What if…
Last week I wrapped up my 10th and final presentation with a client in the pharmaceutical space.
Each presentation was customized and an extension of our foundational program, VICTORY Defined.
During the Q & A something kept popping up that I believe a lot of us are experiencing and that is the feeling of being in neutral.
I don’t know about you, but I cannot stand that feeling of being static.
Neutral is that space between what ‘currently is’ and the ‘new beginning.’ I think of change in terms of departure points and arrival points, and we are most engaged and energized when those are congruent.
There is nothing congruent about what we are experiencing right now.
When you feel like you are in neutral your anxiety increases, motivation decreases, and it is normal to feel:
- Confused
- Disoriented
- Frustrated
- Skeptical
So, what do we do?
Life On a Napkin
One of the things I loved about coaching college basketball is the endless scenarios of how things can play out.
Like many coaches, I spent a lot of time in restaurants, bars, hotels, and airports writing ideas and plays on paper napkins.
The question I learned to lean into and to keep asking myself in coaching was…
What if?
What if:
- An opposing team plays us zone instead of man
- It is our ball down two with :11 to go and we are on the road
- They switch all screens on our specials
- A recruit commits to another school early
- A certain player doesn’t get the grades to keep him eligible
And on and on and on…
What this allowed me to do was to be prepared for almost every scenario and situation imaginable based on the circumstances, facts, trends, and projections.
Asking myself “what if?” got my juices going and added fuel to my fire.
It was fun and it fostered a ton of creativity.
When you feel like you are in neutral, asking yourself ‘what if?’ can get you moving in the right direction and get your wheels turning.
Now, the rules of the game may be constantly changing on you, so as you dive into your creativity make sure you remain values-based and purpose-driven.
Here are four keys to successfully creating the energy to get out of neutral:
- Give yourself room to breathe
- Take care of yourself physically and mentally
- Surround yourself with people who embrace change
- Utilize others as sounding boards for your idea
Always remember that 1>0 and any action to get started is better than no action at all.
This was originally published as a weekly newsletter from Ed Molitor, with The Molitor Group. If you’d like to receive the weekly newsletter, follow this link to subscribe.
