Why The World Needs Us to be Powerful
Marianne Williamson: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."
ICYMI, see the last opportunity to join The Beta Leadership Lab below.
I usually keep quotes for “Food for Thought Friday” LinkedIn posts, but this one is so juicy I had to delve into it deeper.
You may have seen this quote before.
I was reminded of this from Marianne Williamson: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." As individuals, we choose whether or not to take responsibility for our thoughts and actions.
There are two aspects to how this applies to creativity and innovation
1) When we have an idea, there’s the decision of whether or not to find out if an idea is feasible. The difficulty here is that our brain errs on the side of safety and therefore we have to work really hard to instruct it to ignore feelings of inadequacy and risk, and follow through regardless. Are we confident enough to follow our convictions despite what everyone else will think? Look at it through the lens of another quote I love to refer to, this time from Peter Drucker: “All economic activity is, by definition, high-risk, [but] defending yesterday – that is, not innovating – is far more risky than making tomorrow.”
2) Suppose we do come up with an idea that’s worth pursuing? When you or your team comes up with an idea that produces goose bumps and excitement, it can be scary. You know you’re headed into unknown territory and, yep, there’s your brain at work again, batting the idea down to keep you safe.
What I hope more and more of us are realizing is that this is not a time to feel safe. There are so many existential challenges to address that we need to move beyond fear and embrace the unknown. The world needs us to be powerful. Will you join me?
Last chance: The Beta Leadership Lab
In “The Beta Leadership Lab: Creative Problem-Solving at Work” there’s the opportunity to delve into these kinds of issues, along with questions around creative problem-solving, team working, productivity, strategic planning, and leadership skills. Doors have officially closed but at the time of publication there are a few spots still open. The Lab kicks off on Oct 8th and applications need to be submitted by Sept 21st. Details and application here.
I believe that, with the right support, anyone can learn creative ways to solve problems. If you’d like to see what tapping into creative potential could look like at your place of work, contact me at Ellia@ThePotentialCenter.com to arrange a call.