There Are Potholes Everywhere!

Read time: 3 minutes

This past week, I've taken on more clients than I can (probably) handle.

But it's all in the spirit of seeking discomfort.

Plus, it's always great to stack up more experience!

But besides that, I also want to "challenge" myself & my abilities to coach & work with more people than I'm accustomed to.

Getting comfortable with a certain number of clients means my potential for growth as a coach isn't as high as it could be.

So, simply adding a few extra clients has been great for my development and learning.

As I've been having these conversations with my new clients, I've noticed one common theme that I know many of you have experienced as well.

I'm talking about this insatiable need to have everything figured out.

As I dig deeper, it becomes evident that this quest for certainty is driven by a fear of

• mishaps

• mistakes & failures

• unforeseen circumstances

However, the truth is that such certainty doesn't exist.

Nothing is entirely perfect, just as nothing is entirely imperfect.

If you remember the String of Pearls theory from the film Stutz — every pearl that you add to your string (through daily actions) will have a little "turd" within it.

That turd signifies this lack of perfection.

Flipping it on its head... surrounding the turd are pearls, which you can view as all the lessons learned from the "shitty" experience.

Remember, you are in charge of taking actions daily that will add to your string.

Every pearl you add is of the same size & value — reminding you that it can be as small an action as brushing your teeth or as significant as building your business.

All it takes is one action to start.

One action!!

But, here's the thing.

As I reflected on my conversations, I noticed that this need for certainty takes away from your ability to live the true human experience.

We all will have these low & down moments.

We all experience times when we are being horrible, annoying, or rude.

Whatever it may be. It's all part of human nature.

It happens to all of us.

Therefore, whenever they do take place — do not beat yourself up about it.

Slipping up is part of the game.

It's premium data.

That we can now use to evaluate & analyze to make sure you are more inclined to catch yourself in the future (to minimize the chances of it happening again!).

It's a cycle.

The more you can "slip up", the more you data you can collect, and the more you will be able to bring it to your awareness.

Once it's in your awareness (& in your brain) — it will be hard to not notice if there is potential for it to take place again.

The important part is for you to realize that we all have these "pocket moments".

Or "Pothole Moments" as one of my clients prefers to call it.

And in fact, the latter may be a more fitting name for it.

Because as you walk through life (literally & figuratively) — you will encounter these slip-ups or potholes on your route.

Those that stay stuck down in the pothole itself are those that don't move on with rapidity.

That is, those who wallow in their mishaps.

Those that ruminate.

Those that sulk.

Like a baby would…

Instead, I invite you to be different:

1. Acknowledge the Pothole Moment.

2. Pause & reflect on how & why it took place.

3. Wash your hands with it. Do not feed it any longer.

4. Take it as an opportunity to create something new out of it.

This is how you slowly climb your way out & get back on track even stronger!

Pothole moments are inevitable, but how you respond to them is crucial.

If you want a special bonus step 5, consider journaling & writing about it at night.

This is where this premium data comes into great use. It allows you to reflect back on what happened as well as identifying potential triggers.

But here it's important to not dig yourself out.

To not bring yourself down.

You're merely reflecting. Re-collecting information. Purely for logging purposes.

Think of yourself as a scientist who's collecting information & evidence for an experiment.

Or an accountant who's doing an audit.

It just so happens that this time it's about you!

Let this Pothole Moment be a chance or a gift given to you by Life to seek out new areas for improvement & growth for your journey.

This is how you become intentional with your evolution my friends.

We all have Pothole Moments.

• They don't define you.

• They are not the whole of you.

• They are truly just part of human nature.

The sooner you can embrace & accept this, the sooner you will be able to create productive & more meaningful strides for your road ahead.

And... the quicker you'll be able to climb yourself out of the future potholes you encounter.

Thanks for reading!

Much love,

Julian

PS. If you're still unclear on Pothole Moments & how they work... I invite you to listen to the following audio taken from my latest Audio Experience:

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