You’re Not Crazy – Right? Cast the Vote that Counts
With November just around the corner, local elections are starting to heat up in the USA. Can you imagine this scenario: You’ve decided to run for election to public office. You campaign tirelessly to win. And then on election day, you step into the booth and vote against yourself!
That’s crazy, isn’t it? Yet, consider the possibility that countless people are working tirelessly to get ahead – yet, they ultimately vote against themselves! Here’s an example:
At a recent session the simulated “competition” was intense. A participant, Mary, was deciding who amongst her peers had best delivered on the criteria – that would determine who would receive her vote. After much consideration she raised both hands and triumphantly announced her decision: “I vote for myself!”
While the room erupted in laughter, no one missed the important message: Mary was right. She should vote for herself because she, like the rest of us, is in a world that encourages us to vote against ourselves. And when we do that, we guarantee we lose.
Focus
Due to a detrimental focus, the vast majority of people around you – including entire work teams – spend their day “voting against themselves” with such thoughts as,
- “I’m never going to get this all done.”
- “This is too difficult.”
- “We don’t stand a chance…”
- “Why can’t I get this right?”
- “What are we doing wrong?”
Of course, because we all go towards our focus, our thoughts – our votes – become an i
Challenge
Have you been “voting for yourself”? For the rest of this week take this challenge: Whenever it is election time – whenever you find yourself casting judgment on you or the circumstances in your life – choose to vote for yourself. Choose to believe that you have what it takes to succeed and shift to focusing forward.
And then observe what happens at the end of the day when the results of the election come in.
