Hello friends and followers! I hope this fall season—which, in Texas, is the brief period between “too hot” and “too cold”—is opening new experiences and new awareness of the possibilities for personal and professional success and significance. I have been working and talking with various friends about how we can create a climate and community for growth and change. The challenges of these times, the weight of a pandemic period, and the erosion of both public and private trust weigh heavily upon us. Many of us are ready for a different way of being and relating.
Taking an inward look, I have been in a bit of a tailspin – a sort of “revolving door” – of wanting to make a positive difference in the world around me, but never quite getting off the ground with a plan of action. As much as I would like to blame this on something or someone else, I am realizing that the difficulty is inside. Decades ago, a newspaper comic strip called “Pogo” by Walt Kelly used anthropomorphic animal characters to act out social and political satire. A famous strip in 1971 had Pogo admitting, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” I’m afraid this is true for all of us at some time, and it is real for this perfectionist-only-child who is never quite ready to launch.
Working with my coach, a big “aha” from a recent session is my recurring fear of being judged—actually, the fear of not being perfect, of leaving some stone unturned, which propels me to keep polishing, spell-checking, and removing any possibility of criticism from what I offer to the world. I may be doing that right now, actually. But if you are reading this post and have gotten this far, you are helping me to move beyond this self-judgment about judgment.
Here is what I propose for me and for those of you who are listening: Let’s dial back judgment—maybe just set it aside—and replace it with courage and curiosity.
Courage is owning my own gifts and talents and quirks and weaknesses and putting myself out there as a person of worth, here for a purpose. Curiosity is the way of receiving people around me with a desire to know and understand each person and to treat each person as creative, resourceful, and whole, no matter how different each may seem to me or to you.
Recently, I was part of a cohort of 8 professional coaches enrolled in a training course in team coaching. I found this course significant because all my experiences of life point to the fact that together we can accomplish more, that any team is greater than the sum of its parts, and I can hold the space for your team to be “the expert” on your own success.
To this end, I intend to silence my inner critic that says, “You’re not good enough… it has to be perfect!” I hope to offer words of encouragement and possibility on a regular basis. I also want to approach you, my friends and followers, individuals and teams, with curiosity and courage to uncover and support your journey toward success and significance. In contrast with Pogo, I want you to be able to say, “We have met the champions, and they are us!
