Additional points of wisdom from Prague.
- Your job is NOT to be Wallpaper. Whatever you’ve been given, use it. Show up. Be you. The world needs all the help it can get!
- We still believe the deep expertise and planning are the keys to success, but in a VUCA* world, flexibility and diverse thinking are exponentially more important, for no matter what you think you know or how well you’ve planned, what’s needed for tomorrow will be different from what you could even imagine yesterday. *Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous
- “What are my choices?” Ask this question often and your world will transform. All of our stuckness is grounded in thinking that our current path is our only option.
- It’s a futile mission to be liked. So, do what’s right because it’s right.
- Don’t be afraid to be wrong. Corollary to the prior point. “Wrong” is often a construct or rule, not a truth. See also #8. By speaking you can change what’s perceived as right.
- In mastery, perfectionism does not exist. The Paradox of Mastery is that the more you know (in a field), the more you accept that you don’t know. The Master is also, always, a Beginner. This is as true in fields of study as it is in sports – the great ones never lose sight of the fundamentals.
- Have you ever NOT made it through suffering? No. You’re still here. So why not trust yourself?
- You make time for what’s important. When you say “I don’t have time,“ what you’re really saying is, “this is not important to me. “
- Mastery in Coaching is the deepening of Presence, not the perfection of Skills. I love this line because I can substitute the word Leadership for Coaching and it is also true.
- If they ask a question, trust they are an adult and can handle the truth. We too often treat others as fragile or volatile, so we lie to protects others’ feelings. But if you understand the distinction between being Nice (telling the other what you think they WANT to hear) vs Kind (telling the other what they NEED to hear), you can also distinguish between being Blunt versus Direct. So, when someone asks your opinion, why not give it to them?
- “We do not learn from our experiences, we learn from reflecting on our experiences.“ John Dewey, 1910, educator. This bit of wisdom from 109 years ago still stands as a foundational truth today.
- It’s my job, as a human being, is to be the best I can be – even if it makes others uncomfortable. This is the prime argument for diversity and inclusion. Everyone has a right to dignity, and no one, EVER, has made the world a better place by diminishing themselves. You have a voice. Use it!
- “What are you committed to more than your fear?“ You must answer this question to climb your own mountain, whatever that is for you.
- If you think of yourself as a Troublemaker, you are living at the best time in human history to be that. So why not? The question resonated with me because last year I began to include “troublemaker” as an alternate title in my professional bio. Someone’s got to stir the pot, right?!
- Worry less about whether you are in center then whether you can find center. Center is not a place to live; it is a place to visit — for healing, awareness, rebalancing, and access to choice. This statement parallels something you’ve all heard me say many times about Happiness, that it’s not a place to live all the time (where’s ambition, perseverance, righteous anger, sadness for loss, etc?) but don’t you want to be able to go there occasionally to refill your oxygen tank? Same for being in Center, calm, choice. And you can’t go there if you don’t know where it is.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this sharing of wisdom. I’m certain that others who attended took away their own learning. This is only mine. If you enjoy it, pay it forward. If you want to chew on it some more, write me!