Integrate!

Wouldn't it be nice if life came with hints? If the dots in the big picture all came with numbers to tell you that they definitely fit and how to move from one to the next? © Can Stock Photo / bradcalkins I just finished reading The CEO Next Door  and what jumped out at me was the phrase "connect the dots." It's a sample of language that is so clear and simple we often skip over the complex situation it describes. CEOs need to 'connect the dots.' So do you. And here's the catch, whether you're an intern or a CEO: your dots don't come with instructions. Here's what will help when you are trying to make sense of what seems like random information: Know that your brain doesn't do random. It connects information to existing information, usually guided by priorities like intention (what you want) and safety. Most of the time, this works. It helps you understand complicated situations quickly. But you do it by seeing what you expect...

What would you say if you met your past self for a coffee? Of course it would depend on which past self you chose to meet. Perhaps you would chat like old friends and perhaps the conversation would be a little guarded, a little judgemental. How do you feel about the connection you have to the person you were five years ago? This is me five years ago, reading one of the very first copies of the first printing of my first book. I was really excited. I thought that finally finishing a book would change everything. But it didn't seem to make much difference. The business didn't grow. A few people loved what I had written, but for the most part, life chugged along with the same ups and downs. Like any dream that doesn't quite live up to our hopes, this one stung a little. I kept meaning to go back and rewrite the book for publication and I kept putting it off. Reading it was hard and I had a lot to do that felt more forward-thinking and more productive. So I kept do...

If I asked you if you like being lost, you would probably say no. Lost is one of those words with a built in set of feelings and "like" is not part of the set. If I asked you to tell me about a time you got lost, your story might tell me something different. It might tell me that you like to explore, that you enjoy being on your own and self-reliant, or that you are excited by new possibilities.  We would probably laugh, especially if the story was about a time when you were scared. Our fears often make us laugh, after they have passed. If I listened to your story about being lost, I'd have a very good idea of what it would be like to work with you through a new challenge. I'd know how likely you would be to cross edges, shake up patterns, or strategize through a situation with no clear paths.