At the weekend we took our 7-year old out on a bike ride. We were doing the dreaded riding the bike without the stabilisers – gosh you need patience! After weeks of trying to help him learn – full of fear, worried of falling and a complete lack of confidence in himself – we weren't really sure when he would crack it.
After an hour of trying to get him to balance and pedal, in a magical moment he started to sing and completely forgot he was riding a bike. It was elation; we were amazed and lost for words, there was no thinking required - in fact it helped not to! The joy on his face brought tears to our eyes - it was a miracle!
So what’s that got to do with leadership?
When the mind is calm and quiet and free from thinking and worrying you are much more likely to have clarity, make better decisions and focus on what you want to achieve - your thoughts create your reality.
So:
• How much of your time do you spend thinking/worrying about the what if’s?
• How much does thinking stop you from delegating and or getting things done?
We all know it makes sense not to think too much, stop the worrying and use our time more effectively, but how?
Dale Carnegie suggested 3 strategies to help work with our worries:
1. Ask yourself what’s the worst thing that could possibly happen.
2. Prepare to accept it if you have to.
3. Then calmly proceed to improve on the worst.
And if all else fails, take your worries for a walk and let them fly away.
I would add, get clear on what you are thinking/worried about. Ask yourself what are you worried about and how is this preventing you from being an effective leader?
Then work through Dales Carnegie’s simple strategies.
Want to work more effectively and find strategies to free yourself of worry – attend our next power2lead course: click here to find out more information: www.power2progress/services/power2lead and transform your mindset to help you deliver success and improve your productivity
Give not thinking too much a go for a different result. Until the next time….enjoy the journey.