As the purveyor of a process called, “Creating Extraordinary Futures,” you’d think I would have a clear answer on what an Extraordinary Future is.

And the short answer is, an Extraordinary Future is whatever you want it to be. Whatever looks like something you really want, but from your current perspective, doesn’t look possible.

If you want it to be your successful startup, it can be that.

If you want it to be a new direction for your business or a new role, it can be that.

But as I talk with more and more people about their Extraordinary Futures, it turns out that most want something much simpler.

Simple, yes, but not necessarily easy.

Let me know what you think!

Jeff

“I think I could actually vomit”

The other day, a client said to me, “I have never felt this overwhelmed before. I think I could actually vomit.”

We take on so much. And then we spin. We wonder what to do next. What to do first.

We panic. The amygdala, a tiny, almond-sized sliver of our brains designed to protect us from predators, is convinced we are in mortal danger. It throws us into fight or flight or freeze.

But it is only our identities that are threatened.

And the first step is simply to breathe. To calm the system down. To reset.

And to recognize the possibility that we could do more by suffering less.

Being centered as a practice

For some reason, we have convinced ourselves that the way to get things done is to be stressed and worried about them.

This is exhausting, and unproductive.

The research shows that the safer we feel, the more of our brains we have available for creativity and connection.

We are generally wired to worry. But when we take the time to meditate, or to center, or even to walk in a park, we begin to rewire our brains.

When we practice this repeatedly, we expand our capacity to go into that calm, centered state, no matter what is swirling around us.

We begin to see that it is only our thinking that is swirling. And that amazing things open up for us when our thinking clears.

What have you done today to build your capacity to manage your state? And what have you done today to help your team do the same?

More video on LinkedIn.

What do we learn through the process of doing something uncomfortable?

Jeff shoots his first impromptu unscripted LinkedIn video here.

How do we stretch ourselves and make the zone of what is possible for us larger and more comfortable?