What's in your Guidance System?
Everything in our lives is ultimately guided by something.
The guidance of our parents, teachers, employers, peers, mentors and leaders is easily seen in the life-walk each of us have so far journeyed.
Our external guidance system includes the laws of our land, including our own individual rights and freedoms. This blends with our internal guidance system.
Our internal guidance system is a mix of life experience, relationships and purpose that quite frankly, can be ordinary or extraordinary.
In this season of Covid-19 we have been impacted by an unseen guidance system that has destabilized the ones we currently have established. We have all experienced some level of fragmentation to our emotional regulation. This fragmentation is due to the forced changes to our external system; isolation, testing and social distancing. As a result, our internal guidance system has become less stable as anxiety, fear, depression, and loneliness knock on the door.
Emotional regulation is the ability to exert influence over one's own emotional state. It may involve behaviors such as rethinking a challenging situation to reduce anger or anxiety, hiding visible signs of sadness or fear, or focusing on reasons to feel happy and calm. When left to its own devices, fragmented emotional regulation will pull us off course, perhaps back into a past behavioral practice that we had left behind (addiction), or become a weight that emotionally, physically and spiritually drains us.
For me at times, it has felt like being in a small boat on a choppy sea. At other times I have been above the turmoil with clear vision and direction, but all the while standing on an emotional balance board with my mind, body and spirit constantly engaged. This season has been a world changer and quite frankly I can’t imagine going through it without being intentional with my guidance system.
For me there is a very simple difference between an ordinary and extraordinary guidance system. An ordinary guidance system is informed by fear and lead by circumstances. An extraordinary guidance system is informed by belief and leads by influence.
Ordinary Guidance is about believing what I cannot see will come to pass through fear. For example, I hope I don’t get Covid-19; I hope I don’t die.
Extraordinary Guidance is about believing what I cannot see will come to pass through faith. It’s about focusing on opportunities, what is possible, and what can I control, rather than what I can’t.
Interesting how these two have the same source; it’s where I place my belief. I have found that we all ask ourselves 3 questions at different stages of our lives:
What’s my purpose; what am I here for?
Who am I to be in relationship with; who is part of my crew?
Why are the first two questions so difficult to answer?
Our answer to those first two questions have probably changed for many of us during this global time out; how we look at the meaning of our lives and invest in the relationships most important to us. How we answer that third question will be directly impacted by our choice of an ordinary or extraordinary guidance system.
So, let me ask you a question. What’s in your guidance system, ordinary or extraordinary?
Let’s close with another question; “If you were to go after an extraordinary guidance system what would need to change and how would you know it’s working?”
I think there are 2 important things that must be present for either yourself or your organization when developing an extraordinary guidance system. The first is what is your vision? What is the desired future you are pursuing? Secondly, how will you define success? The kind that matters to your vision and values. Once you are able to answer these questions, then it is important to direct your focus towards what is possible and the things you can control in these areas, rather than letting fear (of uncertainty, lack of resources, incompetence etc.) be your driver.
If you have read this far then I am going to go ahead and hazard a guess that you have a passion to be an influential leader; giving someone something they didn’t even know they needed or wanted but once they have it they can’t imagine living without it but also can’t wait to give it away.
I think Trevor McNevan, lead singer of Thousand Foot Krutch, said it best in one of their hit songs; Let the Sparks Fly!
As influential leaders we can help others find their spark and together let the sparks fly!
For those leaders who are serious about growth and making a positive impact in their spheres and would like some help with that, you can reach out to Michael Walker for a complimentary 45minute coaching conversation. You can reach Coach Mike at michael@capstonecoaching.ca We look forward to helping you achieve your desired success!
