Sometimes the Right Flow is Backwards ⏪

Author

Damon Brown
October 16, 2024

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Hi reader,

In my new office, the water takes a bit to warm up.

Like, you turn it on and wait for a minute.

Here in the desert, it seems tap water is either slow to warm up or comes out boiling.

So the other day I was pouring cold water in the pitcher, and then realized afterwards I’d need hot water for tea. 

Here we go. Now it’s going to take extra long for the water to warm up.

But something told me I might be wrong.

Maybe it was just that the water needed to run, not in a specific direction.

I tilted the temperature handle and immediately got hot water.

The pump was already primed 🚰

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So many of us are afraid of slowing down.

Afraid of looking back.

Thinking any doubt or pause will turn us into a pillar of salt.

So we motor ahead with the same processes, the same systems, the same assumptions that have gotten us here.

Failure is actually the easier path to understanding, as running into a brick wall helps you do the very reflection necessary to grow.

No, the real danger is when it the seems like you are winning.

When it feels like you are right.

You already know.

But the inefficiencies, instability, and irrationality within your approach keep you from growing.

And the water keeps being wasted 🫗

I’ve found that the fear of being wrong is really the fear of having to change one’s mind and, once seen, the fear of having to do something about it.

And then facing the shame around not knowing better in the first place.

All the proverbial water spilled before our understanding.

But even guilt over the past appeals to our false sense of control, as making it our fault means we choose to mess up rather than just not knowing.

If only we would pause, though, just for a minute, then we may recognize that we just need a little redirection before it’s too late.

We may be more ready to be wiser than we give ourselves credit for.

Especially if the water is already flowing 🌊

Ready to embrace the next season in your life?

On an encore BringYourWorth.tv Live, we’re talking all about change, why adjusting matters, and how our inflexibility to transition can make shifts more difficult.

Bring your questions, comments, and compass 👇🏾

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🙋🏾 I’m Damon! (http://www.damonbrown.net) I help side hustlers, solopreneurs & others like yourself bloom. As a bestselling author, 2x startup founder & 4x TEDTalker, I co-founded the popular connection app Cuddlr and led it to acquisition within a year while being a stay at home dad with my infant son.

🫱🏼‍🫲🏿 Today, my boutique coaching business Bring Your Worth supports hundreds through one-on-one virtual and in-person support, as well as behind-the-scenes services for TED, HEROIC, and other impactful organizations. You can catch this free weekly newsletter as well as the 18,000-subscriber strong television show BringYourWorth.tv.

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