Waving a Magic Wand or How Curiosity Leads to Success

I can’t quite piece together in my feeble mind who found the other first but I was immediately taken with Lisa Alessi’s  Renaissance Learner site. First of all I LOVE the concept Renaissance Learner. It entirely embodies what I think life is all about, 

This from Lisa’s site, “Renaissance Learners have a natural curiosity. They love to read and explore new subjects. They like to try new things, experiment and ultimately grow from the experience. They also like to connect the dots by applying the information to themselves and ultimately share it with others.”

Then, after grooving on how cool I think what she is doing is, I learn that she is an upstate New Yorker! A real Albany area native just like me! Well that did it for me! Kismet, coincidence, what ever aside, learning that Lisa was from Clifton Park made her feel immediately like family to me. Upstate New Yorkers are good people and if knowing me wasn’t enough to prove it, I think what Lisa has to tell you today will cinch it for you!

So please, sit right down and enjoy the magic of her wand!

How Curiosity Leads to Success by Lisa Alessi

Have you ever wished you could wave a magic wand when you’re spinning on a frustrating situation and instantly transport yourself out of stuck mode?

Did you know that the way you behave when you get stuck is the opposite of how you behave when you are a state of flow.

Curious? Let me give you an example.

Recently I was struggling to write content for my website to introduce a new seminar on discovering your hidden potential. I was really excited about this offering.
But every time I sat down to write, I got stuck.

Instead of writing, I started sorting through my inbox. I walked my dog. I surfed Facebook and YouTube. I cleaned my office.

By the time I got serious, half the day was gone. I needed to get this intro page done and now I felt a time crunch.

We’ve all been there – the art of procrastination.

After wasting most of the day, you would think my next logical step would be to sit down and write the damn page right?

Wrong! Next, I started to search for information. I sought the advice of marketing gurus on the best way to write intro webpages.

I found a ton of guidelines and processes to follow – how to layout information and content specifics — everything I needed to write this intro page.

But instead of feeling empowered, I felt boxed in — like a rat in a cage.
My analytical mind was spinning on the rules and everything I “must” do to create the perfect intro page.

Then…I realized this was all part of a pattern for me – a pattern of stuckness I know very well.

When I feel boxed in with rules and process, it becomes impossible for me to look at possibilities. I feel trapped like I don’t have any choices and I enter into analysis paralysis, procrastinate and quickly turn a project that could be fun into drudgery.
I focus way too much on the details of what I think I “should” be doing and can’t see the big picture. I get increasingly frustrated and more and more demotivated.
But in this case, I was totally onto myself. I realized what I was doing and I stopped myself in my tracks.

I took a moment to gain perspective and asked myself, “is anyone standing over your shoulder Lisa telling you you have to write this intro page a specific way?” No!
As a matter of fact, one of the reasons I started my own business was to gain freedom in calling the shots — decide what’s best me and decide what’s best for my clients. Of course I had choices.

This pattern of stuckness was self imposed. I was the one imposing rules on my writing. No one else was.

The next thing I did was consider ways I’ve approached my writing in the past that allowed the content to flow – for me that involves asking a lot of questions.
Thinking creatively really lights me up. I love to brainstorm and integrate new perspectives to problem solve.

I decided to approach this project with curiosity and thinking outside the box.
When I took the time to focus on what the reader might need; what they struggled with and how I might address their questions instead of focusing on the rules and the components of what makes a great intro page, I felt free. I loosened up to write.
Instead of searching for answer from the gurus, I focused on what I already knew and how I could best serve my audience.

Applying curiosity and creative thinking to my work and looking for the answers within as opposed to searching externally were my ticket to freedom.

So the next time, you feel stuck, try these 4 steps.

1. Stop yourself in your tracks. When you find your mind racing on how hard something is or how this will never work, try a mantra. Say –“Stop!” “Knock it off.” “Hold the fort.” — whatever you need to tell yourself to stop your mind from spinning. The key is to catch yourself and get out of your head, bring yourself to the present.
2. Become aware of your patterns. Step back from the situation that’s causing you angst. Get some distance from whatever is bothering you by looking at it objectively. Learn to recognize your pattern.
3. Do a little inquiry. Ask yourself, “why am I stuck? What have I been thinking about for the past few minutes, hours, days that have created this dilemma?” Approach how you are feeling with a level of curiosity. Realize you always have choices on how you tackle an issue.
4. Do the opposite. If focusing on details causes you stress, zoom out and look at the big picture. If rules bog you down, blue sky solutions to your problem. Apply the patterns that have lead to your greatest success when things are flowing and you’ve felt on top of the world.

When I applied the strategies that light me up, I overcame the challenge of writing much faster and with less aggravation. Not to mention, I saved myself tons of time and emotional energy.

The bottom line is the more you tune into how you’re feeling and learn to recognize your patterns, the faster you can flip through times of struggle.

The key is to shift perspective and lead with what feels good by applying the patterns that make you most successful.

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For more on this topic, download or listen to a free recording on How to Live Your Why through Pattern Recognition

 

Lisa Alessi is a personal development and life coach who is passionate about helping others gain new perspectives on the way they think, feel and act so they can lead their lives doing what they love and truly believe in. For more information, visit: www.renaissancelearner.com

 

 

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