KNOWING AND GROWING: TWO CUPS
This week I have had lots of signs pointing me towards the distinct advantages of approaching life with a growth mindset. So I’d love to share a little something I know about knowing and growing.
I have mentioned before that there is a level of safety and comfort that comes from being well-informed. However when we show up thinking we already know everything, we leave no room for learning or growing because our minds are closed.
We all wake up trying to be the best we can each day. So while we don’t intend to be closed minded, it can happen subconsciously. To show up in your life with a growth mindset, you need to make a conscious change. Change is not easy, so sometimes it can be most helpful when we attach the benefit of change to a symbol or story. Here’s a powerful metaphor of 2 cups that I recently learned from an inspirational coach trainer. I hope it helps you as much as it has me.
You have lived a life and you have been paying attention. You've experienced a lot, you know a lot, you have a lot to offer and you have a lot to bring to a conversation. Picture all of this “knowing” filling a cup to the brim. The contents of this cup are very valuable to you. There are lots of great lessons in there, some of which you still have the scars to show for it. While the cup has value, it’s also holding you back. You are overflowing with so much knowing there is simply no room in this cup for new insights, different perspectives or valuable second looks.
I have good news. You don’t have to dump out the cup to make more room. You can just set it down and then pick up a new empty cup to bring with you into your days ahead. There is so much space in this new cup you can focus all your attention on filling it. This leaves your mind open and present. It makes you a much better listener, because you are not busy sifting through your brain (or your full cup) trying to show off what you already know. You are just there to grow, learn, see things a different way.
The empty cup teaches us many thing such as:
Sometimes hearing the same things in a different space and time can make all the difference.
Sometimes living through something more than once showcases that repetition can make all the difference.
Sometimes it’s the people you are with that make the memory stick or the message click in a whole different way than it had before, and that makes all the difference.
At the end of the day, your first full cup will be waiting for you to combine with your new learnings. There is no limit to the amount of empty cups available to us. So I raise the empty glass I grabbed this morning to you and say “CHEERS!” to the glorious growth that awaits you.
Growing up, Matty was what her father called a “tv-freaker”. As a result her cup is still filled with some useless information such as slogans from the commercials from her youth. So today’s blog made her think of this classic. Matty is always up for a chat around 80s television or personal development. You can click here to start the conversation.
