Blog |
By Casey Grey
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On January 8 of 2019 I committed to a Daily Blog and I kept that commitment. 365 days of a posting a blog every single day! Not only have I kept it but I will continue to write every day. I will commit to another year and I suspect it will continue on after that. But that’s not my commitment for 2020... Today, January 8, 2020, I am committing to something new... I’m committing to a daily podcast. I will make sure that everyday you will hear my voice (if you choose to subscribe to Lean In with Casey Grey). Just like when I committed to writing daily, I am doing this because I want to be better than I was yesterday (or in this case, last year). I want to become a better speaker and storyteller so that I can help people find that inspiration inside of them and release it! I said it last year and I’ll say it again. New Year's Resolutions are useless unless you are committed. What are you going to commit to today?  When we see somebody who is really good at what they do, it's easy to think to ourselves that it would be nice to be that good. What we see is only the highlights though. We don't see the hours, days, months and years of work that went into that person becoming who they are. We don't see what they sacrificed and the level of commitment they had. We don't see the blood, sweat and tears shed throughout those years (or even in the present moment). We only see the fraction of a percent of what they actually do. Are some people naturally talented? Absolutely! But that does not mean they don't work their asses off to turn that good talent into great talent. Is there something you really want? How badly do you want it? Are you willing to put in the work to make it happen? Are you committed? Are you determined to make it happen no matter what? If you're not willing to put in the work, don't expect to be the greatest.  Perfectionism is often frowned upon. To be a perfectionist is to be too picky or too hard on others or yourself. But what is a perfectionist? I believe that being a perfectionist is having high standards for whatever you create and put out into the world. To make it right in your eyes. And perfect is just a matter of opinion. It's different for everybody. We're all perfect in our own way and we need to own our perfection! The picture below is something my son made for me. Something I can read every morning when I wake up. To me, it's perfect.  How often do you go out and look for feedback?
How often do you ask for feedback? Do you only ask when you know it's going to be positive or are you open to the negative? In reality we're constantly getting feedback. We get feedback from our bodies in terms of how we feel. If we're fat, that's an obvious sign that we're not eating healthy. If we feel sluggish or have a foggy brain, that could be a sign of lack of sleep or also not eating healthy. If we have have pain in our joints, that could also be related to food or lack of exercise. If we feel anxious, perhaps it's a sign that we need to get something off our mind. Whatever it is, it's up to you to listen to the feedback and do something about it. We get signs from our kids. They are sponges and products of their environments. If my son starts to be rude, get frustrated or show any signs of inappropriate behavior, the first place I look to is myself. Did he learn this from me? If so, it's a sign I need to change. If it's not me, perhaps it's a sign he needs to be in a different environment. If your kid is hyperactive, perhaps you need to cut back on the sugar he eats. If your kid is showing signs of aggression, perhaps he needs to watch less TV. If your kid is not listening, perhaps she just needs some more attention. Once again this is all useful feedback. We also get signs in other areas of our lives like our careers, our relationships and our finances. If your career is not going as planned, perhaps you are in the wrong field or working for the wrong company. If your partner is being distant, perhaps they need a little more attention. If you don't have the money you want, perhaps you're spending too much in the wrong places or perhaps you're not delivering enough value. The list goes on... But it's not all bad. If you have lots of money or your kids are fantastic or your career is going great or you're in the best shape of your life, that means you're doing something right. Figure out what's working and do more of that! Just don't ignore the other signs. Keep in mind that it never stops though. Things are changing all the time. It's the natural way. Be open to feedback and go out looking for it. You will be better because of it. Birds who are raised in captivity don't know any better. The cage they are raised in ends up being their home, their safe place. If you left the door open to their cage, they would likely not leave and if they do leave they will likely come back. Unfortunately most of us are also raised in cages but the cage is not a physical cage. It's built in our minds through the environments, experiences and people we have been exposed to. We don't ask questions because we're afraid of looking dumb. We don't go after our dreams because we're afraid we might fail. We don't ask that special person out on a date because we're afraid of rejection. We focus on the negative and ignore the positive. We do things that are comfortable and we stay in our cage (and then we complain about it). Little do we know, the door to the cage is open. There's a whole world out there just waiting for us. All we need to do is take the leap and fly. Will it be easy? No. Will it be scary? Yes. Will we get hurt? Definitely. But will it be freeing? Hell yes! You get to choose. Do you want to be safe or do you want to be free?  I know I need to eat healthier. I know I need to exercise more. I know I need to spend more time with my spouse and kids. I know I work too much. I know I need to sleep more. I know I need to read more. I know I need to meditate more. I know I need to quit my job. I know I need to start this new business. I know, I know, I know... Knowing is not enough. You need to take action. What are you actually going to DO this year? Make 2020 a year of action. Brian and I are starting the year off with a bunch of recording today. Watch out 2020! Here we come!  2020 will be a year of focus. 20/20 vision so to speak.
Focus is a powerful skill although it needs to be directed properly. If you are focused on the wrong things, the outcome may not be what you were hoping for. "What's the one thing I can do that will make everything else obsolete or easier?" is a good question I learned from The One Thing. It gets your brain thinking about what's most important as oppose to what's easiest. Another way of thinking of this is in terms of energy. Here's the analogy of the field mice and the antelope by Newt Gingrich from Tools of Titans: "A lion is fully capable of capturing, killing, and eating a field mouse. But it turns out that the energy required to do so exceeds the caloric content of the mouse itself. So a lion that spent its day hunting and eating field mice would slowly starve to death. A lion can’t live on field mice. A lion needs antelope. Antelope are big animals. They take more speed and strength to capture and kill, and once killed, they provide a feast for the lion and her pride. A lion can live a long and happy life on a diet of antelope. The distinction is important. Are you spending all your time and exhausting all your energy catching field mice? In the short term it might give you a nice, rewarding feeling. But in the long run you’re going to die. So ask yourself at the end of the day, “Did I spend today chasing mice or hunting antelope?" What are you going to focus on today? Last night I had the opportunity to play poker with some old high school friends. I was looking forward to connecting and having some good laughs. I was also looking forward to playing poker. I had not seen those friends or played poker in quite some time.
Poker is such a great game. There's obviously luck involved as with most card games but there is also strategy. That strategy could be understanding the odds but it is also understanding your opponents. More importantly, mindset comes into play. This will affect your game and last night I was very aware of this for myself. What I found was that I had thoughts holding me back. I was saying things to myself like:
All these thoughts prevented me from winning last night. I was holding myself back. I was not open to allowing the universe to let me win. If I'm doing this with a simple game of poker, where else am I doing this in my life? It's time to release the blockages! I AM open to receiving. Is your life comfortable? Is it okay? Perhaps it's not bad but it's not great either... What about your job or your business? Is it comfortable or are you being pushed beyond your perceived limits? Does your partner encourage you to reach further? What about your friends? Do they challenge you? Are you doing something that makes you uncomfortable every day? Over the holidays, it's nice to be comfortable. To relax and enjoy what you have. But the rest of the time, comfort will only slow you down. "Everything you want is just outside your comfort zone." What is the most important thing you need to do today? Is it the most daunting task?
Start with that and the rest of your day will be a breeze! |