I am sitting here in Atlanta with my earphones in. One ear is connected to the computer and the other to my phone. I hear chairs squeak as people pull them out, the baby is screaming. There is a low roar of many conversations as people sit and wait, while others rush with intention. Worlds are connecting… but not.
Today, I had the opportunity to participate in the Porsche driving experience. It’s fascinating to see the unexpected gifts I receive. Part of being in EO is having unique opportunities that truly support my growth journey.
This particular year has been a significant pivot point of growth. I have been on a journey that has focused on healing the electrical part of my body.
In the middle of this journey, I read 10x Is Easier Than 2x which has been an unexpected catalyst of change. In Chapter 3 of that book, I confronted with the decision of deciding what I really want and owning it. Working to figure this out has been TRANSFORMATIONAL (and short-term super painful).
The skill set of being brutally honest with ourselves is the key to unlocking what plagues us. This season has been upping that honesty in ways that I did not expect.
So, as I am deep diving into the skill of brutal honesty with myself, I look to see how I am showing up. How I show up is how I show up regardless of what I am showing up for. Having unique experiences gives me an opportunity to change the mirror of how I am looking at life… to help see what is the true reflection versus the nuances of the mirror.
I had some true reflections at Porsche. As a part of the Porsche experience, I spent my morning going through several stations and experiencing different cars in different scenarios. Each station had different coaches with different focuses. I got similar feedback at all of the stations… The reoccurring feedback was around confidence.
Confidence: The Key to Unlocking Skills
One station was designed to recreate icy roads. The coach here gave me the “map” for great driving.
- Know where you are going. I have done private military driving training and learned that one of the key skills that needs to be practiced is being intentional about where you put your eyes. It is vital to have a vision, literally and figuratively. Where your eyes go, so do you and the car.
Side Note: This is the impetus for the book I am writing on conflating ideas. For example, Pro-Peace is not the same vision as Anti-War. These are two totally different places to set your eyes. - Confidence. It makes all the difference and was what I needed to work on more than skill because what was discovered was when I relaxed in confidence, I actually had the skill. I could not access the skill if I was not confident. It was not a skill issue, it was a confidence and clarity of where I was going with the car.
- Skill. Now, the reality is that skill matters too. I practiced some different handling of the wheel depending on what I was doing, but I could access that with the nuanced needs when I relaxed.
Those three ingredients would produce “success”. I could handle the car on an icy road and keep it moving gracefully.
Trust: Lessons at the Launch Pad
A few stations later, we got to my favorite of the day. The launch pad!
Here, we had to step on the brake and gas and then let go of the brake and go as fast as we could. When I got into the electric Porsche, it was breathtaking, literally. It flew!!!!! At the end of the track, you were four cones as a stop sign. The cones counted down (3, 2, 1) before the stop sign. There was track left after the stop sign, but the goal was to be stopped when we reached the sign.
I was accompanied by a coach for the station. They are along to let you know when to slow down. As blissful as that launch was, I stopped it too soon. Why? According to the coach, I didn’t trust the car and I didn’t trust him. I relied on the cones and signs and my own judgment instead. So though great experience, it was cut short because I didn’t fully trust.
As I pondered that, it reminded me of the private military training that I had done in 2016. One afternoon we were practicing getting kidnapped and learning how to escape. I had mastered that until the last door to freedom. Instead of opening that door, I second-guessed myself and “got shot.” Not many achieved freedom that day; I would have been one of few if not at the end, I “choked.”
Then I started to think about the stop sign/end of a race. When you are training. You are not training to stop at the end of the race, you are training to plow through the end and then slow down.
My True Reflection
The reality is this is a pattern in my life. I give it my all and at the “final” moment, I slow down/lack confidence/double guess myself/self sabotage. Why do I do that?
I found the “right question” to solve.
There are multiple reasons that I am solving. AND if I heal/solve this, what would life look like?
Take time this week. Reflect on where you are not running at full throttle. Get curious. Enjoy the art of discovery.
