Don't judge a book by its cover.
American
proverb
It
really did happen.
On
November 4, 2008 and November 6, 2012 Barack Hussein Obama was elected to be the 44th
and 45th President of the United States of America. Challenging the historical model of
who should be a Commander-In-Chief, then Senator Obama rallied voters from all
ends of the demographic spectrum. Using social media and accompanying
technology, his campaign reached out and touched people in profound and
purposeful ways.
In
observing President Obama’s approach I was reminded of William
Shatner’s voice at the beginning of the popular Star Trek shows. As Captain
Kirk, Shatner states the mission for the crew of the Enterprise: “To boldly go where
no man has gone before.” President Obama dared the political ship with his
election— navigating it in warp drive. He stretched the bounds of his
beginning.
President
Obama put together and sealed this successful box of ambition.
Sometimes
other people will use every tool at their disposal to stuff us in a box— not
quite sure what to make of us if we don’t fit the mold of the moment. Periodically
we voluntarily seal the box – thinking there’s no way out. Judgments on our
GPS: Goals, Positions and Skills, can
often misdirect us. We may bypass a potential destination that holds an
opportunity, driving by and thinking, “That wasn’t my stop.” Or “It doesn’t fit what I thought it should
look like.”
I’ve
encountered workshop participants who find it difficult to get promoted or
enter new career fields. Pigeonholing based on someone else’s assumptions
regarding their abilities is often a factor. I encourage them to adapt a “Yes I
can!” rally to action. To be their own box-cutter when someone tries to seal
the deal on your future.
Then
I give them more alphabet soup to consider.
Write
your own SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) on how to get out of that box. You
can come through for you—so determine
when. On our journeys we travel
different times of the 24 hour cycle—each with its prompts and purposes. In the dawn we can see a new day unfold the
goal of starting. During the day we busy ourselves with tasks of the action
plan. At twilight what’s done has met the reason of the day. Darkness provides
its own special covering and sometimes we’re forced to voyage at night – to
stay on our campaign trail.
What time is best? Where am I situated? What
do I want to ship?
Using
our IPS (Internal Positioning System) will point the way.
UPS
(Uninformed People Stoppers) may try to ship us to the wrong address. I say bust out of the package and engage! Recover. Put your personal date stamp on. Reship
to a new place. Then use the marketing concept of USP—and ground your Unique
Selling Position. Square it off!
Excerpted from my motviational autobiography, Navigating Life’s
Roadways: Stories of Insight from My Odyssey and Inspiration for Your
Journey http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008FQDPYE (print and Kindle
eBook) narratives of dealing with life’s setbacks and successes
