Last week I talked about what separates the merely mediocre from the truly magnificent, in The Difference Between Average and Amazing.
This week I want to talk about lobsters.
Lobster is tasty, right, but that’s not what I want to talk about.
Did you know that a lobster’s shell does not grow with the lobster?
No, it doesn’t. It’s fixed, it’s hard, it’s rigid. But inside the shell the lobster’s body grows; it’s soft, squishy and fragile.
When the lobster’s body fills up the shell, it creates pressure and makes the lobster uncomfortable, but the shell does not grow, no.
The lobster finds a safe place under a large rock, sheds its shell and regrows a whole new shell.
This happens repeatedly, over and over again throughout the lobster’s life.
For the lobster to grow, it first has to become uncomfortable, embrace the change and then experience the change.
What would happen if the lobster was coddled, sheltered or medicated when it complained of being uncomfortable?
It would ignore or repress the pain, would not shed its shell and would not grow any further.
This the perfect analogy for how we grow as people.
Good parents make us uncomfortable as they teach us to be responsible, good people.
Good teachers make us uncomfortable as they teach us the fundamentals of our education.
Great friends make us uncomfortable as we learn humility, respect and forgiveness.
And, great managers push us to our limits, challenge us and know that when we are comfortable, we are capable of more.
If you find yourself in a rut, doing the same thing day in and day out, you should ask yourself, are you stuck in your comfort zone?
Your comfort zone can be tricky. You may be good at what you are doing, you may like it, but if it’s too easy, not challenging and not dynamic, it may lull you into a false sense of security.
Remember, there is no such thing as status quo, either you are growing or dying, getting better or getting worse, improving or declining.
If you are stuck in your comfort zone, the only way out of it, is through it. You should push yourself to the edge of your comfort zone, get uncomfortable and grow out of it.
Remember, when the lobster feels uncomfortable, it finds a safe place to shed its shell and grow another one, because it is most vulnerable.
And the same applies to you. When you feel uncomfortable, you will be vulnerable. You will be uncertain, you may not believe in yourself, you may not think the next step is possible, you may not know how to accomplish your goal, like the lobster you need a safe place.
Your safe place lies with an experienced guide, someone that has the knowledge, an advisor, a mentor.
A good mentor will believe in you, until you believe in yourself. He will give you certainty in times of uncertainty. And, he will guide you on your path, so you can always see the next step.
You should grow through the uncomfortable phases of life, that’s how you get better.
You should Grow Like a Lobster!!!
Stay tuned next week as we continue to discuss the interesting world of spray foam insulation.
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