Subtracting From Your Substance - Grasshopper

Have you ever noticed that many ads appeal to your sense of lack? The writers of these ads know that you think you’re missing something.

They prey upon the mindset of “when I get this, then I’ll be complete.”

 

But this isn’t about them; this is about you. They’re paid to make you feel insufficient; you’re not. You do it free of charge and it’s worth what you pay for it.

 

You arrived as a complete package and have been conditioned away from it. There is a story that teachers tell that goes something like this: Ask a group of preschoolers who’s the best artist in the group and most hands go up. Ask the same question to a class of second graders and witness the lack of hands.

 

What happened? We were conditioned away from our completeness, and that conditioning continues to grow and keeps us tethered to limiting thoughts and behaviors, often for a lifetime.

 

Yes, you may lack the skills to create what you want, but did you notice, there always seems to be a workaround? Where I grew up, they called it “Yankee Ingenuity.” My dad was a builder. His name was Jack. He built everything from kitchen cabinets to skyscrapers. Sad to say, I did not absorb his skillset. But when I do attempt to do something outside my wheelhouse and it goes awry, after I use my Navy language and calm down, I ask myself this: WWJD? ?" What Would Jack Do?

 

I find that my internal resources kick in and I find a way to get it done. I will admit that most often that “way” is picking up the phone and calling someone else who’s proficient.

 

You don’t lack anything. You are a cauldron of creativity. And to tap into your reservoir of resources, you have to continually interrupt your train of thought that declares that you’re not complete.

 

The Grasshopper reminded us long ago: “Focus will take you farther than your talent.”

 

Get your focus back on your inexhaustible substance and find out that the only thing lacking is the ad that says you’re incomplete.

 

All the best,