What are you under-correcting for?
Here’s a really common pattern I see among people.
They have one thing they’re always worried about.
They’re worried that they’re not consistent enough.
They’re worried that they haven’t done enough.
They’re worried that they’re taking up too much space.
They’re worried that they’re not qualified for what they’re doing.
This worry pops up again and again in every situation they’re in.
And they can start to feel like this is their chronic problem.
This is their Big Character Flaw that they need to work on every day. This is their Lifetime Quest, to finally be consistent or do enough or be small enough or be qualified.
But often times, here’s what’s really happening…
It’s actually NOT their big, central character flaw.
It’s just that they’re systematically OVER-defending one side of their fort and UNDER-defending the other side.
If you’re always worried that you’re not consistent enough…
That means you have a lot of guardrails in place around consistency.
You’re very aware of any time that you slip up or miss something.
That side of your fort is VERY well-defended.
But the other side of your fort is probably UNDER-defended.
The flip side of consistency is adaptability.
Consistency is about continuing to do what you said you’d do, no matter what.
Adaptability is about taking in the latest data and adjusting your plan and NOT doing what you said you’d do because things have changed.
And chances are that if you’re constantly worried about not being consistent enough and trying to be MORE consistent…
You are NOT asking yourself:
Am I being adaptable enough?
Am I changing my plans as quickly as I should, based on the latest data?
Where am I too slow to quit things? Where am I too slow to pivot?
That side of your fort is undefended.
If you’re always worried that you haven’t done enough…
That means you have a lot of guardrails in place around doing enough.
You’re very aware of any time that you could have done more, or all the ways you could go above and beyond.
That side of your fort is VERY well-defended.
But the other side of your fort is probably UNDER-defended.
The flip side of doing enough is efficiency.
Doing enough is about constantly asking: What more could they need? What more can I do? What else would be helpful?
Efficiency is about asking: What’s the least I need to do? Where am I doing too much for too little payoff?
And chances are that if you’re constantly worried about not doing enough and trying to do MORE…
You are NOT asking yourself:
Am I being efficient enough?
Where can I do LESS?
Am I targeting my effort in the most effective places, and am I being disciplined about NOT wasting my time on low-ROI tasks?
That side of your fort is undefended.
So I want you to ask yourself:
What are you always worried about?
And what if that’s NOT your chronic problem to solve?
What if that side of your fort is actually OVER-defended and you have more than enough guardrails in place already?
And what if your real work is to actually to ask the opposite question and go defend the other side of the fort?
To stop asking “How can I be more consistent?” and start asking “Am I being adaptable enough?”
To stop asking “Have I done enough?” and start asking “Where can I do less?”
To stop asking “Did I take up too much space?” and start asking “Did I take up enough space?”
To stop asking “Am I qualified?” and start asking “Am I being recognized for everything I bring to the table?”
If you’ve spent your whole life worrying about it, relax.
Your brain and your personality and your entire value system will never let you cross the line in that direction. You couldn’t do it if you tried.
And the real thing you need to worry about is how you might be going too far in the other direction.
And let me tell you, I know from experience that this is easier said than done.
For many people, this isn’t a switch that you flip — it’s a habit you slowly retrain.
It’s like learning to write with your left hand after being right-handed for your whole life.
Except not only are you forming a new habit, but your brain is screaming at you that this is dangerous and someone is going to overrun your fort TODAY if you dare to take your eyes off that over-defended side for even one second.
But here’s the payoff if you can do this work:
You will spend more time in flow. Self-criticism kills flow. Self-trust and seeing the wisdom in your own signals lets flow flourish.
You will see that your so-called weaknesses are actually your superpowers. Instead of constantly trying to fix and correct yourself, you can lean into who you really are.
You will build a life and a career you love — one that is custom-tailored for YOU. Because when you’re in flow and playing to your strengths, you can’t do anything else.
Come talk to me today, and let’s lay out a plan for making this happen.
What my clients have to say…
“Trust the process and within a few sessions, you'll see results. This is not something where you have to wait six months or a year before you expect to start feeling better. It happens pretty quickly.”
—Client | Head of Business Development at MedTech Company
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