As I continue to explore a new career with Retail247 I find myself contemplating the sort of ‘self-help’ which can leave you feeling enthused or downright inadequate. It avers that the “only thing stopping you is you!”, “follow your dreams!” and “Anything is possible if you want it badly enough”.
You may also hear the “Control the controllables” philosophy, which stresses the need to clarify what is within and also outside your control. It directs us to not expend effort nor energy on things outside our control.
So how can we reconcile these philosophies, as surely “everything is controllable” if “anything is possible”? Isn’t it?
Let me say I am not cynical by nature and I passionately believe that positivity is an excellent starting point for any venture. However I want England* to win the upcoming Rugby World Cup (*substitute the nation of your choice here, I’m not trying to be provocative) but no matter how much I may want it, I do not believe that I can influence the outcome through shouting at the TV or keeping my fingers crossed when they are in front in the last ten minutes of a match. That’s just superstition.
This would appear to lean me towards more supporting the “control the controllables” philosophy.
The truth is that most of us do under estimate that which is under our control or at least, subject to our influence. If you can imagine a simple venn diagram overlapping the things you want to happen with the things you believe you control then the overlapping part is undoubtedly larger then you might think.
It is when you identify the boundary of that venn diagram overlap area and experiment with ways to push it further that you might surprise yourself with your success. In my experience even being aware of the existence of this boundary can lead to positive and surprising results.
I am not saying that I will kick the winning drop goal in the final but I’m sure there are other successes ahead for me and for Retail247 Consulting using this approach.