I read a story today in our local paper about a six pound Chihuahua from Michigan. The dog was recently reunited with her owners after being blown out of sight by a 70 MPH gust of wind. The couple claimed that a psychic guided them to a wooded area nearly one mile from their home. It was there, that they found their little dog Tinker Bell, safe and sound.
Up, Up, And Away!
The image of Tinker Bell being blown away by a 70 MPH gust of wind evoked a parallel thought in my mind. The wind was able to blow the dog away because the dog only weighs six pounds. She was not able to withstand its force.
I have seen some of my clients blown away by either the winds of life or the winds of their leadership responsibilities. This usually happens when they set goals that are way too big for them. These goals are beyond a healthy stretch, they are just downright impossible.
As I worked with them to identify their goals, I cautioned them about reaching for something that was too big and too aggressive. They assured me that they knew what they were doing. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to convince them to modify their goal. When the winds blew and they were unable to withstand them, I watched as they abandoned their goals and headed for cover.
I Can Do Hard Things!
Most of us enjoy doing hard things. We enjoy building on our previous successes and stepping up to new challenges. Sometimes, our eyes are bigger than our stomach, and we set off to do something that is beyond our current reality and much more difficult than we previously imagined. I do not wish to suggest that we cannot or should not stretch ourselves beyond our current possibilities. I simply mean to say that we must be willing to pay the price, or we will be blown away when the winds blow.
As an endurance athlete, I am constantly expanding my limits to learn about my true self and what I am capable of doing. One of the first things I learned in my pursuit of becoming and Ironman Triathlete is that I needed to constantly train and prepare or I would not be able to finish the race. This sounds so obvious when I am speaking about an Ironman event, but for some reason, many of us expect to accomplish great things without putting in the time or effort to fully prepare ourselves to be a finisher.
When the wind blows and we get blown off course, we abandon our goal because it required more than we were willing to give. This is why I spend so much time clarifying and fine tuning my goals. I want to make sure that they will stretch me, but not break me. Tinker Bell probably could have withstood a twenty mile an hour wind, but she just wasn't able to take the 70 mile per hour gusts that blew her away. She wasn't ready for it, and will probably never be ready for that type of force.
Get Clear!
Are you clear about what it is you want? Are you properly preparing to accomplish your goals? Are you playing in a space that provides enough safety for you to stretch for what you want? or Are you exposing yourself to giant gusts that will blow you away? It doesn't take a psychic to know if you are stretching yourself to thin. All you really have to do is stop and see what is really going on. The time spent doing that will be well worth it.
See you on the road!
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