This holiday season, in addition to saying “thanks” to all those who have helped me, and all those who have allowed me to help them, I wanted to share a thought, or really, a question.
As the New Year approaches – what if we no longer had all the constraints we thought we did? What if magic really could happen in our lives and our businesses? Wouldn’t that be a powerful way to look at things? I know, right about now, some of you are probably wondering – is she crazy??
I don’t think I am being crazy. I’m offering each of you the opportunity to see the world and your lives through a different lens. Think of a 5-year-old. Do they know that it’s not possible to cure certain diseases, stop wars and eliminate world hunger? They believe in wonder and possibilities. They look at the world around them and wonder how things work, why things are the way they are and how they fit in. They are still discovering possibilities. It is only when they run into a road block or an “adult” that tells them how it is that they lose the sense of wonder and possibility which gets replaced with someone else’s version of “what is.”
So just for today, think about all the possibilities in your life or in your business that you have discarded because you “know” they can’t happen or that reality is preventing them from happening. What if you didn’t know? Would you look for solutions differently? Would you believe that you could make it happen? I suggest that you look at business planning for next year as if you didn’t already know what was possible and see what shows up. You might be surprised.
This applies even more to our personal lives. How many times are we hampered by our self-limiting beliefs? Logically, we know they aren’t true and yet we operate on a daily basis as if they are. Sometimes skepticism, cynicism, resignation, and disappointment have come to roost as well, and we aren’t even consciously aware of it. Maybe we need to “wonder” and ask “what if” to release ourselves? How many possibilities would open up for us?
A recent NPR radio host was interviewing a Harvard Business Review article author who did a study on “experts.” They found that when someone is labeled as an “expert” they cease to find things wrong with their thinking and look for proof they are right, thus stopping the opportunity to learn or even be wrong. Although you might think you’re the expert in your life….just for this moment, instead of trying to find proof you are right, assume you are not and see what opens up.
Enjoy the wonderment of the season, the possibilities and “what if’s.” If you’ll only allow yourself to think like a 5-year-old and throw off the shackles of your “knowledge” for just a moment and live in a world where anything is possible.
photo credit: Jongen blaast kaars in kerstboom uit via photopin (license)