Dash of Courage: Gladiators in Suits

"It's Handled." - Olivia Pope

I have never been more jetlagged.

In the past 2 weeks, I spoke on 2 continents.
My jet lag solution: Gym? Cold plunge? Absolutely not. I'm not David Goggins.
It's diving into a show (a great one) and watching it all night to get back on schedule. 

The Show: Scandal
The iconic DC "fixer" Olivia Pope with her red wine and band of "Gladiators in Suits" trying to set the world straight.
Somehow I missed it 10 years ago. I made up for it now.

Creative Diversions
When I wrote my book, the question I wrestled with was "what do we do in the absence of courage". 
What are the creative diversions that keep us stuck, stalled, or spinning our wheels?

3 Things keep us Stuck
1. We Hide
"I don't know what to do"
"It's best to play it safe"

2. We Give In
"It's easier to go with the flow"
"Other people must know more than I do"

3. We Criticize
"That'll never work"
"If this is such a good idea, why hasn't anyone done it before?"

But these are Life Traps.
Or as modern psychology would call "schemas"
In their book, "Reinventing Your Life," authors Young and Klesko explain, "Schemas are deeply entrenched beliefs about ourselves and the world, learned early in life. They are central to our own sense of self. Therefore we cling to it, even when it hurts us. These beliefs provide us with a sense of predictability and certainty: they are comfortable and familiar. They are life traps that feel at home..and keep us stuck."

The opportunity is finding a new source of courage that replaces fear and self doubt.
Enter Olivia Pope.

For all of her flaws, she doesn't Hide, she doesn't Give in, and she never says That'll never work.
She says, "It's Handled"

Someone in our life has a different "schema" than we do.
They see the world in a different way.
They've had success that we haven't.
They re-imagined what's possible.
Then they got to work.
Scared. Unsure. Uncertain...Most likely
Unwavering...Absolutely.  

Dash of Courage
It's hard to succeed without help. Asking for help...that's hard. Staying stuck...that's worse. 
Our default is to stay the same and assume we can figure it out.
We can't.
But someone can.
Have a Dash of Courage to reach out to one person this week that is further along a path you want to go.
They have an insight. They have a different schema. They have an answer. 

The question is do we simply have the courage to ask.
Because when we do...It's Handled.

Courage over Comfort,
Garrett