Paying Attention to Detail...

Paying Attention to Detail…..

I had an AHA Moment after The Ultimate Game of Life (TUG) Laser Coaching call the other night, as it related to how I had "anchored" my thoughts around the Accountability Partner and playing the game.  I realized that long ago in Boot camp training I had failed an important Inspection just because I had inserted a towel incorrectly in to my locker...until that day I had done things to perfection, followed the rules by the letter...but in a moment of not paying attention to detail, the Drill Instructor anchored a thought in to my mind...she yelled at me that I MUST be aware of the circumstances and the detail of even minor things as the towel could be a parachute...folded correctly, but inserted in to the pack incorrectly could be the difference between it being a life or death situation. Paying Attention to Detail was/IS key in the military and is a way of functioning...it is life or death! Thursday night while Jim Bunch was working with Karen, my frustration over my own dealing with my AP grew and my frustration with what Jim was saying grew...but then while discussing this with Karen afterward I realized that this training while in the Navy worked...it didn't apply in ALL situations in my life any longer. The following the rules or playing by the rules though important, could be flexible AND it was not a life or death situation.  

I let time pass while allowing this thought kick around in my mind.  I knew that this frustration over the rules and the directions of the game truly frustrated me and my newly acquired partner in TUG crime.  We come from a generation of rule followers…in fact, that was the number one rule of sportsmen–like conduct….follow the rules, NEVER cheat and this a how to be a graceful Winner and Loser PLUS…most importantly, this  is what you do first and foremost in being a Team player.  

Being told over and over at the beginning “This is how you play…This is how you WIN…This is what you need to do to help your partner and be a Team that will WIN” and then proceed to be told not to be frustrated with our Accountability Partners over their lack of participation or following the TUG guidance/rules was quite perplexing and frustrating to two Boomer Generation women.  It just didn’t compute then…it still doesn’t really….BUT …with that said, I did begin to see that I was wasting a lot of energy on this point.  In fact, it may be habit that has been holding me back all along.  Using old training as a way to get the goal and reach my dreams may be holding me back more than helping move forward.  I have seen how the connection between the Navy inspection anchor and TUG relates to my frustration with the my assigned accountability partner, how the game is played and the scorecard.


This is how it relates:


The Inspection was an overall Squad inspection and we were told that if one person failed …we all failed the inspection, no matter if our individual locker passed.  So, when my stupid mistake of not paying attention to detail cost my whole team the inspection, I felt horrible.  Our whole squad got punished for my simple mistake, but also it was punctuated by what the Inspecting Chief yelled at me from not more than a half an inch away from my face: “Recruit that simple mistake JUST killed a man that our government spent millions of dollars training and preparing for a mission to protect your family!  Pay attention to detail!!!…next time it just might be a case of life or death!” 


Boom…she anchored this in my mind heart and spirit…I ALWAYS was beyond perfection, paying attention to every detail throughout my 12 year Navy career.  This anchor carried over in to my life as a Stay-at-Home Mom, my hobbies and relationships. Perfection and detail became a burden and emptied me of any energy, momentum or success I could have…nothing was good enough, so why even try…so I didn’t or I would only do enough till I was empty and then leave it unfinished or I just wouldn’t ever start or stall. I was defeated before I began as no one was going to die if I didn’t finish my novel or that painting…project, class.  There was no Team or someone to be accountable to except myself and I was fine…until recently when I did feel like I would die if I didn’t finish writing my books, clearing my life of clutter and expiring people and things.


Could it be that the one lesson I had learned while in the Navy was harming me, holding back, and down…blocking my way to success?


Could this lesson be the detail in the frustration over how the TUG game was or was not being played? 


Is this a belief that no longer serves me well and one I need to rework or toss?

 

I may not understand now why this part of the TUG has caused me frustration, yet I am willing to let it go as it has wasted emotion/energy...when I could pour it in to something else in the challenge...which I am doing.  THIS IS POWERFUL for me as I believe it is a negative anchor for other things also.

WoW…The Ultimate Game of Life is changing my life in ways that I never expected...I know it will raise me up and bring me to the level of success that I have want and need…the level I have been told that I am capable of all of my life. It is a WIN!!! 

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