Falling From Lack of Vision

It's just before 6:00am and I have been unexpectedly up since 4:00am.

When I realized that I wasn't going to fall back to sleep, I slowly rose up, grabbed my awaiting yoga clothes, and quietly made me way out of the room. I decided not to take the time to put in my contacts, so as not to wake my slumbering husband. 

This lack of vision turned out to be a game changer.

As I moved through my poses on the mat this morning, I wobbled and fell again and again, as I did when I was a brand new yogi. Although, I kept my gaze focused and soft, the blur around the edges kept me from really seeing. It was my lack of real vision that causing me to lose my balance.

It's common for many of us, not just in yoga, but  in life. 

It happened to me during my latter years in Seattle Public Schools, when my need to prove my worth blurred my vision of what it meant to be a leader. It has happened to me since then as well--in small everyday interactions, as well as in the larger context of running a business.

With vision and intention, I veer off course. 

Right now I am listening to the book Onward by Howard Schultz, which outlines his return as to Starbucks as CEO in 2008. Over and over again he talks about how Starbucks had lost sight of its soul--it's vision. Instead of people being its business, profit became its business, and as a result, Starbucks started to stumble and fall.  Howard Schultz main goal when taking over was to find a way to get back to the roots, while also embracing innovation in a way that honored their customers, their partners, and their shareholders. 

They needed a new vision. They needed something that people were wiling to fight for. Something more than money. 

In Doug Sundheim's book Taking Smart Risks, he outlines 5 actions that we can take that will help us shift our relationship to risk. The first one is having a SWFF--Something Worth Fighting For. Something that is worth the risk. Something that goes beyond ourselves and beyond money that can keep us anchored AND expanding at the same time. 

I didn't have that this morning, and thus I fell. 

What is your Something Worth Fighting For?

Living. Loving. Learning. Leading.