Why leading with strategy points toward misery
This I know for sure:
We cannot strategize our way to success.
A gif of a man and a woman in a car. They’re both staring ahead with vacant expressions. The woman put her hand on the man hand lightly, emotionless.
Leading with strategy orients us toward the dominant culture's definition of success,
which cares nothing for our wellness or fulfillment
which gives zero fucks about community or diversity or equity or Earth
which offers us small kickbacks for pouring our time, money, and effort into shoring up its institutions.
When we merely strategize our way to success, we play the game as offered.
In that game, all the success strategies are designed to ensure that banks win. Corporations win. Whiteness wins. Patriarchy wins. Ableism wins.
You'll know this is true if you've ever been in a place where your life Looks Good On Paper, but feels empty and exhausting in actuality.
So what's the alternative to strategizing our way to success?
TBH, I'm still figuring that out.
I know these two key ingredients, though:
Vibes and Values.
Vibes meaning How We Feel - the energy we cultivate and emanate -
and Values meaning What Matters to Us. What we want more of in this world.
When we're orienting toward Vibes and Values, we're creating and living into our own versions of Success.
Sounds good, yeah, but let's not pretend this is easy.
It's hard to trust our own definitions of success, because they're almost always so deeply countercultural.
And it's hard to FEEL, because we're so used to being Numb and Busy.
Opting out of the dominant culture's game is scary,
and/but
much less so when we do it together.
If you would like to:
* learn to feel your way toward success,
* orient toward an approach to life & business that aligns with your values
* do so in vibrant and supportive community,
and
* get 1:1 support from me?
Come join my Big Leap Summer Project.
We begin Friday. It will change your life; it will change the game.
Do it for all of us.
love,
Natalie