Decide to Move Toward Something Instead of Just Away From Something Else

Like many of you, in the days leading up to the Super Bowl, I was interested to know from my friends who they were cheering for and why. Many folks said their team hadn't made it to the Super Bowl, so they were going to root for one or the other teams because their dad likes them, or it's their best friend's home town. Makes sense, I was in the same boat. I had zero preference who won the game. My only hope is that wouldn’t be boring!

What I found surprising though, was how many people said their team wasn't playing, but they were going to root for one team, or the other, simply because it wasn't the other team. So they were not "for" the one team, so much as they were just "against" the other team (or their coach, or their QB, or whatever).

That got me thinking about whether there are other areas in our lives where we make decisions, or take a stance, not so much for something, but rather just against something else. I realized that this happens all the time.

Think about looking for a new job. I'll bet you've had plenty of conversations where your friend is (or perhaps you are) complaining about where they work, saying things like, "I gotta find a new job and get out of this hell hole!" What about the last presidential election? How many voted one way or another simply because it wasn't the other person?

I bring this up because, when we make decisions in this way, or take action based on moving away from one thing, rather than toward that which we care about, we are perpetuating negative energy, and making it that much more difficult for us to attract what we truly desire.

Negativity is a huge blocker, and when we make decisions from a space of negativity, we are actually putting an obstacle in front of ourselves. Think about it in the light of the game, which sounds more fun: A game-long jeering session celebrating one team's every mishap, penalty and missed play? Or a game where the objective is to enjoy it, and experience some darn good play from two top performing teams? If what you care about is enjoying some good football, rather than seeing someone get their ego handed to them, I guarantee you'll have more fun and feel happier!

I'd like to invite you to do some noticing this week as you make choices and decisions. Are you moving toward something, or just away from something else? Whenever you can, find the "toward" thing and move into that.

Trish is a speaker, Certified Professional Coach and Energy Leadership Master Practitioner, with over 20 years of experience as a strategic consultant for global Leadership and Development initiatives. Working with some of the world’s top Fortune 500 companies, she has coached and consulted with senior level teams executing on major initiatives.

As a result of her work with these leaders, Trish believes that the need for leadership self-awareness increased in importance the higher the leader’s position in the organization, but decreased in capability as the leader moved up the ranks. However, traditional leadership development doesn’t provide leaders with the necessary mindfulness and awareness tools, leaving a gap. Her CoreIntergrity Leader programs, coaching and workshops are aimed at closing that gap.

To learn more about how Trish can help you and your team with one-on-one coaching, team coaching or speaking at your event, please contact trish@trishcody.com.