We often think of life as an accumulation of phases or chapters. Many of us move from one to another and look forward to it. Some of us want to stay in a phase that pleases us. At this time in our history, it is hard to imagine staying in the same place, but some still are committed to remaining where they are. Someone once said, “If you keep doing what you are doing you will keep getting what you are getting”. And for some that is perfectly fine. Though we grow older and pass through phases in life, we also close and open chapters based on circumstances, goals, health, relationships, and other life-altering occurrences.
When I began my college education, I absolutely knew that I wanted to be an educator and coach. That is exactly what I have become, but not in the way I intended or expected. Everything seemed to be heading in that direction at first. I had my own little business to pay for college, so I was convinced that I wanted to teach business classes and coach as many as three sports. In the summer I would tend to my small business of remodeling, painting, woodwork refinishing, and manage reasonably well financially.
One day, like a cold slap in the face, I was informed by the head of the Education Department at my school that I was moving along way too fast and that I wasn’t going to be able to continue with my expedited path of advancement to becoming a high school teacher and coach. That is when everything changed. I was quite stubborn then and carried a significant chip on my shoulder and told the department head where to hide his program and turned my attention toward a business degree. After school, I became a salesperson and eventually became a manager. A few years later I also did lots of athletic coaching while my children were growing up. Now I provide sales and leadership training and mentoring for a variety of people. Oh, the phases of life!
Have you ever come to a fork in the road and took a turn in a direction not intended? That happens even to people who want to remain status quo. And for those seeking something new, it happens frequently. In John Maxwell’s book LEADER SHIFT, John refers to the phases or chapters I described as zones. Using the letter “C” he mentions four zones – Coasting Zone, Comfort Zone, Challenge Zone, and Creative Zone. He characterizes them this way:
Coasting – “I do as little as possible.”
Comfort – “I do what I have always done.”
Challenge – “I attempt to do what I haven’t done before.”
Creative – “I attempt to think what I have never thought before.”
Think about where you are today and whether you have previously been in any of these zones and what that was like. I remember when I learned to ski. I passed into each of these zones. When I was coasting, I was lazy and watched ski racing on television. I enjoyed watching it from the comfort and warmth of the living room sofa. When I decided to ski and was comfortable, I was insecure about taking a risk and stayed on easier terrain and at slower speeds. When I challenged myself, I skied faster and steeper terrain. When I decided to try bump skiing, that was a big challenge for me. It wasn’t until I began thinking differently about my technique (not a strong suit of mine) did I begin to improve on the double black diamond and bump runs. I thought about going with the hill and bumps versus fighting them. I began using more mental finesse than pure athleticism and improved. I hope you can relate to that with some of your life’s adventures.
There was a lot of frustration along the way to becoming a reasonably sound (though never pretty) skier. It reminds me of what Winston Churchill said, “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” There were many times when I was a pessimist about this new venture, but when I thought more creatively and positively, I improved. Go figure!
John also writes about seven mental blocks that keep us from getting creative. They include 1) thinking there is only one right answer, 2) lacking imagination, 3) following the rules, 4) avoiding ambiguity, 5) thinking failure is bad, 6) being afraid of looking foolish and 7) thinking we are not creative. I had to overcome two “mental blocks” to think more creatively and improve my skiing. I had to overcome the fear of failure and the fear of looking foolish by trying a different approach to doing things. I was fortunate to have a burning desire to improve that was caused by falling in love with the sport. I had many tough moments and even days out on the slopes but my hunger to somewhat master skiing helped me push through the obstacles.
I like what Vince Lombardi said, “The joy is in creating, not maintaining”. I wish I would have discovered that quote earlier in my learn-to-ski process. It would have made it much easier! The keyword in Lombardi’s quote is joy. The joy received from taking that extra measure and winning, as a result, is extremely rewarding. Think about daring to be creative in some areas of challenge in your life or work. It may be the tipping point for you to overcome some obstacle or achieve some goal that has been alluding you.
To your success!