We’re trained from a young age to be problem solvers. This is broken, how can we fix it? What’s the answer to this riddle? Where does this piece of the puzzle go? As we grow older the questions adapt, but the heart remains the same. How can I do this faster? Cheaper? What are the weaknesses I need to fix in myself? Where does this person need to improve? What’s wrong with this picture? What problem needs our attention?

I don’t want to say that this is a bad thing, but I do think we have a tendency to go too far. We are taught to look for the flaws so that we can fix the issue. But sometimes we can get so good at seeing flaws that we see flaws before anything else.
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Each and every one of us has something at our core that drives us. When we’re operating in line with our values, we thrive. We have the energy to tackle life in a way that brings more life. However, whenever we see leaders who are feeling burned out, it’s almost always an indication to us that, in some way, they are operating at odds with their core values and beliefs. If there’s such a drastic difference between operating in alignment with our values and not, why would anyone do something at odds with their values?
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Last time, we talked about our natural dispositions toward optimism, realism, or pessimism. If you haven’t read that post, take a second and read that here!

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Imagine for a moment that you’re a star baseball player. It’s the bottom of the ninth, and your team is down by three. You’re at bat with a full count. As you glance to your teammates at each of the bases, you know everything comes down to you. What’s going through your mind?

Are you worried? Can you feel the pressure? Is there a little voice whispering, “Don’t mess this up!” Or are you confidently picking out which set of stands you’re going to slam the next pitch? Maybe you’re somewhere in between, thinking, “I’m a good batter, he’s a good pitcher. I’ll do my best and see what happens!”

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Am I catching you at a bad time? Are you too busy, running around hectically? Is your constant refrain, “I’m too busy!!!”? I’ll be you might even catch yourself holding your breath without knowing it! Chances are that’s not how you describe yourself when you’re BIG. I’d like to offer you a moment to recover to your BIG resourceful state right now! [Read more…]

In Greek Mythology, a king named Sisyphus ruled with an iron fist through murder and deception. In various legends, he is known for tricking or persuading even gods and goddesses to do his bidding, earning him the title of “The Craftiest Man”. His hubris led him to believe that his cleverness exceeded that of Zeus. Not taking kindly to the pride of a human, Zeus punished Sisyphus with the job to roll a boulder to the top of a mountain each day, only to have it roll away from him right before he got it to the top. Thus, Sisyphus toils, day after day into eternity, never having rest, never even having the accomplishment of successfully rolling the boulder to the top. [Read more…]

The Pursuit of Positivity

Let’s do a quick exercise. Pull out a pen and scrap of paper. Or pull up a new word processor window. List out the 5 biggest problems that you’re facing right now, in life, at work, at home, etc. Now list out the 5 biggest joys. Ready? Go. I’ll wait.

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Big is not about a big ego, your title, or even about acquiring large sums of money. Often times we measure our self worth based on how hard we work, the results we achieve in our tasks, how much money we amass, even the car we drive or the house we live in. Other times, we attribute our self worth to how others perceive us or who is proud of us. We put too much emphasis on what others think about us and not enough emphasis on what is true for us internally that is corded to our personal values and beliefs.

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