For most of our working life, we get caught up reacting to issues and conflicts that arise suddenly. You most likely know the constant pressure of trying to think harder and act faster. What if that could be different?
What if you could operate from a level where you could keep your creativity and focus on the long haul, regardless of the circumstances?
Every time we meet a challenge we have a tendency to think harder and act faster, but the problem with this coping strategy is that it usually limits our perspective and thus the amount of information available to use in making a decision.
Intuitively most of us use the “think-harder-and-act-faster” model and somehow we have ended up believing that this will provide the solutions and the success we are striving to achieve.
But instead of pushing harder, when things get tough, you need to let go and be fast at slowing down. This is where you will broaden your perspective and thus make better decisions. Also, you will be able to stay calm and at ease instead of getting caught up in the emotions and details of a situation. This is how you will be able to lead people through hard times; getting them to the other side of difficulty while at the same time exceeding expectations.
I am not talking about sitting around and doing nothing, but rather building in pauses that will broaden your perspective and thus improve your performance. It is almost like a place you can go every time things get rough, too high paced and/or hard to handle. Here you will get access to more and new information that seemed unavailable when you were pushing harder and harder.
In the stillness that is accessed when you let go and slow down for just a moment, your body, mind and intuition will provide valuable new information.
By replacing the “think-harder-and-act-faster” model with the “Let-go-and-slow-down” model you will improve your performance and be better at leading your organization through challenging times of change.
Actions
In order to replace the “Think-harder-and-act-faster” model with the “Let-go-and-slow-down” model following actions will be helpful:
Preparing:
- Learn to recognize when a situation is getting to you and you are losing perspective. Usually our breathing becomes shallow, we talk faster and we experience some sort of unpleasant sensation. Get to know how you react and you will be able to recognize when it happens.
- Recall or imagine a situation where you were at ease, full of creativity and able to see the big picture. It doesn’t matter how long ago or in what context. Whenever you need to let go and slow down this is where you go in your mind.
Now your change of behavior begins:
- Every time a situation is getting to you and you are losing perspective – and now you know the signs – stop, let go and slow down. Fill your mind with the situation you recalled in action point 2. No action!
- Once you have slowed down you can access your intuition: what will be helpful now, in this situation? By asking yourself this, your actions will be inspired by a broader perspective, one that will also include your intuition. Now it is time for action!
The more you practice the better you get at going through the steps seamlessly and in a just a moment.
Good luck with letting go and slowing down!