On LinkedIn, the memes are all:
Lincoln failed at everything he ever did until he was 97. Picasso never touched a paintbrush until the sun burned out. Mona Lisa was sad and unmysterious until she turned 42. It’s not too late for you. Never give up!
Meanwhile, on Facebook, it’s all:
Einstein solved all of mathematics before he could talk. Alexander the Great conquered Mars before he could drink. By the age of 17, Queen Elizabeth I was already 35 years old. It’s too late for you, you loser!
Both are clichés, which means they’re boring and they’ve already taught you everything you can learn from them.
So it’s time for a new twist on the idea.
Let’s say you’re 28 years old and struggling to make something of your life. Should you compare yourself to Alexander the Great, then? It would seem like a bad idea to compare yourself to a man who, at your age, had spent a good decade or so conquering the world.
But it’s not such a bad idea.
If you focus on the differences between you and him, of course it’ll make you miserable. He had and achieved so much more than you.
But what if you focus on the similarities?
In what senses are you and Alexander the Great similar?
Narrow your attention onto those answers and you might just surprise yourself.
Sometimes, a quick, little shift of perspective is all you need to be happier, more optimistic, focused and more productive.
That’s why I like little tricks like this.
For everything else, it’s why I love coaching so much.
To get some real changes, sign up for a consultation call here: