Reader, if you want to grow do this...

I used to teach gymnastics. I would watch girls work so hard to learn a new skill only to have their overall performance decline at the meet despite nailing the new skill.

In sports this is known as the a temporary dip.

I told them the one and only sports psychology truth I knew: the dip is expected; perseverance is the key.

Now I find myself in that same situation.

I started playing pickleball in March and I am just starting to feel like I can hold my own on the court.

The key to my progress has been giving myself permission to make mistakes.

I was such a poor server at the start, but as a former volleyball player, I knew that practice leads to precision.

Since my serve was inconsistent anyway, I focused on ball placement in the corners and painting the lines.

I could have hit "safe" serves and made fewer mistakes. It's what most people do.

I chose to look less capable and now win more points on unreturned serves than my partner or opponent.

I still have occasional errors on my serve, but my precision is the envy of others.

This week I finally had a breakthrough on my dink shot (when your return lands close to the net and without much bounce).

I've had a lot of unforced errors and lost points over the last month while working on this.

Many players rely on drive shots, basically hitting the ball at your opponent as hard as you can. I don't have their power.

Instead, dinking uses speed change and angles to create tougher returns. It requires calm under pressure and paddle skills.

Net play was my natural forte from the start. However, focusing on building my kitchen game caused me to lose ground at the net for quite a while. So it's been a celebratory week for me on the court.

I'm sharing this with you, Reader, as inspiration to let go of safe, and go after more.

People have been telling me recently that I play like I have been doing so for years.

When I play with the group that I started with, I see progress in everyone, yet I have more breath of skills than most.

I still have so many more things to master like

1. Lobbing against my opponent
2. Moving back when my partner pops up the ball tto prepare for the overhead return
3. Lob returns
4. Adding spin

With each new focus I will again lose more points and increase my errors, but only for a while.

Reader, here's my questions for you.

How are you choosing to stay in your comfort zone and play the game of work less risky?

What reward might you earn for taking more risk and learning something new?

Who are you NOT allowing yourself to become because you're afraid of letting others see you be temporarily less capable?

I'm taking my lessons from the pickleball court into my work life and I invite and I invite you to join me.

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Celebrating some recent client reviews

My 5-point System applies the latest insights from neuroscience and psychology to deliver:

LONG-TERM RETENTION: Retain the best people without the added cost of perks.

COST SAVINGS: Retain institutional knowledge and reduce the expense of talent replacement.

PERFORMANCE: Full discretionary effort from employees and resilience in the face of any challenge.

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Catch Up on 'the story i'm telling myself' podcast

Give us a 5-star review and share an episode with a friend: Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music​

​Episode 1 with Karen Laos: Are You Enough? Finding your inner power

​Episode 2 with Gail Kraft: Is Your Fear of Abandonment Running the Show?

​Episode 3 with Sandra Adeyeye Bello: Am I Worth It? A question too many are afraid to answer

​Episode 4 with Leslie Minchin: Are You Busy or Just Avoiding Your Life?

​Episode 5 with Srivatsan Aravamudan: Broken, Dirty, Not Enough? The journey to self-acceptance

​Episode 6 with Vivian Blade: How Do I Say "I Lost My Job?"

​Episode 7 with Angie Redmon: Who Am I Letting Down? The hidden cost

​Episode 8 with Debbie Potts: I Refuse to Settle: Rewriting my story after a life-changing diagnosis

​Episode 9 with Tandra Price: Can I Do That? Unleashing your inner power

​Episode 10 with Ronda Berns: Am I the Prey? Overcoming fear and mastering sales

​Episode 11 with Carmen Alvarez: Can Joy and Grief Really Co-exist?

​Episode 12 with Melissa Robinson Hussain: Who Do You Want to Be? Coaching Yourself to Radical Transformation

​Episode 13 with Tiersa Hall: Is This Risk Too Big—Or Just the One You Need to Take?

​Episode 14 with Gary Spencer: Why You Should Pause Before Your Next Big Move (A Million-Dollar Lesson)

​Episode 15 with Susan LePLae Miller: Did I Abandon Myself Again?

​Episode 16 with Sharon Summerfield: I'm being undermined, now what??

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The Story I’m Telling Myself is for anyone who wants to overcome the limitations of self-doubt and live a life of purpose and fulfillment.

Through candid conversations, you'll discover:

• The hidden costs of listening to your inner critic: How fear and doubt sabotage your confidence, happiness, and success.
• Transformational strategies for silencing the negative voice: Learn how to overcome self-doubt, embrace vulnerability, and step into your true potential.
• The power of a mindset shift: Discover how changing your internal dialogue can lead to extraordinary results.

Real-life stories of courage and resilience: Gain inspiration from everyday people who overcame their negative self-talk to live a life of purpose and fulfillment.

Listen to the podcast on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music.

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