It takes courage to call a spade a spade. If you decide to step up and get honest about what is really going on, you risk people not liking what you say, criticizing you for kicking up dirt, and becoming defensive about their own low octane game.
If you observe an addict, you will see someone who denies the problem. They prefer to keep things status quo. If you challenge the addict, they will vehemently deny that the problem exists. They will make you the problem, even though you’re trying to help them stop their addiction.
There’s a payoff for lying to oneself. You don’t need to change. Everything is perfect as it is.
Or is it?
When your status quo is challenged, it’s a confrontation. Have no doubt that it took courage to throw out the question. The confronter loved you enough to be courageous and lay the cards on the table. Pointing out that what you’re doing isn’t serving you well can elicit in you some feelings of anger, disappointment and disillusion.
Your choice is to blame the observer who courageously laid bare the truth and condemn him/her, or to cherish the truth as a priceless gift from a great friend who cares about you. If you choose the latter, you can open your heart and mind to new ways of doing things, and you can experience the rewards.
As the Dalai Lama said, “A new way of thinking has become the necessary condition for responsible living and acting. If we maintain obsolete values and beliefs, a fragmented consciousness and self-centered spirit, we will continue to hold onto outdated goals and behaviors.”
Entrepreneurs and small business owners often get into a rut, continuing to attend the same meetings or make the same connections day after day, week after week. It’s useful and healthy to revisit how your time is spent and the cost and rewards associated with it. Doing the same old thing in the same old way will produce the same old results, and may not be helping you reach your goals. It’s up to you to take off the blinders and let the sunshine in.