“Free your mind and the rest will follow” –En Vogue
I facilitate a training on accountability. Organizations hire me to teach a form of accountability that calls for neutral and non-judgmental examination of the choices we make that lead to our results. We call this ownership for our results and our choices. It is not how most people live. But it is very necessary if you want to make any kind of change.
If we ask the question, “What choices do I have?” then we will start looking for choices. Most people are not adept at this skill.
Because we tend toward victimized thinking, we often say things like, “Joe is always late. If Joe would just get his work done on time, I would not be late with my work. I don’t know what to do about Joe. Joe is the boss’s nephew. I have no choice but to deal with it.”
We call this “arguing for your limitations.” When you describe yourself as having “no choice,” your brain will not see choice. When you do not see choices, your effectiveness is severely limited.
What if instead you said, “Joe is late. Joe was late last time and the time before. This seems to be a pattern for him and it is affecting my work. What can I do about it?” Once you ask that open and curious question, you take ownership for looking for a way forward. Your brain opens up to possibility. In any situation, there are endless possibilities. Our brains filter them and we don’t see them unless we ask. And look.
“Free your mind” means stop arguing for the lack of possibility. Ask the question, “what is possible?” And then look. What can you see that you did not see before? The game here is to open up your mind to LOOK. Not every possibility will be the right one, but your brain will keep looking if you ask it to.
Seeing possibility is the key to effectiveness and change.
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Our coaches are trained in seeing possibility and bringing out possibilities in others. Are you curious about Professional Coach training? Whether you want to examine a career in Professional Coaching or not, these skills are immensely useful in management, leadership, parenting and anywhere you are dealing with other people, navigating relationships, getting work done, producing results or creating any kind of change. Check it out: www.mclarencoaching.com/coach-training
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