I reckon you are absolutely brilliant – I really do!
But we’re all at risk of becoming the robots of life versus the humans of extraordinary evolution, where potential is unleashed and brilliance shines.
Why?
Because we let Fatigue and/or Blame-itis get in the way. These two enemies of our brilliance, Fatigue and Blame-itis – keep us well and truly stuck in status quo or, at worse, extinguish our opportunity to shine.
Let me explain more.
The three levels of Fatigue that I see creeping up on my clients are:
- Exhaustion Fatigue—we’re exhausted with being exhausted. We feel exhausted every day with all that we have to do and by the thought of the future and what we think we ‘should’ be doing. There’s too much to do and not enough time.
- Stretch Fatigue— so many of us are operating like a real-life version of ‘Elastagirl’. We’re pulled and pushed, stretched and re-stretched in multiple directions by multiple groups of multiple people all demanding work and a whole stack of other stuff that needs to be done ASAP. Everyone and everything wants you, and wants you now.
- Choice Fatigue—we struggle with what to do next, tomorrow, the day after; first, second, at the same time, or all right now! The more choices we’re faced with, the more exhausted we become as we weigh up all the options in an attempt to make the right decision. Then when we make the choice, we doubt out decision, and we swing between self-doubt and denial
Any of this ring true?
Now let’s throw in a good fat dose of Blame-itis. There are three ways of becoming affected by Blame-itis;
- The Detractor – blames something else for their lack of achievement; everything from the economy, government, market, competition, industry, become the excuse for not making progress.
- The Deflector– blames someone else for their lack of achievement; it’s their boss’s fault, friend’s fault, Penny in accounts or Bob in marketing’s fault for why they can’t get things achieved.
- The Defeatist – blames themselves for their lack of achievement; “I’m not good enough, smart enough, clever enough, skilled enough” become the constant inner dialogue for a lack of momentum up the personal ‘getting stuff done’ achievement ladder.
Whether you are suffering from Fatigue or Blame-itis the results are the same – ineffectiveness, status quo, and inaction.
And yet, in that amazing body and mind of yours exists your brilliance. In your teams exist the ideas and innovations you’re searching for to drive the change that is needed. And in your business lies the brilliance that will set you apart from your competitors – that will give you the edge, that will guarantee your next growth plan.
So how do you cure a case of Blame-it is and Fatigue?
- Take Ownership
Of course, we all have different baggage, backgrounds, financial situations, and stuff going on. But if you want it enough, if you are hungry enough and if you take control of owning your role in writing your story, creating your own dreams, then action does happen.
Own your successes and your failures. Own your dreams, your goals and your behaviours. Own the actions you take. Own the tribe you choose to work with, the projects you choose to navigate and deliver, the essential contacts that will absolutely transform you and accelerate your journey to success.
Own the highs and the lows, the results and the failures. Own the opportunity to continuously learn and grow because only by doing this will you head down the road labelled ‘Personal Success’.
- Take Responsibility For Your Actions
Whether things go to plan or not, hold yourself 100 per cent accountable for the outcome, whatever it may be. It’s not about making excuses or quitting the game. It’s simply about considering that perhaps you may somehow have contributed to the end result.
Hold yourself accountable, assess what you could do differently next time and take note of what you have learnt because this will absolutely create the right next appropriate action towards achieving your ultimate goals.
- Find the Lesson
Don’t be afraid of failure or admitting your mistakes. When we give ourselves permission to fail, incredible lessons are learnt. Failure is a chance to regroup, to learn and grow.
Unless you’re really willing to learn the lesson, even if it feels uncomfortable at times, you can never move forward. Be honest with yourself – the actions you took and the choices you made.
Take a moment to look at things from another’s perspective. The lesson is always there if you are open to seeing it and open to growth.
- Let Go and Move On
Dwelling on the small stuff can be debilitating. We end up in a never-ending cycle of ‘coulda, shoulda, woulda’. Unless we let go of the blame game and finger pointing, accept what happened and embrace the learnings from the situation, we are unable to move forward. The choice is yours – sit in a quagmire of excuses and the resulting sludge of status quo or accept that things didn’t quite go to plan, re-group, re-plan and move on.
Kick Fatigue and Blame-itis well and truly in the butt. Out with ineffectiveness, inaction and the status quo; in with ownership, accountability and self-awareness. And in with your brilliance in all its glory.