“It’s a leap year”, my colleague pointed out to me this week.
To most, what that means is that February’s got an extra day to balance the scores of the Gregorian calendar.
To me it felt like the perfect metaphor for the current state of my business, and it seems to deeply resonate with anyone I share it with who’s currently diving into something that feels big, meaningful, and a little risky or bold.
It also goes really well with the “I’m riding the wave” metaphor that kept emerging as I checked in with a dozen or so supervision groups at the start of the year. In order to catch a good wave, you’ve got to leap into it, lean forward, even when perhaps your instinct tells you that it may not be such a good idea. The thing with intuition is that it can be quite wrong when it comes to anything you’re doing for the first time, and doesn’t come natural to you (leaning forward to stay safe and in control when skiing or snowboarding down a steep hill is another such example. Every beginner naturally leans back at first, and they have to take the leap for their instincts to adjust).
The interesting thing was how my experience changed as soon as I connected to the Leap Year narrative. It felt like it made perfect sense. I felt relaxed all of a sudden, when earlier that day I had felt uncomfortable and anxious as to whether I’m doing the right thing.
Even though I believe it’s a mere coincidence that the scaling of the Coaching Lab and Rocket Supervision coincides with an extra day in February… relating to the pressure and risk as a “leap” really encapsulates how it was and continuous to be my choice to not just lean into it, but to, well, leap! And highlights the forward movement and adventurous spirit that come with leaping, and which I very much value.
And so I’d put it to you:
What’s your experience at the moment, in your life or in your career? And how do you make sense of it? I.e. what’s the story you’re telling yourself about what’s happening in your life at the moment. Might there be a different narrative or metaphor that would offer you a more positive outlook?
After all, we can choose how we feel to an extent that most people underestimate, simply by choosing the story we tell ourselves about what’s happening in our world – for better or for worse!
With Love
Yannick
