The Power of Identity

Hi, it’s that time of the week for our Heroic wisdom.

First though, I again have to send out a HUGE Congratulations to the Boys Soccer team for finishing the season in the Championship match. Even though we did not pull off the win, it is a great accomplishment for the team. Win or learn. 

Now it is time to learn.

Part of what got the team to that point was that we KNEW our identity since September 10th, we KNEW what actions we had to take to live up to that identity, and we KNEW the virtues we had to embody in order to get us to that final match. 

A little background on it all, back in june we worked on our individual identities and talked about them throughout the summer. This offseason work by individuals proved to be priceless, and we will continue discussing this idea…think 1% better each day. Thank you, Brian Cain! (read the PN on One Percent Better) 

BUT…then the season rolled out and we found ourselves 3-0. But one of those games was far from our best.

Then the next game was also not our best, which we pulled off a tie in the final minutes. PHEW…😬

 After a lot of reflection on what was happening, we knew we would not reach our goals if we continued down that path. 

We then had a mini-workshop…this time it was focused on our identity as a TEAM. Who were we? Who did we want to be? 

We wanted to be DIII State Champions… so that became our TEAM identity on 9/10. 

And we never looked back. 

That’s our wisdom for today. We are a rudderless sailboat without an identity. 

We ALL need to KNOW our identity. 

Who do we want to be? How do we want to be remembered? 

And then never look back by embodying the virtues that our identity requires of us and taking the action necessary to live up to that identity. 

Talk soon!

#2 - The Verb Balancing

Hi, it's Theo with your weekly dose of Heroic wisdom. 

This week I have to start with a HUGE shout out to the Boys Soccer team, who overcame a 1-0 deficit and won 2-1! WOW! 🔥🔥🔥

They advanced to the Championship match on Sat. 11/8 at Bedford HS with kickoff at 5:15 pm. Hope to see you all there!

I also have to pull our Heroic wisdom for this week from that match. 

We have been talking as a team all season about the ability to get back in balance. Needless to say, we have been thrown off balance many times. It is expected. 

Before the game last night, the team knew that it would happen again. 

SO…when the other team scored at the beginning of the second half, did they panic? Nope. Did they yell at each other? Nope.

They came together as a team, flipped-the-switch, and said “WE GOT THIS!” Then they got back to work.

We ALL have to remember that we will get knocked down and things will NOT go easy for us…think P.U.C. (Pain, Uncertainty, and Constant hard work)...again from Phil Stutz. Or my favorite P.U.H.

What we have to do is get back in balance…as quickly as possible. 

In The Book of Understanding, Oshho explains that we need to think of it as a verb and not a noun - balancing not balance. 

Life is a constant balancing act. We may strive to get balanced and be comfortable. But just like the game last night, life will forever go back and forth.

And, even better, we get stronger from getting knocked down, which we have also done throughout the season. That’s what it means to be ANTIFRAGILE. 

That’s our wisdom for the week. 

WHEN you feel unbalanced, flip-the-switch, say “I got this,” and take action. That is how we get from where we are to where we WANT to be.

Talk soon!

#1 - The Fear Paradox

My in-laws were in town last night for the soccer game...which was a great team effort by the boys! Let's GOOO!

Anyway, the in-laws were asking me about Heroic and how the tools can help anyone at any age find direction and clarity, which they said is just about every human ever...

I reflected on that and said I really can't imagine where I would be if I had started Heroic in high school or even sooner. The idea of closing the gap from where I am to where I could be...just by getting out of my comfort zone and hitting my targets?!?!?!

Then I reflected on that idea and realized it is a paradox...

We don't leave our comfort zone BECAUSE of fear, anxiety, discomfort...

We have fear, anxiety, discomfort because we don't do what we KNOW is important for our future self. 

Think W.I.N. (What's Important Now), which builds intense trust in ourselves - where our confidence comes from. 

And the reverse indicators we talked about during the workshop. A gem from Phil Stutz where he says - use the icky moments as green lights to move forward.

We need to say - "BRING IT ON!" with a little smile. 

IF we can do this, we can close the gap and reach our potential. 

Talking about potential, I always share the wisdom from Anders Ericsson in Peak. He tells us...

"[Our] upper limits are unknown and unknowable."

We can only keep moving forward in order to close the gap.

Wow...if only I had all that wisdom in high school.

So what might you say next time you are feeling a bit icky?

Talk soon!