mindset

New Start

Has a fresh start completely changed your mindset and the outcomes surrounding your actions? Head out on a bike ride with a rear tire that shows signs of significant wear, and we get a flat tire immediately; it can feel deflating (pun intended). Returning to the starting point, we change the tire and tube to place the wheel back in functional condition. We head off with greater certainty that our ride will be free from mechanical failures. Our mindset can focus on the activity of riding instead of the fifty-fifty chance our tire will not survive the ride.

Fresh starts are magical; they do not take up a lot of energy to alter our mindset. How might we use a new calendar year to reset our patterns, assumptions, and behaviors? What might we focus on when we remove some of the most prominent distractions?

Fatigue

What tendencies appear when we are tired. As an endurance athlete, tripping or forgetting to take in fuel is more common later in an event than when we are fresh. As board members, we can be less precise in our deliberations when making decisions at the end of a long meeting. When is your team’s peak performance phase? If possible, schedule the hard part when there is a likelihood of higher engagement and better outcomes.

Sorry, We Choose Us

I tried to unsubscribe from a vendor’s emails, but none of my attempts were accepted. I called the company and was told updates could only be conducted online. The organization claims the issue I am experiencing is abnormal. The new splash page message should read, “We care more about our company’s subscriber numbers than a client’s preference. Therefore, we failed to honor any updates to your account that will impact our metrics.“

Honesty would be less frustrating than non-compliance.

How might we be honest with our clients, even if the truth is not the message they prefer to hear?

Tracks

Cross-country ski tracks for classic/traditional skiing provide mini-guardrails to align our skis down the trail. Tracks allow skiers to relax a few supporting muscles that might otherwise be recruited to micro-adjustment and maintain a direction. The challenge with cross-country tracks is that a skier is beholden to the route the groomer selects. If the trail goes straight up the steepest hill or descends a formidable downhill, one can stay in the tracks and ski the route as prescribed. Or, a skier can bounce out of the tracks and attempt techniques more suited to climbing steep hills with less effort and controlling speed on twisting downhills.

Just because the tracks exist does not mean they are compulsory.

How might we recognize that ski tracks might be the fastest way forward, but in specific terrain and snow conditions, it is faster (and safer) to ski outside the tracks? How might we remain curious and not rely on compliance as our priority?

It is a Theme (Not a Specific)

When asking nutritionists about the best diets to follow, their answer tends to contemplate themes. They can highlight the benefits and challenges of specific diets, but they return to more prominent themes. How might we recognize that we sometimes require a specific resource to move forward, but on numerous occasions, we can progress with different forms of fuel for our journey? An ultra hiker can snack on Snicker bars, pieces of fruit, plant foods, or nothing (for limited durations), and all these forms will help them move down the trail.

What if our planning was not so rigid about meeting specific goals, except where necessary? What if we developed themes we were curious about exploring, understanding that navigating to a general vicinity of a goal might be more potent than clambering to a specific summit?