Too often, leaders are absolutely certain about where they are going without truly being clear. There is a misconception that started centuries ago that people in charge often have. The misconception is that they must know all of the answers. Maybe it started with the whole "knowledge is power" thing. Even that saying is a bit misleading in my opinion. Knowledge is only power when it is shared. When it is hoarded, it creates a fear of others finding out that the person in charge has just enough knowledge to stay in charge, but not enough to live into their fullest potential.
The strong distinction between certainty and clarity is that certainty focuses on the person in charge being right and pushing others to see it their way, while clarity focuses on finding out what is right and going that way. I don't know about you, but I would rather find what is right, than be the one who is right. We are certain about how we see money, certain about our religious views, certain about sales and marketing plans, certain about the faults of others. We are full of certainty on a variety of topics. The interesting thing is that certainty clouds our ability to be clear. It dilutes out pursuit of success and limits our forward progress. Once we close our minds to other options, we lose our ability to see possibilities.
I know what you are thinking... but there are some things that I AM certain about. That's perfectly alright. What I am trying to get across is not that you should change beliefs, but that you should know why you have the beliefs that you do and be clear about what beliefs are right. For years I heard that it was better to give than to receive. The original saying was actually, "It is better to be in a position to give than in a position to need to receive." This completely changes what the saying means. It means, in its original form, that is better to be rich than to be poor. The messed up version of the saying would indicate that it is better to give all your stuff away. Until you open your mind to the idea that not everything that you have heard is absolutely correct, you will not explore any deeper meanings.
I want to be clear about success. I don't have to be certain that my way is the right way though. I would encourage you to seek clarity, rather than certainty. You can either be right, or you can be successful. Which will you choose?
To Your Success,
Jody N Holland
www.jodynholland.com
jodynholland@gmail.com
The strong distinction between certainty and clarity is that certainty focuses on the person in charge being right and pushing others to see it their way, while clarity focuses on finding out what is right and going that way. I don't know about you, but I would rather find what is right, than be the one who is right. We are certain about how we see money, certain about our religious views, certain about sales and marketing plans, certain about the faults of others. We are full of certainty on a variety of topics. The interesting thing is that certainty clouds our ability to be clear. It dilutes out pursuit of success and limits our forward progress. Once we close our minds to other options, we lose our ability to see possibilities.
I know what you are thinking... but there are some things that I AM certain about. That's perfectly alright. What I am trying to get across is not that you should change beliefs, but that you should know why you have the beliefs that you do and be clear about what beliefs are right. For years I heard that it was better to give than to receive. The original saying was actually, "It is better to be in a position to give than in a position to need to receive." This completely changes what the saying means. It means, in its original form, that is better to be rich than to be poor. The messed up version of the saying would indicate that it is better to give all your stuff away. Until you open your mind to the idea that not everything that you have heard is absolutely correct, you will not explore any deeper meanings.
I want to be clear about success. I don't have to be certain that my way is the right way though. I would encourage you to seek clarity, rather than certainty. You can either be right, or you can be successful. Which will you choose?
To Your Success,
Jody N Holland
www.jodynholland.com
jodynholland@gmail.com
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