What if getting uncomfortable was a privilege?
On Saturday morning, just like many of my Saturdays, I was deep into a workout on my Peloton bike, when Robin, our instructor, said, "ok, time for our Tabata section".
Now, for any of our readers who do not know what this is, a tabata is a specific type of high-intensity interval training, consisting of 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work at maximum effort, followed by 10 seconds of rest. EIGHT ROUNDS. Take my word for it - this is HARD stuff! So, I immediately respond with a big grunt/growl, and almost on queue Robin says "We have eight opportunities ... not eight pushes, not eight challenges ... eight opportunities to do this. And what a privilege this is!"
A privilege? Having my muscles burn and gasping for breath is a privilege? Feeling wildly uncomfortable is a privilege? Is this true? YES! In a split second I made the choice to reframe the task ahead and take it on as an opportunity and privilege to grow, expand, and strengthen myself emotionally and physically.
About half way through the tabata section the next "ah-ha" moment hit me ... what if we related this to leadership? What if as leaders, opportunities for us to get uncomfortable were a privilege? What if it was a privilege for us to have situations, tasks, conversations that take us outside of our comfort zone?
If this were indeed true, then we could perceive the entire coronavirus situation as one gigantic opportunity to get comfortable with the uncomfortable. These days, I am uncomfortable about 75% of my day (at work and at home), and now I am choosing to take on that truth as a privilege. It is a privilege that I am in a leadership position where 75% of the time I feel challenged, I am sweating through my shirt and I am doing it afraid.
Two examples where I am getting on the court with this ...
Believe it or not, Sandy and I have never led a group session with a client over a video conference. Never! Yet here we are now regularly in conversations with 10-15 people at a time over Zoom, and it is wildly uncomfortable. What if the technology fails me? What if I don't know how to operate the system? How do I connect with people over a camera? How do we inspire a dialogue? How do we engage 10 people all "zooming in" from 10 different locations? Sandy and I courageously chose to take this uncomfortable opportunity on as a privilege - it is a privilege for us to expand our methods of communication and service, all in the spirit of inspiring YOU.
It has also been wildly uncomfortable for me to not KNOW what the future holds. I love to plan - I have my calendars, and my color coded post-it notes, and categorized family calendar - yet lately, it seems like all of this has become moot. It is so uncomfortable for me to sit in the unknown, to be with the unknown, to accept the unknown. Yet, it has also become a privilege, because now I focus on the PRESENT; the here and now. By confronting the unknown I have in turn embraced the opportunity to be open, present and connected with the person right in front of me - whether it's my husband, kids, client or colleague. It is a privilege to be able to settle in.
So, what if you chose to reframe how you are relating to this covid-19 situation? What if you begin to perceive it, and all its challenges as a privilege? Imagine just how strong we all would be on the other side of this!
Courage always,
