Love the process

The great thing about getting better at something is that it is an infinite process.

There is no limit, no perfection.

It is something that cannot be grasped. You can look back and say: I am better at it now. And while you say it, you are already on your way to getting better.

It is not a linear development. You win some, you lose most, and yet eventually, somehow, you end up being better.

It is not an action we are particularly good at planning, and indeed most of our betterment happens without a clear path, when we do not know, when there is darkness at the end of the tunnel.

Better is a volatile concept to hang on to.

So, love the process instead and forget better.

Strong and weak

Sometimes we feel strong. And then a comment, an action, a missed opportunity, an unexpected reaction makes us fall back into weakness.

Sometimes we feel weak. And then a comment, an action, an unexpected opportunity, a kind reaction makes our strength evolve to new heights.

We were not strong, we were not weak.

The most we can hope is to be aware enough to appreciate these fluctuations, and understand that in the end it was always us.

About your story

Why are you doing it?

Is it to get back at someone?

Is it a form of revenge?

Are you in it out of boredom?

Or perhaps because you feel you have no other chance.

Is it because someone is pushing you?

Or maybe because of someone else’s dream (a younger you perhaps).

If one of the above is the case, chances are that it will not work. Whatever you are doing, whatever you are up to these days, whatever you are planning for tomorrow will most likely fail if why you are doing it is because of others. In any shape or form.

Build a story from your experience, your practices, what you delivered, your purpose instead. And make it about it.

It will be your story. And it will make all the difference.

Fear to lose

When the main driver is the fear to lose what one has achieved, most likely there will be poor decisions, regret, and misery.

We need to be able to maintain a distance from our achievements. By all means, let’s be proud of them. But also remember that our job, our role, our income, our wealth, the praises we receive, the targets we met, the network we built. They are not a measure of our worth.

Nurture practices instead, craft a purpose that gives you meaning, stick to values you feel are right. Focus on what is in your power. That’s when you realize that when you fall, your foundations are solid, and you will have plenty of occasions to start afresh.

You will also find that you will fall less and less often.

Perhaps because we are all falling all the time.

Absolute

If we want to grow, we need feedback. And if we want to learn from feedback, we need to stop taking it as absolute.

It is human to want to protect one’s work, reputation, identity. But that often leads us to see feedback as totally negative (or totally positive). We need to be able to identify the pieces of feedback we can use to improve and grow, while at the same time leaving out the pieces of feedback that are irrelevant or that we do not believe in (yet?).

Start thinking about who is giving the feedback and how much of what they are saying you do agree with. Receiving feedback is a muscle that can be trained.