All in the Averages
This month we are exploring ways to recognize the power and and maximize the success of your coaching practice even in the face of your doubts, fears, and apparent obstacles that present themselves.
One of the ways we trip ourselves up is to judge ourselves, our career, or our potential on the basis of specific negative incidents. You may make a mistake, receive criticism, or lose a client, and as a result you tend to negate all the other important and powerful events and successes you achieve. This need not be.
The fascinating documentary Kings of Pastry chronicles the demanding journey of a number of world class chefs who travel to France to vie for the title of Mastery Pastry Chef, a coveted honor earned once in four years by only a handful of bakers. We see these chefs practicing and preparing for months to create elaborate pastry sculptures that boggle the mind to behold. One chef, Philippe, created an especially astounding sculpture that was more a work of art than a dessert. Finally he carried the delicate sculpture to the judge’s table for their evaluation. At the last moment, a small piece at the base broke, and the artwork fell apart, crashing to the floor in a thousand pieces. Philippe broke into tears, along with the previously stone-face judges, who had watched him create the masterpiece. It was a disastrous moment. After taking some moments to grieve his loss, Philippe returned to the kitchen to create a far more modest replacement, simply to preserve his dignity.
When the judges finally rendered the names of the few who would receive the coveted award, to everyone’s surprise, Phillip was among them. I believe this was because the judges, who had observed all the chefs in their creation process, recognized the magnificence of his sculpture before it crash, and they acknowledged his skill that overarched all of his work, not just the one piece that fell.
The Law of Attraction works not on the basis of individual events or incidents, but on the general demeanor of your energy and intention. In some Olympic contests, the judges drop out one or more of the athletes’ worst performances before calculating the score. This is a fairer way to judge than penalizing because of one error.
A friend of mine used to sell cars. One day after a big deal fell through he told his manager he felt depressed. His manager told him not to worry, since “it’s all in the averages.” The record books do not list the score at halftime.
Your coaching path depends more on your vibrational average than on single events. Keep your average high, and your results will match your theme, not its exceptions.
Here’s another outstanding film, Spinning Plates, that inspires us to move beyond adversity and keep moving to success: