It might be time for a Do Over...

Inspired by a podcast I was recently listening to (The School of Greatness - you need to check it out), interviewing Jon Acuff on his new book, Do Over: Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work and Never Get Stuck, I wanted to spend a little bit of time thinking out loud about this concept of a "Do Over". 

According to Acuff, a "Do Over" is those opportunities we have in our lives (some created by us, other not by choice), to recreate and reinvent our selves or our situations. It's the opportunity to get off the path you're on in order to create a new one.

How awesome is that? 

Someone really close to me is currently having their own  do over moment right now. It's a a pretty challenging experience for them and it's hard, at times to focus on the positive and the opportunity when it feels like the world is crashing down around you. I get it. I've been there too. We all have. 

Everyone of us has and will experience these do over moments. Likely more than once. Those moments and experiences can include everything from a breakup or losing a job to losing your home or, sadly, losing someone important in your life. 

They are hard moments. Absolutely. But what's important here, in order to create resilience and to grow, it to check in with yourself and really get aware of the mindset you're approaching these situations and experiences with. Carol Dweck has some awesome work on mindset and how, typically, we have either a growth or a fixed mindset. 

Those of us with growth mindsets can look at the challenges in our lives and see opportunity. A chance to learn and to grow and the get better. 

Those of us with fixed mindsets tend to look at our challenges in the negative. That these things are happening to us, rather than for us.


And that's the big point. Do over moments can be opportunities FOR us. Breaking up with that boyfriend or girlfriend might seem like the end of the world at the beginning, but it's probably because there's someone else out there much better suited for you (or because you need to spend a little bit more time getting to know yourself). Losing that job might be the Universe telling you that you're on the wrong path and that it's tired of waiting for you to make a decision, so it's going to do it for you. 

The choice really is yours. 


Because, like I often say (and truly believe): 

Awareness creates Choice. Choice creates Change. 


Keep Living Big,
Matt


Want more? Here's the episode, definitely worth listening to if you connect with it.