RAIN STOPPED PLAY – BUT GOT ME THINKING
I was at Lords yesterday, with my sons and around 25,000 other spectators. It rained in the afternoon and play was halted. The break gave me a chance to think. What is it that brings so many people together? Now, don’t get me wrong. I love cricket, it’s a wonderful game, but I wanted to get underneath the surface. Accepting all the peripheral reasons, great day out etc. it seems to me, and it probably won’t be a great revelation to you, that what attracts us is the pursuit of excellence. Test cricket is generally considered to be the pinnacle of the game, and the England team are on a quest to be the number one test team in the world.
Being the best is inspiring. The great advantage sports people have is that what they do is clearly measureable. If Barcelona beat Manchester United then, for that moment, they are the best football team in Europe. If Usain Bolt clocks a world record 9.58 seconds for the 100 meters then he is the fastest in the world, the very best. Until someone beats it.
But it’s different for the rest of us. How can I become the best accountant in the world? Or the best teacher in the UK? What about being the very best parent? It’s impossible to measure objectively. Or in many cases measure at all.
What tends to happen instead is that we judge performance instead of measuring it. Hands up who likes (and responds well to) being judged. I thought not. We do not like being judged. By definition measurement is objective, judgement is subjective. Measurement is fair, judgement is not fair. We do not like being treated unfairly.
But we still do it. And the person we judge the most? Often it’s ourselves. We judge against ideas we have. And when we judge we don’t feel good about ourselves. And because we don’t like to feel bad we have all sorts of coping mechanisms to counteract the negative feelings.
One of the most effective is to switch off from our thoughts and feelings. Or we go into denial. Or we make something else more important. Make excuses for our failures and our mediocrity.
But if we are honest, there is no excuse for mediocrity. Every one of us has as many usable brain cells as Einstein, we all have the creative potential of Van Gogh, we all have the same capacity for compassion as Mother Teresa.
These may have been special people, but they were special, not because of what they have, but because of what they did. They took their attributes and with commitment and determination made the most of them.
We seem scared to do the same. In the UK we do not tend to celebrate success and achievement. We are resentful of it, ready to bring down to earth those cocky upstarts. Bring them down to our level. To averageness, to mediocrity.
Well, if that’s acceptable to you, fine. But here at Outlook we stand for something different. We recognise that every one of us has unlimited potential. That we can excel, in our careers, in our relationships, as individuals.
But it takes the following ingredients:
Skills, attributes, capability, talent. We’ve all got talents – but we may not yet be aware of them. We may not have practised and honed them….yet, but you’ve got them.
Attitude. Attitudes are decisions we have made and show up in behaviour. Being on time – being true to our word – going beyond expectations.
Desire. You need to make this important.
Commitment. Nothing worth achieving is easy. It will take determination, courage and commitment. You may well face opposition, resistance, demands to change. That’s when you need to stay focussed on the bigger picture.
Action. Commitment shows up in action. Some actions take you closer to your goal, some take you further away. But you need to take action. We need to be prepared to stop and look to ensure the action we are taking is leading us to where we want to be. We need to be prepared to change direction if necessary.
Context. The reason, the bigger picture. The vision. Purpose. Every one of us has purpose. You need to find it, unleash it and pursue it.
Support. You can’t do it on your own, and nobody can do it but you! Learn to accept support, give support. Avoid helping. In the long term it doesn’t help!
In the end it comes down to this: Are you prepared to give mediocrity the boot? To go beyond your comfort zone and risk for something more important?
Is your life going to be remembered for what you gave? Is your life going to be remembered at all, beyond your immediate circle? Are you one of life’s spectators, or are you a player?
The world needs players, people who are going to be inspirational role models, standing up for principals, for values, and for being one’s best.
Posts: 2
Reply #2 on : Fri October 14, 2011, 19:19:35
Posts: 2
Reply #1 on : Mon June 06, 2011, 22:17:54
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