Category: Lessons Learned

We’ve all had those days when things aren’t going so hot. Sometimes it drags on for weeks, months, or (dread the thought!) even longer.

You find yourself in a rut, and it sucks.

You didn’t win the deal or get the promotion. Your last couple of launches all but flopped. Or you’re just not excited about getting up another day to do the thing you do.

Life feels crappy, so hiding under a rock seems like a good idea.

Rather than face another potential disappointment, you’re tempted to avoid it all.

You start counting yourself out, and playing small becomes your go-to survival strategy.

Sooner or later, that rut you’re in can start to get pretty darn cozy.

How can you get out?

You have to play bigger and think bigger.

It might not be easy, but there’s no doubt about it .
Thinking small and playing small simply won’t give you the boost you need to climb out of a rut.

Here’s how:

1. Take a Stretch Leap
   Try something completely new. It could be entirely unrelated to your career or business, like taking an improv class or training for a half marathon. Or it could be something that furthers your goals, such as submitting to speak at a conference, or asking someone who inspires you to coffee. The idea is to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
2. Alter Your Environment
   If you usually work from home, go to the library or join a co-working space. If you typically go into the office, take walking meetings around the building outside. A change of scenery can help to shift your mindset and your mood.
3. Change the Company You Keep
   Is morale low on your team? Make lunch dates with colleagues in another department. Are the business owners you’re associated with often complaining about clients or continuously doing the same old thing year after year? Expand your network. Remember, the people you associate with affect how you view yourself and where you fit in the world.

Getting out of a rut is all about breaking a pattern you’ve fallen into. Doing something different can give you the kick you need to change your trajectory, shift your energy, and get you moving in the right direction.

Before you know it, you’ll be taking bigger, better, and smarter actions. You’ll know how to break out of a rut more quickly the next time you start to feel stuck.

Do you have the capacity?

I was talking with some of my A-List Program clients recently and the conversation turned deep.

We were discussing the fears that come up when speaking in front of intimidating audiences, the scariness that comes from stepping on stage in rooms filled with impressive, top-level, credentialed professionals who have their act together!

How do we not only confidently step up, but also inspire and motivate the already accomplished folks to step it up even further?

The participants in my A-List Coach program are pretty impressive themselves. They’re all senior coaches who bring in-depth knowledge and noteworthy experience to the table too. It’s why they do what they do!

So, I shouldn’t have been surprised when one woman piped up with a brilliant observation. “That audience has capability,” she said. “But do they have capacity?”

Interesting question, right? What’s the difference?

Your capability is comprised of what you know, your past achievements, and what you’re likely able to accomplish based on your skill set.

While Your capacity, is based on a deeper sense of who you are as a human being. Your openness and effectiveness for connection, compassion, communication, leadership, trust-building, patience, peace, and more.

A lot of us are perfectly capable of accomplishing something we set out to do. We have the skill set. But we may be lacking in our capacity to step up and do what it takes.

Capability growth might come from a training, certification, or gaining specific experience.

But growing your capacity is an inside job; it doesn’t come from checking off certain boxes.

This is a big reason why we get so frustrated when we KNOW we’re capable of doing something but for some reason, we just can’t do it.

If this is something you’re struggling with, here’s what I suggest:

1. Slow down. You’ll want to pay closer attention to yourself and what is going on around you. Become an observer and practice mindfulness.

2. Be kind to yourself. You’re developing your openness to love and self-love.

3. Recognize that reaching the next level requires showing up for yourself and others more powerfully and profoundly.

Leadership is about understanding the human condition. You can’t effectively inspire, motivate, and guide people if you can’t connect with them.