What does jump off a cliff and build your wings on the way down mean to you?
Seriously, think about this for a moment. Maybe you go right to the comments section now and write down what this means to you.
For me it means you stretch, you take a risk and you realize and understand going in you do not have ALL OF THE ANSWERS.
You jump. You need to figure it out and fast.
One thing this does is that it helps you ignore distractions. You feel the earth coming to meet you quickly, all of a sudden some things you thought were important for you to focus on, are not that important for you to focus on any longer.
One of my mentors and good friend Paul Martinelli often says, “You must suspend the requirement of knowing how!”
Yes that’s right you are being called out. You know what happens. An idea pops into your head or you come across a great business angle or concept. Your first thought is, “Wow, I need to write this down, this is a really good idea (concept) .” Then it happens, “Wait a second, How am I going to…” and then, “How am I going to…”.
Are you a risk taker, do you ever stretch yourself? Or do you enjoy safe? “Let’s be happy with where we are and what we have.” This is not about judgment. This is not to say which approach is right or which approach is wrong. It is to say if you want to grow you have to stretch. In order to stretch you have to take risks. In order to take risks “you must suspend the requirement of knowing how” as Paul Martinelli says.
For me right now my stretch is hosting my own event coming up on October 10, 2014 in Stamford, CT. You will hear more about the event soon. It is a day about leadership, influence and communication. Why is this a stretch for me? It is my first event which is being hosted by me other than my wedding. My wedding was planned by my bride-to-be.
My main contribution was to go try on my tuxedo right after returning from a voyage to and from India on a U.S. Merchant Ship. A story for another day. The point is the wedding was not planned by me. Now there is my own event and the responsibility to find sponsors, speakers, sell tickets, orchestrate the day. My cliff is behind me while my wings are being built on the way. Tell me your story.
Mitch Tublin is an advanced certified executive and personal coach who resides in Stamford, CT.