How many times have you arrived at an event, an AirBnB, a blind date or a new job and thought –This is not what I pictured. We anticipate, making up mental pictures of what a situation will be like. And when our reality doesn’t fit our picture, we feel disappointed, even angry.
Recently I had the pleasure of spending a day with a small group of entrepreneurs. All had successful companies and were on track for continued growth. We were moving through parts of the Live Large process and had just created their lifelines when we began the interesting conversation about life’s purpose. Should it be about building a company? Or selling a company and making a certain amount of money?
While puzzling on that, one of them told a story about the father of a well-known mogul. The man had defined his success in terms of what he would have. His picture included a private plane and a large yacht. Although he attained that picture, he subsequently committed suicide. Of course, we can’t know all the reasons – he could have had a terminal illness, a looming scandal or a financial crisis. But whatever it was, it’s not hard to imagine that one of the drivers was that his idea of success was not what he had pictured.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of mis-identifying what success or happiness looks like.
As you think about what would make you feel happy or successful, think beyond a picture. Imagine how you want to feel, then think about the characteristics of the situation that would give you that feeling. Once you are clear, you can discern what you really want so that when you get “there” you won’t have to say –This is not what I pictured.
Until next Tuesday,
Elizabeth
Speaking of pictures… Today we are launching our #LiveLarge Photo Contest!
My team and I are really excited about this photo contest – We can’t wait to see pictures of you and your copy of Live Large!
Here’s how you can enter the contest:
- Snap a pic of you and your copy of Live Large OR a photo of you “Living Large” (whatever that means to you!)
- Share the photo on social media with the following tags:
- Facebook: tag @ElizabethBCrook (business page…or personal profile if you are connected) AND/OR use #LiveLarge in your post
- Twitter: use #LiveLarge in your tweet
- LinkedIn: tag @Elizabeth B. Crook when you share your photo (you will need to be connected with Elizabeth on LinkedIn to tag her, so feel free to send an invitation to connect if you aren’t already connected on LinkedIn)
- That’s it! Last day to share your Live Large picture is Wednesday, May 31st and the winner will be announced on Thursday, June 1st.
The winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift card, and there will also be one runner-up prize of a $25 Amazon gift card.