April 24, 2019 | Tagged Leadership,
LEAD A SIGNIFICANT LIFE
How do you define a life of significance?
Before you can lead a significant life, you need to define significance. If you define significance as external success, power and prestige, this article is not for you. If you define significance as living a meaningful life, then this article is for you. At NBC Basketball we are interested living a significant life by creating experiences and encounters where meaning happens. Think of what brings meaning to your life. How would you define the most meaningful moments of your life?
Here are a few ways to live a significant life:
Focus on the small.
Most people over-focus on the big dream and only strive for the lifetime magical moment. Instead, focus on making the small moments in life meaningful. Find ways to encourage someone through a quick note of thanks, text something loving to a friend, or help out your brother or sister with more of an attitude of kindness. Find as much joy in a day at practice as the big games. Your “right here, right now” mentally in the small aspects of life will prepare you for the times of big significance.
Eliminate FOMO.
People with FOMO (fear of missing out) are addicted to their social media. The stronger your FOMO the greater the devastating impact on your success. Those with higher levels of FOMO had lower levels of concentration, decreased excellence in tasks, poorer grades, and interrupted or compromised sleep and higher levels of anxiety. FOMO is a result of significance coming from continuous validation and needing significance from our social interactions and peer relationships.
Eliminate Catastrophizing.
Catastrophizing is the tendency to assume that a terrible scenario is going to happen. Shame-based thinking heightens our tendency to catastrophize. A person who struggles with internal significance will place their worth on achievements and looking perfect which heightens the need for control and self-protection. A person doesn’t return a text so he is angry at you. The coach didn’t encourage you in practice so your season is ruined. Your family member didn’t answer when you called so she is in an accident. You eliminate this habit by disciplining your mind to avoid jumping to conclusions, especially fearful or catastrophic ones.
Eliminate Comparison
With number of likes on Instagram, comparison can lead to an externally focused life. When our lives are wrapped around tangibles such as wealth, popularity, influence or awards, the drive for bigger, better and more can become insatiable. However, when our significance is found in merely expressing gratitude for this life or thankfulness for the gift of the next breath, then we can quit seeing others as stepping stones. We can stop using the next moment as the one to exploit but instead fully live.
Get Your Eyes Off Yourself.
“Whether you try too hard to fit in or you try too hard to stand out, it is of equal consequence: you exhaust your significance.” Significance comes when our eyes are off ourselves. At your next group meeting or social event, instead of finding ways to tell stories of your personal success and convince others of your life significance, find ways to genuinely honor the life of others in the group by listening to stories about what has influenced them, what has brought them joy, what are some challenges they have overcome. By focusing on intrinsic ideas rather than external displays of success, your conversation will have significance and you will leave feeling fulfilled.
Let Go of the Roadmap
If you have to script your day and only a perfect accomplishment of every minute feels good to you then you are in for a rough awakening. Life doesn’t go smoothly and not every minute (as diligently as we may plan) goes well. Living a life of significance means letting go of your attempts at control and choosing to see every situation as a possibility for God to work and to do amazing things. Give your hardest challenge to God and ask Him to make something significant. Wait patiently and see what happens.
About NBC Basketball
NBC Basketball is committed to the work of becoming our best on and off the court. This requires fearless self inventory and the will to live from the inside out not the outside in. Success for NBC Basketball is based on the development of the intrinsic qualities of mental toughness, gratitude, hope, fortitude, etc and not primarily on external successes such as awards, accolades and fame. NBC Basketball values living a life of meaning and service to others. For more information about NBC Basketball visit www.nbccamps.com/basketball