The Six Enemies

I came across a post by Jessica Hagy in Forbes titled “The Six Enemies of Greatness (and Happiness)” that I thought did a very good job of encapsulating the inhibitions, weaknesses, and fears so often exhibited by people I coach. Here are Jessica’s Six Enemies you should confront:

1) Availability

We often settle for what’s available, and what’s available isn’t always great. “Because it was there,” is an okay reason to climb a mountain, but not a very good reason to take a job or a free sample at the supermarket.

2) Ignorance

If we don’t know how to make something great, we simply won’t. If we don’t know that greatness is possible, we won’t bother attempting it. All too often, we literally do not know any better than good enough.

3) Committees

Nothing destroys a good idea faster than a mandatory consensus. The lowest common denominator is never a high standard.

4) Comfort

Why pursue greatness when you’ve already got 324 channels and a recliner? Pass the dip and forget about your grand designs. (Editorial: I find that this is one of the biggest barriers to people like Black Belts, Change Management professionals etcetera — they get used to a certain situation and while they tell others that they “need to change” they are unable or unwilling to take their own advice.”

5) Momentum

If you’ve been doing what you’re doing for years and it’s not-so-great, you are in a rut. Many people refer to these ruts as careers.

6) Passivity

There’s a difference between being agreeable and agreeing to everything. Trust the little internal voice that tells you, “this is a bad idea.”

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