Practice…

Today, I stumbled into an insight that has been seemingly just outa reach but within my grasp all along. Most of life is like this. We work and we work some more. We practice and we practice some more. We experiment and we experiment some more. Suddenly the chemicals seem to come together and just as suddenly “its” there. It’s funny how this works. The recipe for penicillin had always been there. However, Fleming, a holiday, and a forgotten petri dish were required before we stumbled into the insight.

Today, it hit me why countless teams have made the decision to STOP practicing with their teams. Here it is. Do not miss this. This could be HUGE. Teams don’t make the decision to stop practicing. Leaders do. Leaders that don’t have a vision worth dying for. You see, it doesn’t make sense to practice unless you understand that it’s the only way to find the “damn few.” Practice, it turns out, is a gift that can only be given when the leader is sold out to their big dream. The Spartans practiced because Leonidas believed that freedom required the discipline of the agog. The SEAL’s practice because their leaders believe that elite fighting teams deserve to know that only the “damn few” will be beside them. Bk practices because he is sold out to building communities that reflect his opus. Durp practices because he believes in turning debtors into payers by building them up, not beating them down. His collection agency gets people jobs. Who practices with no end in sight? Damn few, it turns out.

The damn few.

Recently, another client gained clarity around her big dream and her eyes and voice told me that real progress is being made. And, clarity came to me. It had been there all along hiding beneath my lab reports and papers. Back from holiday and suddenly I see the petri dish and the crazy substance growing. Want more clarity, friend? Practice. Practice. Practice. And, practice some more. Clarity will come. Just not when you expect it. Keep working, if you want to be one of the few – the damn few.

Live hard. Love harder…