Mental Models, Maps & Mirrors, Performance Psychology

What are you choosing to REMEMBER?

Remember" word in elegant cursive, white on black.

Our minds are constantly trying to remember so many trivial, uninspiring, burdensome, and administrative pieces of information, so we don’t forget what we have deemed crucial and pay the consequences. No wonder we are stressed. No wonder we are tired. No wonder we are overwhelmed.

What if we actively chose to remember, re-revisit, re-read, and remind ourselves of that which GIVES US ENERGY, centers us, and helps us to navigate our lives with purpose, ON PURPOSE?

“‘The insights in the story are often repeated, although in slightly different ways.’

Michael asked ‘Why the repetition?’

She answered, ‘Well, for me, it made it easier to remember them. And when I remembered the insights, I used them more.’

She admitted, ‘I’m reluctant to change. So, I need to hear something new often enough that, at some point, it gets past my critical distrusting mind, becomes more familiar, and touches my heart. Then it becomes a part of me.'”

Spencer Johnson, Peaks and Valleys

“What seems like repetition is, in fact, NAVIGATION.”

Daniel Coyle, Culture Code

Yesterday, I committed this to memory:

“Peaks are moments when you appreciate what you have. Valleys are moments when you long for what is missing.”

Spencer Johnson, Peaks and Valleys

Call to Action: Commit something to memory that provides you with the type of clarity that makes it easier to exhale and extract the signal from the noise. Then, make it a point to re-read, rehearse, and remind yourself of this prose, poetry, or proverb. Remember, “what seems like repetition is, in fact, NAVIGATION.”

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Drawing from my education, experience, and devotion to guiding leaders (including myself) at different stages in their journey from individual contributor to leader, I help leaders like you to develop the trust and the tools to model and enable exceptional team performance.

Jared Cohen

Leadership Coach, M.A., M.B.A.