Oct 24 in Philosophy
Written by: Heather Rast
“Why don’t the right words come out when I talk with her?”
“I’ll never get the promotion. There are too many good candidates.”
“I thought I could do this, but now I’m not so sure. What if my timing is all wrong?”
From time to time, we’re all plagued with moments of self-doubt or even fear. Mocking little fingers of anxiety may wrap around us, drawing us close within the fist of anticipation – of humiliation, of failure or judgement. We can be paralyzed by the unknown, trapped by external pressures real or perceived, or even harangued into believing we’re not capable or worthy of success. Beauty and joy recede as negative thoughts take the forefront.
Activities, tasks, or relationships we normally enjoy may suffer when the clouds of concern slowly migrate inward from the edges of our consciousness. The effects can be situational or entirely debilitating, and I’ll admit I’ve fallen victim more times than I care to consider. Overcoming habits and dogma to change your outlook and allow confidence to be your guide doesn’t happen overnight. But I think it can happen. In fact, I’m betting on it.
Although I’m a prolific reader, I’m not one to follow Oprah’s book list or keep up with the self-help or business bestseller list. But recently I had the opportunity to get an advance copy of Alan Fine’s book “You Already Know How to Be Great: A simple way to remove interference and unlock your greatest potential.” and I decided to give it a try. I figured it was about time I looked outside of myself for some external guidance.
I don’t plan to review the whole book and spoil your discovery. And I don’t plan on diving deep into a particular area because until the book has had a chance to be read by the general public, it can’t be adequately discussed. But I really do what to share some of what I call “idea nuggets” that have already helped me reach in to the reserve I know I have and determinately stare reprisal in the face.
Overall impression: A good book to read if you need a self-empowerment boost and “stuff” keeps preventing you from realizing what you know is your true potential.
Main message:
It’s not really about what you know. Knowing more doesn’t necessarily help you achieve more. You can seek Knowledge all day long and still trip up in the practical execution of things. Contrary to what you’re currently chasing, perfection isn’t the goal – but it just may be a successful outcome. If you use your present knowledge to build your Faith and generate Fire then Focus on your goal, you can achieve your best.
Ideas from the book:
- Faith = belief in the possibilities.
- Fire = energy and passion, manifested in our commitment.
- Focus = directed attention or concentration; a way to channel energy and ability to accomplish tasks and meet challenges.
- We must have Faith, Fire, Focus and Knowledge in order to deliver high performance. Too often, teachers, coaches, and managers address only the Knowledge factor, distracting our focus and leading us to question our own Faith. Our Fire suffers, and high performance remains unattainable. Frequently repeated Knowledge can overwhelm people, upsetting the balance between our perception of the challenge we are facing and our perception of the skill we have to meet the challenge.
- Your performance = your capacity minus the interference you receive. P+C-I.
- Interference can be external or internal. External interference is from sources outside our direct control, and is often judgmental communication (verbal and nonverbal) from others. Internal interference is about our response to external interference, reflected in the stories we tell about ourselves (lizard brain). The interference is compounded in our minds because we tend to exaggerate what we’re afraid of. While it’s often impossible to change external interference, we can reduce internal interference through Focus – changing what we pay attention to and how we pay attention.
- Our view of self can actually limit our performance, becoming a self-fulfilling prophesy of sorts. Our view of self also limits the way we try to help ourselves or others improve. It’s the power of positive thinking principle. Belief drives behavior; behavior leads to results.
- The stories from our past, the experiences and events that lead us to question our ability, can filter our experience of the present, thereby present a false positive and alter the perception of our possibilities.
- We need “safe” learning environments – emotionally and physically – in order to confidently experiment and believe in the possibility of positive outcomes created by our own hands.
As you re-read the idea nuggets above, you’ll see how you can apply these insights and ideas into your own life, career, approach to leadership, or relationship. Some of it is simple in theory, but more difficult to practice consistently.
Author’s note: I received Fine’s book free of charge with no expectation of remuneration from Fine or the publisher. As is typical with advance copies of books, the publisher probably appreciates a mention in my blog. Because I’ve enjoyed reading the book and I thought my readers might too, I choose to write a post covering some of the topics covered by Fine. I plan to loan the book to a friend soon. No cash or special consideration was exchanged, and no baby sea turtles were harmed in the process.
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