By the Ocean
STILL Raining 72 Degrees
7:02 a.m.
The electric went out last night during the rain (it’s been raining and windy for days!), so we had to cook chicken soup for 13 people on the gas stove. We ate by candlelight with the occasional help of a few phone flashlights.
Living on a tropical island is a constant reminder of how very little control you have over what happens.
It took me a long time to realize business was no different. After all, no self-respecting entrepreneur would ever admit he wasn’t controlling the fates to get himself what he wants.
“Look at what I made happen! We do what it takes to bend reality to our Will!” Isn’t that how it’s supposed to go?
When you realize that’s a lie, a lot of good things happen.
First, you get a clearer picture of reality. There are certain things you CAN control. But most of the things are beyond your control.
That clearer picture allows a smarter deployment of all of the resources you have to create.
So instead of dedicating so much mental, spiritual, emotional, even physical energy towards the act of controlling things, you can focus all of that on developing your capacity to respond to whatever happens.
This is far more useful in a world where most outcomes (including whether or not a prospect buys) are well outside of your direct control.
I studied Filipino martial arts with a 10th degree black belt for over 10 years. What I discovered is that he didn’t care what type of attack came his way. His capacity to respond was big enough to handle pretty much anything.
The reason this shift is so valuable is because it puts the power back where it belongs. WITH YOU. You have the power to increase your capacity for appropriate response any time you choose. You can increase it every single day if you like.
Over time, you become a better and more powerful version of yourself. Your influence over reality increases and your capacity to respond in any situation inches towards a level of mastery where every “obstacle” can become an opportunity.