly ritual of gathering up the things that should be done and then recording their completion. It is how things get done, right?

Surely, things do get done. Like "get labels from supply room for file folders" and "send out recap of conference call." Those are tasks that needed to be completed -- but what value did they create? How has the world, your life, or even your day been enhanced?

When does "Be unusually kind to someone" every show up on your task list? Or perhaps "Sit for two hours and just think about how I can make this organization better?" What value would that bring to your company or business, versus sending out the conference call recap that no one will read?

I challenge you to mix it up -- add one "stretch" task to your task list today. Think of how satisfying it will be to check that box.

How Rules Rule Our Lives

Anyone who has ever attempted to play Monopoly has read a list of rules. In Monopoly, we follow the rules in order to maintain order and for the chance to buy Park Place and Boardwalk in order to build hotels and bankrupt our friends and family.

What if, however, there were a much larger, grander board out there, one on which we could build eco-tourist luxury spa resorts? Or perhaps build nothing at all and let Boardwalk become a natural habitat for birds?

We’d have to break the rules – in the risk of dreaming something grander or more resonant for ourselves.

Some rules are important, such as obeying traffic lights and wearing clothes in public. However, we may have developed our own set of rules from “rules” that we’ve heard from our friends, family, or the media we consume, such as, “I should get up before 10AM on Saturdays” or “Nice girls don’t wear skirts THAT short.”

Can you think of any rules that you follow that you or someone else may simply have made up? It is likely that words like “should”, “must” and “don’t” pop up in your rules. Try to think of one of these rules right now. Is following this rule holding you back from something that you really love? Say dessert, or maybe sleep? How about from following a childhood dream? Is it holding you back from bringing joy into your life?

Now may be the time to create some new rules, rules that focus on seeking out what you want instead of avoiding what you shouldn’t. What do you want more of? Laughter? Adventure? Love?

Make one new rule today that will bring what you desire closer. You just might find yourself Chairman of the Board.