A few months ago, I was musing on the triggers that keep people from truly tapping into what makes them unique – The Prism Effect and The Through Line.
Having spent these past 5 days in the south of France—a part of the world filled with vineyards and windmills, castles and cobblestone streets, and a part of the world where in many ways it feels as if time has stopped—I’ve been watching the pace of life and unconsciously and consciously comparing it with ours in the more high tech world.
What drives us? What makes us move with such intensity?
And as all this swirls in my mind, tonight on CNN, news stories focus on Memorial Day. I think of those who have fallen, those who gave their lives. And I think of the life we pressure ourselves to live, sometimes at a risk to our own happiness. What for?
In our most noble moments, I believe we are driven by our Through Line – the nobility behind our work. In our weaker moments, we are driven by one (or more) of what I believe are seven different challenges.
that keep you on the conveyor belt
and keep you from engaging your unique brilliance.
THE CHALLENGE:
1. THE PRESSURE OF TIME
(The effect: Rushing and worrying)
2. THE PRESSURE TO MAKE MONEY
(The effect: Taking or staying in jobs that might not be the best fit)
3. THE PRESSURE OF COMMITMENTS
(The effect: Fulfilling obligations, though we’ve lost a sense for why)
4. THE PRESSURE TO CONFORM
(The effect: Shaving off parts of who we are so that we’re acceptable to those around us. This also leads managers and bosses to operate within the status quo, thwarting the development of new ideas because they are different and therefore, threatening.)
5. THE PRESSURE TO KEEP UP
(The effect: Running and “doing” because, well, everyone else is.)
6. THE PRESSURE TO BE GREAT
(The effect: Worrying or falling into a state of paralysis, comparison, judgment and ultimately, inaction.)
7. THE PRESSURE NOT TO BE GREAT
(The effect: Playing smaller than we really are in order not to make those around us jealous.)
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