Lots of really smart people make terrible decisions.
How is it that a smart person can make a decision that causes them to gradually, or quickly, ruin their lives?
The answer is simple: They lack WISDOM.
Instead of being consumed by the success metrics of Money and Power, we need to recognize what we're REALLY seeking -- something more genuine, meaningful and fulfilling. Something closer to connection and love.
In THRIVE, Arianna Huffington says that in order to even start to have wisdom, we have to start disconnecting from external devices -- like social media or gadgets -- and start reconnecting with ourselves. We need to stop limiting ourselves to society's definition of success if we want to tap into our inner wisdom and redefine success.
In the book, Arianna gives the example of Icarus. Icarus was a Greek mythological figure who had wax wings and flew too close to the sun. He ignored the warnings of others and ended up plunging to his death and into the ocean. He had hubris, which, as Christopher Booker, author of The Seven Basic Plots points out, "defies the supreme law of balance and proportion which governs everything in the universe, and the inter-relatedness of all its parts."
Arianna goes on to state that, just like Icarus, we've been defying our true nature, and we're burning out.
When we realize that every misfortune, loss, joy and surprise is a teacher in life's classroom, we can begin to have a foundation for wisdom.
We need, now more than ever, to take a bigger view of the world and not be so self-absorbed.
So, how do we do this?
One of the things we ask ourselves in my Genius Network -- which is the highest level network for industry transformers -- is "What do you need to stop doing?" There are things you're doing right now that you could let go of. These are activities that could be draining you of energy, and they could be affecting the people around you, too. Having the wisdom to know what those things are and then letting them go could have a huge impact in your life and the lives of those around you.
All of this also allows you to stay in what Dan Sullivan, founder of Strategic Coach, calls your "Unique Ability.™" Your Unique Ability™ is the activity that give you energy and doesn't drain energy. It's those activities where you're most passionate, that make you feel like you want to be a hero to someone. You always feel confident in your Unique Ability™, and you can get closer and closer to living 100% of the time in your Unique Ability™ if you stop doing all those activities which are NOT your Unique Ability™.
In THRIVE, Arianna suggests two more action steps you can take to have more wisdom. These two action steps have made the biggest difference in Arianna's life, and they can be a game-changer for you too. I really encourage you to get Arianna's book here.
In the next article, I'm going to share something about Pillar #3 of the Third Metric.