And what would you be free to do if you stopped defending it?
I want to suggest that there is nothing that you think you need to defend that is actually real. That even your own sense of identity is just a series of thoughts that come and go.
This might feel deep, or esoteric, but it turns out to be incredibly useful.
A CEO client of mine and I did an experiment this week. We looked for this identity that we spend so much time defending and making look good.
We tried to find what we call “I.” In our arms, our legs, our heads, in whatever is looking out of our eyes.
I have a ton of thoughts about this thing I call Jeff, that I assume is in charge, that I want to succeed.
But when I stop and look for “Jeff,” I can’t find him anywhere.
If that sounds ridiculous, try it for yourself.
Why does this matter?
When we get out of our own way, what we do seems to have both more ease and more purpose.
When we can’t find the entity we think is running the show, we spend less time worrying about and defending that entity.
And yet the show seems to go on, even better than before, as a deeper purpose emerges.
What have you been defending? What could you get done if you realized it isn’t real?
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