“A man’s pride can be his downfall, and he needs to learn when to turn to others for support and guidance.” Bear Grylis.
During these last school holidays we took our boys to the Gold Coast and the stand out day was unsurprisingly Wet N Wild.
It was a day full of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ as we eyed up each ride, but for me, it was also one of inflection points. On the very first slide, after an hour of queuing, I had a freeze at the top of the first water slide. I fought the adrenalin but I lost and ended up doing the walk of shame back down the stairs.
“Why didn’t you do it?” my boys asked me. Good question. If it hadn’t been for them desperate to get to the next slide, I could feel myself about to get lost in an irrational mini mid-life crisis about how much I’d lost my sense of adventure.
I realised I needed to ask for a nudge if I was going to enjoy the rest of the rides.
How often do we avoid turning to someone for that nudge at moments that could help us step or leap out of the comfort zone that quietly gets moulded around us as we settle into the predictable routines of life?
How often do we also avoid nudging people at work? We can prefer to assume they are not capable or interested in stepping out of their comfort zone. We can also prefer to step in and rescue them, to save them or us that uncomfortable stage of near achievement, as Liz Wiseman discusses in her book Multipliers.
Choosing the route of self preservation can be easier than confronting ourselves with our doubts or fears. I got to restore my pride on the Black Hole, and the day went full circle when my 5 year old had his own amygdala hijack at the Tornado and needed a big nudge.
Keep an eye out for those nudge opportunities – they’re all around us, and can make all the difference.