We’ve been spending a lot of time watching the Olympics at my house and the women’s skiing has drawn the most excitement so far. My son likes the crashes and my husband tipped his hand when he remarked, “Skiing attracts very good-looking women.” How could I argue with him? The women are stunning Amazons.
All these hours of being a spectator have even touched my dream life.
Last night I dreamed that Lindsey Vonn, the women’s downhill gold medalist, had just finished competing in figure skating. The skating judges were being extremely critical of her performance. In the dream I was thinking, “Well, of course, they’re being critical. How could anyone expect her to be a great skater just because she is a gold medal skier?” And I wondered why she would even try to win a medal as a figure skater.
And, yet, don’t we each do exactly that? We have deep strengths to which we are very committed. And we are energized by pursuing them. Yet, we put ourselves in a different arena and get upset when we aren’t perfect, encouraging the Inner Critics do their thing.
I think those critics are performing an extraordinary service.
First, they help you notice where you are diverging from your strengths. When it is a conscious and deliberate choice, then enjoy the turns around the new rink and don’t worry about the critics. It doesn’t matter if you win the medal when you are experimenting and trying new ventures. In fact, it’s an essential part of innovation. Spin, jump, fall, get up. Most of all, get up. Enjoy knowing that not every outing is a competition. Try asking your critics to refrain from judging while you try your new moves.
If you’re playing outside your strengths in an unconscious way, then the critics bring that into focus and give you the opportunity to make adjustments. Never forget: there are Olympic teams. No one person could possibly compete in every sport. Why should you try to do it all when you are creating, marketing and running a business? If you love throwing yourself down the side of a mountain, then don’t feel bad if you choose to outsource the triple jumps.
photo credit: wynlok
What’s your inner Gold Medalist going after? Where do you want to try a new arena? Do you have any tricks for silencing your Inner Critic?
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
As always, your brilliance and creativity are astounding. I have to deliver a presentation today to a nonprofit that has a very broad mission and is trying to serve a bunch of folks. They have no focus. And they are doing things outside their expertise. It is confusing their funders, clients, and the community. It is impeding their success. We’ll see what they say! Sometimes it is hard to scale back.
Anyone reading this should know that Laurie Foley is a great Olympic team player and will help you remember to focus on your own strengths. And find them, if you are at a bit of a loss for what they are.
Keep on keeping on, Laurie. I think you are awesome.
Laura Wooten´s last blog ..Social Media, Headaches, and Prioritizng
@Laura – You made my day – thank you! And I KNOW that you are gold for your client in helping them tell their story.
What a telling dream and an interesting post! Thinking on that non-profit, here’s another example: the entrepreneur trying to run three businesses, like: a VA service, Avon, and homemade meal deliveries. Or community websites for three not-really-related markets: a small business blog, a dog breeder directory, and a niche-y crafter site. It’s a friggin hazard to have multiple options, skills, and interests when there’s no method (or stomach) for choosing ONE to move forward with!
Crystal´s last blog ..Shopping Carts: 25 Nifty Features for Under $25/mth
Love this post Laurie! For the last two weeks I’ve been beating myself up for not getting my blog up and running on wordpress. The reality is I am just no gold star medalist in any event that includes technology. I love people, I loathe technology. Oh we could work on those thoughts or we can expand our team to include a gold medalist in technology
So today I added a person to my “team” that will get the wordpress site up and going and hand it back to me. Ahhh that feels so much better.
@Crystal – Interesting that you mention “stomach” for choosing… Opens all kinds of questions about how we really choose which direction to go (note to self…)
@Patty – And now you’re a gold medal team builder!! Woo hoo!
Laurie Foley´s last blog ..Judging Your Inner Gold Medalist
Wow Laurie! You really layered in a lot of interesting thoughts in this post: From a brand perspective I would bring up how it would be easy to forgive Lindsey Vonn a few spills on the ice because her brand is not that of figure skater, but sometimes as business people we’ll “yes” our way into a situation where we have set an expectation of performance and quality that is deviating from the intentions of the brand we’re trying to foster, and therefore risks stressing the integrity of our brand reputation.
From a personal development point of you there is also some great granola to chew on – I zero right in on your phrase “playing outside your strengths in an unconscious way” and think what does it mean to play outside your strengths in a conscious way? Is that sharpening the saw or testing yourself to know your mettle? Perhaps a bit of both. One old maxim that I think Lindsey would agree with is “if you’re a skier and you never fall down, it’s time to try a steeper slope.” And I believe that if she were to decide to trade the steep slopes for the flat ice she would also realize that the change in context would require a change in approach, equipment, and building a whole new set of reflexes – could you imagine trying to do that triple axel wearing skis instead of skates?
David Cohen´s last blog ..Another Diva Toolbox article and a few questions
@David – Playing outside strengths in a conscious way means experimenting to me. I’m all for it. That’s when we can choose to not give the critics more than their due.
And I do believe you’ve created an event for the 2014 Olympics: Ice Skiing. Thanks for your ideas here – you’re always engaging!
Laurie Foley´s last blog ..Judging Your Inner Gold Medalist