Do something you are not good at. Expand your horizons.
I am a member of an entrepreneurs group that constantly challenges me to grow; it’s one of the reasons I stay with the group. A couple of years ago, another member of the group and good friend told me that he writes a weekly motivational message to his staff. I thought to myself: “Great idea. I should do that too.” Only one problem—I am horrible at writing. Writing was my limitation, at least it was mentally for me. But I liked the idea and I wanted to grow and motivate my team, personally and professionally. So, I began writing. To date I have written 65(ish) FFfTs—that’s over one year’s worth!
The end of the year is a great time to reflect and see what you have accomplished and a great time to plan for 2017.
FFfT started as a way for me to encourage my team to learn new things, see things differently; basically, expand their horizons. The side effect has been that over the weeks I have gotten better at writing. At least that’s what some subscribers of the blog tell me. I still believe I have a ways to go, but I am getting better, I am learning a lot, and I am seeing many different perspectives. So, what started out as me trying to expand the minds and behaviors of my team, has lead me to learn and expand my own. By asking me to continue the weekly FFfTs, they challenge me to stay outside my comfort zone and do something I am not good at so that I can become better. Thank you!
“Your entire universe is in your mind and nowhere else. To expand the universe, expand your mind.” —Deepak Chopra
What are you doing to expand your horizons… besides reading my FFfT?
Have a great weekend.
—Vijay
About Friday Food for Thought (FFfT)
I frequently attend conferences and retreats on entrepreneurship and leadership and while I am away, the J2 team picks up the slack, allowing me to learn to be better at what I do. I wanted to share what I was learning with my team, so I created the weekly FFfT emails in November of 2015 and have been writing them ever since.
Before long, the J2 staff began sharing the FFfT emails with their friends and family and now other leaders have asked to be included, which led to the creation of this newsletter. I hope you enjoy!