Thursday, March 08, 2007

How FAR would you GO to Play Big?

I thought today about a tattered note from TUT I have on my bulletin board that says:

"The difference between baby steps and playing small is one prepares you for success, the other for a fall."

And it occurred to me that I might just be playing a little bit too small.

Playing small might be compared to playing it safe, staying in the comfort zone, not rocking the boat. Listening to those voices in our heads that tell us "Don't stand out. Don't draw attention to yourself. Go along to get along."

Many of us have been raised to play by the rules. I remember several occasions in my life where I was compelled to ask a question or to challenge the status quo even though it went against my upbringing which said "play by the rules." I couldn't help it. It's just who I am. It felt much better to me to ask the questions than to suppress them and go along with the crowd.

My very BEING asks questions. Wants to know why we do things the way we do them. How we can do them better. What is working - what isn't working - so I can do more of what does work and less of what doesn't work, and support my clients in the same ways.

The purpose is not to stir things up just to stir them up. My dream is that whenever I ask the question "How is it working?" the answer will always be "It's working perfectly" because that means we've discovered what works - and then can move on to areas that aren't working as well as we'd like. Eventually we see that everything is working - and all is well in the world.

I Know (I capitalize that because it comes from someplace deep inside of me that is beyond what I know from reading about it) that who I am is someone who asks questions - who invites dialogue - and I don't think I've tapped into that genius in a way that will change the world (how's that for playing big?).

So I'm wondering if there are others here who might be interested in supporting each other in elevating the playing field so we can all have a greater impact by tapping into our individual and collective genius. How might we impact our businesses, governments, churches and schools in asking more and better questions so we can discover the answers we already Know but just forgot?

How about creating a Summit for Bigger Small Talk here in Fargo? How FAR would you GO to create bigger small talk? What could you take back to your organization and your life to change your world? Fargo is beautiful in the summer - just ask Lisa Haneberg when she gets back from her motorcycle tour! Let me know if you'd like to be on a planning committee for this event. How fun to collaborate with my blog family!

Let's create some bigger small talk - and bigger results!

6 Comments:

At 5:29 PM, Blogger David Zinger said...

I like your play on FAR GO. I just have to head south from Winnipeg. I would be interested in being in the loop on this. I am teaching for the University of Manitoba in July and may be away for holidays for a big chunk of August. Let me know about dates or time.
David

 
At 9:31 PM, Blogger Jodee Bock said...

David:

Right now it's wide open. I'm gone for 2 weeks in June and Lisa Haneberg is here in Fargo June 19 & 20 - so maybe that last week of June. How would that work into your schedule? I just threw this out today to see who would respond - so if you want to play, let's create something! It will be GREAT to meet you!!!

 
At 10:58 PM, Blogger "ME" Liz Strauss said...

Hmmm how interesting this could get!

 
At 9:21 AM, Blogger whatswithinu said...

Jodee, what a great idea! While I may not be able to join you in Fargo, I would love to support this wonderful idea. Well done!

 
At 10:54 AM, Blogger Jodee Bock said...

Pam & Liz:

If this really comes to fruition, we will needs lots of PR; so whether you can be here in person or not, there will be "assignments" for everyone who wants to play!

Stay tuned ....

 
At 9:53 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Jodee - Your opening comments describe me quite a bit - this tendency to play small and in the background, while this inner part of me often finds herself playing devil's advocate with questions and opinions that demand to be aired. It's a strange ambivalence I have found myself in for most of my life. Hearing someone else articulate this, as you did, makes me feel less wierd about it. Thanks!

 

Post a Comment

<< Home