Being Willing is a Strategy
The idea for this posting hit me over the head at breakfast this morning.
For some reason last night’s post stayed with me long after I wrote it. At breakfast I started thinking about a keynote I created in the 90′s called “Being Willing.” I realized that sharing it with you would be the perfect follow-up to my thoughts from yesterday.
I wrote this keynote to compete in a speaker showcase at the National Speaker’s Association in 1992; I gave it with my broken arm in a cast after using that arm to break my fall while ice-skating at a rink in June in San Antonio, Texas, on my 40th birthday.
This was just another occasion when I found myself sharing exactly what I needed to get through the circumstances I faced. This keynote was one more of the pieces that became a part of the Journey to Powerful Presence.
The point of the keynote is that Being Willing doesn’t always happen automatically. However, if you can follow a set of clues, you can create the state of Being Willing whenever you need it.
Thinking about those clues this morning, I realized that this is exactly what I do these days when faced with a difficult situation. I’ve done it for so long that it’s become second nature. It has certainly served me well during the last three weeks.
Since it’s been so useful for me I thought you might enjoy it, too.
You’ll find the clues in the letters of the word “Willing” ~ each letter stands for a behavior that helps you increase your skill at being willing in any moment.
The first clue is the letter W. If you’re going to be Willing, it helps to start with a sense of Wonder. By that I mean that state of being calmly curious, the way you think to yourself, ” I wonder what would happen if…” There is something so powerful about that kind of curiosity, because you really don’t know what will happen, so you have no preconceived notions.
It’s like starting out on a trip; all you know is that you are headed for a destination and the rest of the journey is going to be a surprise. Because you’re traveling, you’re open to things you might never consider in your “real life” ~ things that change your perspective and leave you open to even more adventures.
This kind of openness is so universal, it’s been the topic of books, movies and songs for all of human history. When you use this clue, you put the power of curiosity to work for you in spite of challenging circumstances.
The next time you’re faced with a situation that makes you want to turn and run, consider the possibility that you have another alternative. Having the choice of running or facing it with a sense of curiosity, you can decide what you really want to do. Just having that choice can get you one step closer to being willing; it makes a world of difference in what you can create.
There are more clues to share with you tomorrow, so I will see you then!
