Sometimes it’s tough to get to the bottom of what we really want. And once we have figured it out, it would be a doddle if we only knew how to get there!
I was chatting to my brother and he told me how he recently competed in his first triathlon at the grand young age of 41. Swimming became the unexpected big challenge. He had trained in the pool and knew he could do the distance. Saying this, when he was on the open water with hundreds of swimmers around him and limited visibility in the driving rain, he panicked.
As he explains it, when you are cycling and exhausted, you slow down a little. And when you are running and out of steam, you walk for a bit. Swimming on the other hand? Well, if you stop, you drown.
It’s a little like life…
Swimming that is. When we stop, we drown. When we freeze or seize up or stay firmly stuck in our comfort zones, we flounder. Our comfort zones can be the most uncomfortable place to be. Because when we are not moving forward towards the magic we want in business and in life, we are using vast amounts of energy just treading water.
One small step at a time
Or one buoy at a time for my brother. He realised if he just focused on the next buoy in the water, it was all he needed to do to get there. And he enlisted the help of others along the way. The lifeguards, fellow competitors… and made it in good time. And so an epiphany for him, and a lovely illustration of what we know to be true.
A magic 2013?
Why not? What does the place where the magic happens look like, feel like, sound like to you? And who’s help can you enlist to help you to take one small step at a time? Last year I wrote some guidelines on how to choose a Coach or Mentor. Explore – find someone who you have great chemistry with and get started. Afterall, it’s the first small step of many in finding your magic in 2013.