After several devastating losses, the basketball team’s big win Saturday was attributed to their star scorer not “being in his own head too much.” The athlete went on to say, “With the confidence that the coaching staff and my teammates instilled in me, I was able to come out here with a fresh mind.” Isn’t that how it is with each of us? If we are "stuck" in heads, we are not free to perform to the best of our abilities.
What does it mean to “be stuck in your head?” It’s a colloquialism meaning to be lost in one’s own thoughts, not present, often worrying, judging (oneself or others), sometimes ruminating. What the athlete alluded to is once he believed that he possessed the talent and skill that his coaches and teammates asserted, his mindset changed. He was freed up to be present and rest in the notion that he was enough. He was unencumbered to get the job done!
Sometimes I, too, get stuck in my head. I have to check myself and ask if my strengths are off-kilter. This is when one strength is amplified, which for me is often WOO. WOO (an acronym for Win Others Over) is a talent in the CliftonStrengths Influencing Domain and it can get so caught up trying to influence others that I miss the needs of others. Triggered by my insecurities of not being enough, my WOO volume can get turned up so loud that my other strengths get “drowned out“ or diminished. Being off-balance renders all my gifts and talents much less effective. But, when I re-focus my strengths, I am able to get out of my head and consider other's needs (another of my top strengths is a relationship-building talent, Individualization, which for me is a natural counter-balance to WOO’s need to influence). The result is my strengths play out more balanced and harmonious.
What talent do you have that tends to get dialed up? What triggers it? What complementary strength do you possess that may help you quickly recover and regain balance?
For more on getting out of your head, check out this 2014 Forbes article that remains relevant today.
Potentia Coaches facilitates coaching so that you will be less stuck, more effective, and quickly driving for the win!
