Hole-in-the-Bucket Mentality
There are those around you and I who have a hole in their bucket. They move through life thinking that if they just have the right job, if they could get the promotion, if they had the perfect spouse, the dream home - that then they'd be happy. They work their tail off trying to attract and obtain those things because, as their thinking has it, when they obtain them - then they'll be able to live on a roll. They'll be happy.
It's a nasty joke that they play on themselves. You already know that as they collect those things, it doesn't make them any happier in the long run. You already know that consistently being on a roll comes first, and will often lead to the promotion, the perfect spouse, and the dream home. You already know that companies don't create results and then job satisfaction goes up. Job satisfaction, dedication, and team spirit create better results.
Consider the possibility that we don't actually obtain long-term satisfaction until we are living on a roll.
Success is Fair Game
This means that being successful in life and business is fair game - available to anyone. Contrary to the messages of society, success is not reserved for the most intelligent, the wealthiest, or the most technically skilled. We all know plenty of people who bring these qualities and more to the table, yet they flounder.
D. Goleman, in his work with Emotional Intelligence, makes it clear: the most important drivers to success are emotional intelligence elements - such as living on a roll. Our clients have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that operating on a roll is the most important cause of success - both personally and professionally.
But how do we get to that state (of being on a roll) and how do we stay there? It takes exercising our Awareness Muscle.
Requisites for Getting and Staying On a Roll
You exercise your Awareness Muscle each time you:
- Pause and consider before you respond to a situation,
- Remember that you have a choice to either live on a roll - or not,
And each time you assess your on-a-roll response to a past decision, you are flexing your Awareness Muscle.
"All the tools we have won't do us any good if we can't call on them. Awareness, I believe, is key." Tiffin Griffin, Heska Corporation
You probably also know that there are millions around us who are in their infancy in developing this awareness muscle. These are people who go through life numbed-out, unaware that they have a choice. They are people who don't consciously choose new behaviors and use tools to live on a roll and therefore, by default are choosing to live off a roll. Proof? How often have you ever heard someone say, "Oh crud, it's going to be another one of those days"?
Top Thirteen Indicators of a Flabby Awareness Muscle
1) Accept that a numb-out, zombie state is 'normal.'
2) Utter frequently, "Ah, #$&*!, it's just going to be one of those days."
3) Actively search for evidence that things are not going well.
4) Search for evidence that the boss and peers are losers.
5) Work overtime attempting to save their butt while fixating blame on others.
6) Focus all the way home on all the stupid things they did today.
7) Wish that things were different than they are.
8) Unfavorably compare self to others.
9) Be convinced that the circumstances in their life are beyond their control.
10) Approach projects with an 'I've gotta get mine' attitude.
11) Feel sorry for themselves.
12) Keep a list of everything they haven't gotten done.
13) Short-change themselves on sleep, good food and exercise.
What can we do about others operating this way? It's not our place to change them. Our most effective strategy is to know we have the choice - and then make the choice - to live more on-a-roll.
Like any muscle, when our Awareness Muscle gets used, it grows. And as it grows, so does our ability to live on a roll and to live out of our principles and values.
Let's flex our muscle.
