I Did It! I Completed Couch to 5K.

I ran 5 kilometres for the first time this week.

It was awful.  But I’m so proud.  I began running eight weeks ago.  That day I ran 6, 1 minute intervals.  I had such an intense stitch in my side that I thought I was going to keel over.  That whole week I wobbled around the factory on rubber legs.  By the next week, I was running 2.5 minute intervals and feeling stronger.  Three weeks ago, I ran my first mile.

As I walked home from my run that day,  I reflected on why I was doing this.

When I was in my early teens, I was at a youth conference with members of my church.  One of the chaperones met a friend there, and they planned to go for a run.  One of my friends was tagging along and I, desperate to be accepted, said “Sure.  I’ll come too.”  How hard could it be?  I was left behind in less than a minute, humiliated and unable to continue.

That Saturday, my first mile run behind me, I said “This mile’s for you,” to my friend and my chaperone.  I could keep up with them, but it was too late.

I said “this mile’s for you,” to my peers who were always faster and more athletic than me, who I couldn’t keep up with and finally gave up on.

I said “this mile’s for you,” to my Grandpa, who ran competitively well into his seventies, until an injury took him out of the sport. He now organizes races with the Manitoba Runners’ Association, and coached me through my training.

I run my first 5K race on August 17th.  My Grandpa and my family will be there to cheer me on as I cross the finish line.  Today, in the last half-kilometre of my run, I pictured their faces and heard them yelling “Go Geralyn.”  I imagined getting a surge of energy, and picking up speed as I crossed the finish.  I almost began to cry.

Running on my parents’ acreage

I’ve learned this over the past months: the power of seeing the end at the beginning.  “Greater things are yet to come,” I’d say to myself on one of my three-minute runs.  Running, which is truly only a small thing, became a romantic battle, a fight between myself and my tired legs, my burning lungs, and the lure of the couch after a long day of work.

If I can do this, I can do so much more.

Right I don’t plan on increasing the distance of my runs.  I’d rather run 5K a little faster than run 10K.  5K is still too painful to want to run twice as long!  But I’ll never say never.  These two months have also taught me that.  Because I shouldn’t be doing this.  I’m built like a Clydesdale, not built a gazelle.  I’m artsy, not athletic.  I’ve never played sports.  But here I am.  I probably won’t ever win a race, but I hope that others will look at my tiny example and be inspired to try something that, by rights, they shouldn’t be able to do.

 

Doritos and the Disciplined Life: Guest Post by Malcolm Munroe

Socrates is credited as saying “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

True words, yet I’d like to expand on that and say “The undisciplined life is one barely lived.”

It is very important that we examine ourselves and come to understand who we are. It is crucial that we understand our lives and our character, our flaws and our virtues, our behaviors and motivations. If we are honest in our self-assessment, we will realize which of these things are good for us, and which of those things are bad for us. We will know what things we need to continue in, what things we need to improve upon, and what things we need to cut out completely. The need to examine oneself and arrive at this kind of self-understanding is urgent upon every person. It can be a daunting task, but it is one of the most worthwhile things that we can do for ourselves. A person is mature and wise who understands who they are and why they do the things that they do.

Self-realization is only the starting point.

However, self-realization is only the starting point.  It is one thing for me to realize that my habit of eating entire bags of Doritos is very bad for my health. It is one thing to realize that I have been justifying it by telling myself “I regularly jog. I probably just burn those extra calories off anyways.” (Both of these things are true, but I must admit that I have been slack in my jogging lately, but as steady as ever with the Doritos). What must happen now is that I must discipline myself and start getting into actually doing something about it. Self-examination will only take you so far. What’s needed afterwards is the steady step of discipline.

No builder supposes the work to be done when only the plans and blueprint have been laid out. I realize that my Doritos habit is incredibly unhealthy, and I realize they need to be either dramatically cut back or cut out entirely. I understand that I must start telling myself when enough is enough and stop taking that ever-so alluring second helping (Or better yet, to refrain from eating Doritos entirely). The same applies with jogging. I know that I have gotten a bit out of shape, and that my running times have been 1-2 minutes off their usual mark. If I want to get back to the pace where I was before I started getting lazy, I simply must get out and start running again. It may be a while before my times get back to where they were, and it may be even longer until I get strong and fast enough to surpass my personal bests, but in order to do so, I must get out and run step-by-sweaty-step.

Discipline doesn’t procrastinate

Thus self-examination is merely the place where we begin. The real value begins when we take that first step. Discipline does not put things off for “tomorrow”. Once we’ve understood what it is we must do, the time to begin doing it is now. Want to get more exercise? Start now. Want to read more regularly? Start now. We want to be less self-centered? Resolve to do more for others and by all means start now. For me to get back into running and stop eating junk, I must start now. The walk will be hard, and the way will be difficult, but if we are to truly make the most of our lives, there is not a moment to waste.

 

Malcolm Roulette (Malcolm Munroe) is an aspiring Actor and Hip-Hop musician. He currently resides in Steinbach, Manitoba. Originally from Split Lake, Manitoba, he is a recent graduate of Steinbach Bible College, and is currently Co-Chair of the Board for Mid-way Christian Leadership based in Thompson, Manitoba. You can check out his music at “HipHopGeronimo” on Soundcloud, or search up “Geronimo (Rapper)” on Facebook.

3 Reasons Why Fear is Good

“Once fear enters your life—whether it’s been there for a second or a lifetime makes no difference—it will take you in one of two directions: empowerment or panic,”—Georges St. Pierre.

I never expected a man so competent in physically dominating other people to talk so much about fear.  Georges St. Pierre is a mixed martial arts fighter of great acclaim. Though currently retired, the Canadian athlete is considered one of the best UFC fighters of all time.

photo credit: wikimedia commons

I picked up his autobiography in a local used bookstore. It had migrated, most amusingly, into the Christianity section. I pulled it from the shelf, laughed about its location with my friends, and then ended up buying it. “Don’t judge me,” I said. Even pacifist Mennonite writers can take an interest in Ultimate Fighting.  I don’t understand the urge to fight.  I’m not sure I agree with it.  But I’ve learned you can learn a great deal from anyone who is at the top of his game, and St. Pierre is one such person.

Lesson one: anyone who becomes a champion must push past fear. Based on how much St. Pierre talks about it, he must have conquered a lot of fear.

Fear Needn’t be Negative

“The key, I discovered, is to understand fear and how it works… I don’t have a choice, because fear walks next to you everywhere in life. It has a reason for being there. People feel fear because they sense a threat… So fear’s purpose is ultimately good—that’s what people forget. Fear is designed to bring you to a safe place…

The problem with fear is that it’s talking to you about the future—it says, MOVE! Something else that is bad and painful could be coming your way… And people are like animals in this instance; they tend to follow their instincts. They follow the fear and dedicate all their energy to moving out of the way, toward safety.”

We tend to see fear as a negative thing, and understandably so. It’s painful to be afraid. It puts a lot of stress on our emotions, our minds, and even our bodies. But fear can actually be quite valuable. First, in instances of actual, physical danger, fear releases adrenaline and give our bodies the strength to survive. Second, fear can be the motivator that gives us the strength to win. Our dread can be our driver.

Dread Drove him to Victory

St. Pierre wrote about his first UFC fight. He was caught in his opponent’s hold, and everyone thought he was done. But he knew if he lost he wouldn’t be able to pay rent, or buy food that month. His opponent was fighting to win. He was fighting to survive.

“I was ready to die to get out of that hold. Break my arm if you have to, I thought. I didn’t have a choice. So I used the surge of adrenaline to roll him, got him on his back, and won. The fear-based adrenaline, the training and the empowerment of making a decision all helped me to victory.”

Our fear can be the ‘why’ that makes us push hard enough to win.  One reason this works is that fear can drive us to prepare for the unexpected.

Fear Keeps us Moving

“Standing still is never a good option. Not in the ring, and not in life outside the octagon either. When you stop moving, you’re done. When the status quo becomes your main weapon, your arsenal is diminished. When you can find no other way forward except for repetition, your mistakes are compounded into defeat.”

We’ve heard of the ‘deer in the headlights’. Those who grew up in wooded areas may have experienced the moment when the deer appears from nowhere, lit up by your headlights. You freeze. The deer freezes. What happens?

Smack!

It’s bad for the both of you, trust me.

Likewise, if we freeze from fear, we’ll lose. But fear can drive us to improve in order to master our fears and be prepared.

“I want to fight guys who are better than me in all kinds of techniques. I want my training to be harder than my actual fights so I can be prepared to face the toughest opponents—so I can be ready to deal with fear.”

My Own Fears

When I began writing this post, I thought I was afraid of my book not selling–of being a failure as an author.  I realized that this isn’t the case.  I’m afraid of judgement and embarrassment.

I am no more than a month away from releasing We are the Living, and I am mentally preparing myself for the worst.  It’s my first book. How good could it possibly go? I know that success is usually a process of small increments (something GSP says himself) but I dread being asked “so, how many books have you sold?” and having to answer, “ten.”  So this fear drives me to research, to mentor with other writers, to tweak, to write better and better, and to network more and more. Ambition drives me too, but fear provides double the motivation.

If there is any theme in GSP’s biography, it is that success is stress, tension, fear, never accepting ‘good enough,’ and never, ever being done. But it is clear that he’d never trade it for a comfortable, couch-potato existence.  I don’t know enough about him to say if he is a man of good character.  No doubt he’s done things I disagree with (being a UFC fighter not the least of them).  But he is clearly a smart and courageous man, and I can admire that.

I’m going to contemplate the idea of fear and examine my reactions to see where they are fear based.  How many of my decisions are based on fear?  Probably more than I’d like to admit.  But recognizing them is the first step to growth.

On my Way from Couch to 5K

“Oh yeah? I’ll show you.” Those were my famous last words.

I’ve always claimed I didn’t have the body type to run. Runners are graceful like gazelles, all legs and arms. I’m more of a clydesdale. That was my excuse. I’d never run–I couldn’t.

But my friend had to put out a challenge to all of us Trim Healthy Mamas, telling us of an upcoming 5 kilometre run. “It’s not too late to start training,” she said. “I haven’t run since highschool, but I’m starting on Monday.”

I could do that, I thought.

No you can’t.

Yes I can.

I ran the idea past my family, and they said “Well, you’re pretty busy,” and “Five kilometres is farther than you might think.”

Oh yeah? I’ll show you.

Monday found me picking out purple running shoes (for price not vanity, I maintain). I downloaded the ‘Couch to 5K’ app, learned a few stretches, and prepared to bound out the door.

“Wish me luck,” I said to my sister.

She just looked… skeptical.

I’ve been running for four weeks now. Tomorrow I’ll be halfway through the program. I’m constantly asking myself, “This will get easier, right?”

If you’re on the bike paths in town and you hear clumping footsteps and wheezing behind you, fear not–’tis I. I have the grace of a chicken and less endurance.

I try to run in privacy so no one sees my cherry-tomato face, but at eight in the evening, every elderly couple, young parent and gaggle of teenage bff’s is on the bike path. I play it cool. THEY don’t know I’ve only been running for two minutes when I blow past them. But in the last quarter of my run, there’s no way to hide how poor of shape I’m in. I grimace like I’m in the last leg of a triathalon. I can’t muster a smile or even gasp out ‘hey’ as I pass.

But when the app says “cool down by walking five minutes,” I pump my fist. Every completed run is a victory.

Yeah, I want to prove to my family that I can do this. But it’s become more and more about the actual accomplishment. I visualize crossing the finish line and I choke up. And when the app says ‘well done’ I’m thrilled.

I think of the Apostle Paul, who said “I do not run like a man running aimlessly… I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not myself be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:26).

Paul knew what awaited him at the finish line and he’d do anything–he’d “put up with anything rather than hinder the Gospel of Christ”–to obtain that goal.

In running I’ve found that mental strength is every bit as important as physical. Self-talk and visualization push me past the pain threshold. Clearly, Paul was a disciplined man who would rather deprive himself of physical happiness than of spiritual gain.

But mental strength isn’t enough in times of emotional and spiritual hardship. Then we must tap into the unlimited strength of Jesus. We were designed to exceed our human limits through our relationship with Him. “When I am weak, then I am strong,” said Paul. It was Paul’s relationship with God, ultimately, that allowed him to endure. He endured to the end–his execution–and gained his prize.

A big deal compared to my 5K.

I’m not expecting this to get easy any time soon. I’m not sure I even like running. But I like the prize, I like how I feel about myself after I run, and I like what it’s teaching me about life.

I’ll keep you posted on how the race goes. August 17th is the day!

If I Could Tell Grads One Thing

Doesn’t it come to a point where you want to sucker-punch every aunt, grandma and friend who asks “What are you going to do after you graduate?”  Some of you have plans, but if you’re like me, you don’t.  And saying “I’m going to work” doesn’t have much of a ring to it, does it?

I’m here to tell you: that’s just fine.  You don’t have to have a good answer.

I was ejected from my safe, homeschool haven at seventeen, found a job at a meat packing plant and moved out. It was the definition of a dead-end job, but I made the most of it. It was just an interim job, but interim to what I didn’t know.

There is the odd, fortunate soul who knows just what they want when they graduate. But it seems most of us haven’t a hot clue. So we do like I did and get the first available job, or we take ‘University One’ or, if you’re of the Evangelical stripe, we go to Bible School hoping to ‘find God’s will for our lives.’ We were meant for something, our parents said when we were in kindergarten—to be firemen, musical divas, astronauts and presidents. So we watch, and wait.

And wait.

That’s how people get three degrees, I think—psychology, kinesiology and a bachelor of arts. Not that I wouldn’t like to get three degrees. If I could get paid to go to school, I’d be well on my way to a doctorate in something.

Hmm… Dr. Geralyn Wichers. I like that.

But I digress.

Winston Churchill said:

“To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.”

Waiting is inevitable. I think it’s unreasonable to ask a seventeen-year-old to decide what they want to ‘do’ for the rest of their lives. Most graduates can’t even write a grocery list, never mind a plan for their lives (no offense—I couldn’t either). If I’m reading Churchill right, the key is not knowing what you want, but preparing for when it comes. ‘When my ship comes in, I’m going to know how to sail’ kinda thing.

You can’t learn everything about something from a book—I know that. I’ve read marriage books and listened to talks on marriage and family, and I even took a college course on the subject, but I expect to run a pretty steep learning curve if I ever marry.

However, the experiences you have while you are young: travelling, reading, studying, volunteering—read: learning, learning LEARNING—lay a foundation for your life. The more of these things you do, the more broad and solid your foundation is.

In my late teens, I was involved in a network marketing business. I learned about making sales calls and presenting information. I gained a lot of courage from making myself do that, but as a business person I failed miserably. But, what this business had was a superb leadership education system. So, starting at age eighteen, I had people-skills, financial management, economics, conflict resolution, and basic success principles pumped into me.

I wish I could give the same to every grad.

Though I felt humiliated by the business aspect, I can’t regret that time because I laid a gigantic base for my life. I know I’d never be pursuing a career as a writer now if I hadn’t been exposed to that information then. I wouldn’t have known I could.

Finally, remember that ‘it is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little. Do what you can,” (to quote Sir Sidney Smith).

Just because we’re not sure what we want to make of our lives does not give us license to sit on our butts at home, as tempting as that is. What if our defining moment only arrives in our seventies?

Benjamin Franklin’s greatest work was as a statesman. He was an old man when that happened. But he’d been pretty dang busy—writing, building a franchise model printing business, flying his kite. He’d built up a solid base of experience and a network of influence. When the time came and his country needed him, he was ready.

If we do nothing, by seventy we’ll be… nothing.

So I encourage you to do the first thing, be it taking University One or a job at McDonalds—and be intentional about it. Wring every drop of knowledge you can from it. Pick up a book or subscribe to a podcast on something that fascinates you. Take adventures—explore, go on missions or humanitarian trips, go on road trips. You’re young now, and there’s not much to tie you down. Don’t wait for life to happen to you.

And always be looking, waiting for the hand to tap you on the shoulder so you can step up and shine.

Motivate Yourself to Work Out in 5 Easy Steps

Me no work out. And when I do, it must be short. Fifteen minutes max. There’s no point in buying me a gym membership because I won’t go. If I can’t work out in my pyjamas in my living room, well, it ain’t gonna happen because I ain’t doing my beached whale moves/crunches where any skinny gym rats can see me.

Science has proven that wearing something made by Lululemon causes you to burn 25% more calories

Nevertheless, I’ve worked out for two months straight now, because I have my motivation strategy all worked out. And now, you can be motivated too! Here are five steps to motivation:

1. Tell Yourself How Good it is For You

You’ll sleep better, you’ll have better
circulation. It’ll clear the mental fog–but most of all, it will keep you limber. And for me, being able to finally sit cross-legged is a big deal.

Not kidding.

That failing, move to:

2. Stand in Front of a Mirror–In Your Underwear

First, flex your muscles and admire the biceps you have developed. Second, squeeze the jelly roll around your middle. Those reverse crunches? Oh yeah, it’ll be gone.

But if that doesn’t work.

3. Kick Your Own Butt

I say to myself “Who’s the boss? Who’s the boss?”

**meekly** “I am.”

“Then get out there!”

I’ve got my game face on.

But if you’re still on the couch, try:

4. Promise Yourself Something

If I work out four times this week I’ll:

Eat chips.

Fail.

Buy the next book in The Mortal Instruments series. Ding Ding Ding!

But, if you cannot possibly bring yourself to do a squat, lunge or a step on the treadmill, there is one last maneuver you can try.

5. Watch Extreme Makeover: Weightloss Edition

If this doesn’t scare you into your workout gear, at very least it will inspire you. They always look so beautiful at the end, and they have so much confidence!

That’s all we want, right?

Friends, I’m a royal wimp when it comes to working out, but if I’ve learned anything, it’s that doing what you said you would does wonders for the mind, body and soul.

So put on the sweats. Tie back the hair. Off the couch in three, two, one… go!

You Will Feel Like a Goof

Chris Brady said:

Our society has fashioned an odd double-mindedness when it comes to success. Everyone wants to see the baby, but no one wants to hear about the labor pains. But success requires pressure and pain, and as we overcome resistance and opposition, there will inevitably be times when we ask ourselves, “Is this really what the successful ones did? They did that?”

I will never forget the early days of doing my part working on the rough draft of the manuscript for Orrin Woodward’s and my first bestseller Launching a Leadership Revolution. I was alone in my house, typing away, feeling like a phony [sic] writing nonsense. Only later would I learn in talking to other authors that most of them have felt this way too, even sometimes after already having several successful books in the marketplace! The flip side of feeling like a goof is that eventually, if you stay at it long enough, you will feel like a champion.

–from his book
PAiLS

I thought I’d share that with you. At the moment I’m preparing for Monday to come, and praying that this is a better week (work-wise) than the previous. As a writer, I’m at a bit of a low. Frankly, I feel like a goof and a phoney–as if ‘who’m I kidding?’

But maybe I’m not so far off after all?

The Great Pizza Failure

I wanted pizza something awful, today.  And when I want something, I don’t let go easily.

I may have mentioned this low-glycemic lifestyle of mine.  Pizza is part of it as long as it has a suitable, low-carb crust.  I’ve tried cauliflower crust–not so great.  I’ve tried flax crust–icky. They both taste like eggs.  Back when I ate real conventional pizza, I was obsessed with getting the crust right.  I finally perfected it–and then I quit wheat.

So today on break I searched ‘low glycemic pizza crust’ and found a recipe with promise: almond flour crust.  I picked up toppings, and when Wal-Mart had no almond flour, I decided to try grinding my own.

Yeah, that didn’t work.

I tried the crust before I topped it.  It was… chewy.  And i don’t mean that nice chewy, like French bread, or a chocolate-chip cookie.  I mean like the kind of chewy you don’t want milk to be.

But I wanted pizza.  Surely if I had regular, find-ground almond flour, the crust would be good.  It seemed okay, but for the texture.  So I said ‘to heck with it–it’s Friday night and I’ve got nowhere to be’ and shot off to the nearest Superstore.

Superstore was out of almond flour.

“Sh–!” I said.  (Sorry Mom. This entire escapade involved a few more swear words than I can admit to without blushing.)  I was hungry, by now.  It was seven.  I was wandering, wishing I could just cave and eat regular-people food.

Well, thought I, the health food store may still be open.  And I sure as heck am not going home now that i’m out here.  I went to the health-food store.  It was open.  There was almond flour.  It cost about as much as a new SUV.  I gulped.  I paid.  I went out to my car, ready to cry.

This better be good.

When I assembled the crust, it looked okay so I topped it with provolone, pepperoni, spinach and mushrooms.  It baked up looking and smelling heavenly.

**takes a deep breath**

Nope.  It was disgusting.  I ate a piece, hoping it would get better.  I ate another little piece.  And then I just tore the yummy toppings off and left the crust.  I picked up the crust, carried it to the kitchen and threw it into the garbage.  And then I cried.  I cried all the way from the kitchen to the bathroom, and then to my room as I changed out of my pizza-scented clothes.

It’s melodramatic, I know, but it feels like a metaphor for my entire week–maybe month.  Work has been one screw up after the next.  Yesterday I had a ‘competency assessment’ after a judgment call of mine went sour and I screwed up a coat.  Today my senior operator pulled me out of my process room and took me aside to discuss another mistake–a mistake that resulted when coworkers pulled me in to help sort out an issue.

I threw up my hands and said to the senior op, “Why did they have to ask me?”

“Because they think of you as the next subject matter expert in coating,” he said.

I squinted at him.  “Thank you for saying that.”

“No really,” he said.  “When I make my schedule in the morning, I only have a couple of people I can trust to run a pan on their own and you are one of them.”

I hoped he was serious.  I said to him “Are these the kind of speed bumps I have to hurdle to become an SME? (subject matter expert)”

He turned and looked at me.  “Hey, I only know what I know because I f—ed up so many times.”

Unfortunately, it seems life is like that.  We must go from failure to failure to succeed.  It’s crossed my mind that, perhaps, I should be encouraged by the volume of my failures. They are, in part, because I’ve been asserting a lot more independence, even branching out and training a coworker.

I remember four different coworkers (a senior operator, a supervisor and two training specialists) who have told me stories of big, big failures they’ve had on the job–lectures from quality analysts, thousands of dollars of product wasted.  But they’re still there, and much more successful than I am.

It puts my mess into perspective, even if it doesn’t take away the sting.

Thomas Edison said “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”  Almond crust is out.  But I have low-carb pitas that are coming soon.  And you can be darn sure I’ll have pizza then.  In this life, or the next, I shall have my pizza.

The 5 Pervasive Ways People View Their World

Based on a lecture by Chris Mattis and Tribal Leadership by David Logan and John King.

“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he,” says the proverb. How we think—our paradigm—is the lens by which we see the world, the filter by which we take in information. It determines the results we get in life.

So it’s pretty important, eh?

Here are the five pervasive ways people think, according to Tribal Leadership, and as explained by Chris Mattis. See if you can find yourself.

1. Life Stinks.
In a phrase, ‘despairingly hostile.’ This is a dog-eat-dog, win/lose mentality. In this paradigm, there is no reason to care for anything because it will just be taken away from you. People are tools to get what you want. You just take what you can get, and don’t worry about anything else.

2. My Life Stinks (But the World is Okay)
This is victim thinking. The person with this paradigm thinks the whole world is, essentially, an accident. Success is based on luck, and they are unlucky. They just can’t catch a break and it’s not fair. They are dependent, passive and resistant to change and thus they don’t achieve much. This is the most common way of thinking in North America.

3. I’m Great (And You’re Not).
This is the autonomous, high producer. This person has a John Wayne mentality, going out on their own, blazing the trail and getting it done. They are independent thinkers. But… they may be cocky jerks who, ‘not only want to win but need to be the best and brightest.’  They may deceive themselves into thinking they are better than they are, and rob themselves of higher achievement.

4. We’re Great.
Now we are reaching high levels of thinking. This is interdependent thinking—I need you, you need me. These people surround themselves with people they can trust and who will tell them the truth. These people thrive on the true competition, which breeds cooperation. Collectively, they are high achievers because they are excited to work together for the benefit of the group.

5. Life’s Great.
This is the highest level of thinking and achievement, reached only by constantly chipping away at what holds us back. In this mentality, a team works together to make a global impact. This level is reached by very few, and may not be sustainable for long.

If you’ve yet to identify yourself, consider this example. You are driving home when you come upon a huge traffic jam. What do you do?

The “My Life Stinks” thinker will sit there, pounding on the steering wheel. They’ll probably be tweeting about the traffic jam and how late they’ll be and how much their day sucks.

An “I’m Great” thinker will make an immediate exit onto the nearest side road. They’ll whip out their GPS and careen down side streets, blowing stop-signs, until they’re around the jam. They’ll probably arrive at about the same time as the person who was stuck, but at least they were in control.

The ‘We’re Great’ thinker will begin redeeming the time. They may answer a couple emails, use that time as brainstorming or ‘thinking time’, or they may take in a constructive audio.

Okay, honesty time. I’m a 3—‘I’m Great’. I’m the one who has to be the best and brightest, and generally strikes out on my own. In college, I hated group projects. I didn’t care too much how the others did, I was just thinking “I will get an ‘A’ if I have to drag these slugs with me.” And we did get A’s on all three of them, but also personally edited all of those projects.

If any of my college classmates read this, I’m sorry for being a controlling jerk that put my GPA before you. I bet if I’d spend more time listening instead of asserting my academic agenda, I’d have enjoyed the project and learned a heck of a lot more.

And the independent mindset seems to be a lonely one. I’ve had the honor of associating with enough level-four thinking to want to rise up to that level, and to drive myself nutty with my own task-orientation.

Well, it ain’t over yet. Still time to grow.

Mattis paraphrased Aristotle: “We are the sum total of our habits.” And what creates our habits? Our thinking, conscious or unconscious. If we realize where our thinking stinks, we have the chance to nip it in the bud and change our results.

Referenced:
“Tribal Leadership,” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribal_Leadership.  Accessed February 20, 2014.
“The 5 Pervasive Ways People View Their World”, presented by Chris Mattis on February 8, 2014. LIFE Live seminar.