Welcome to the Deploy Yourself Newsletter, where I share what impactful leadership looks like to show your own power. I also share the most insightful lessons and stories I encountered in the last two weeks. You can also read this issue online.
Hey,
Do You Dream During The Day?
I want to start with this quote by TE Lawrence –
“The dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.”
We all dream during the night, but do you dream during the day?
Or, it would be more appropriate to say, do you give yourself permission to dream during the day?
If you do, then you know that there is something deep inside you that is calling your attention.
If not, it doesn’t mean that you have no deep desires.
It just means that a dream might be buried deep inside, but it is still alive. Because YOU are.
Daydreaming is not a waste of time. Research has shown that daydreaming reduces stress and anxiety, and helps you be more creative by utilising different parts of your brain.
We all do this as children, but we often forget daydreaming as adults, thinking of it as silly, worthless, or a waste of time.
However, the latest research has shown that daydreaming boosts our mood, improves our wellbeing, and allows for novel solutions to problems as we tap into a source of information and wisdom which has been lying dormant.
We are not built to be “on” (or using our analytical brain) all the time. Taking time to wander off not only gives us a much-deserved break, it also improves focus and builds presence which leads to better relationships.
As you start to (or try to) daydream, do not think about the dream you have. Instead, think about the dream which has you. Think about that dream which keeps coming back to you? Perhaps, a desire from childhood? Or a long-lasting wish to see something different in the world around you?
Do not try to think or understand your dreams. Instead, try to listen to them and ask yourself –
What are your dreams inviting you for?
What are your dreams trying to tell you about yourself and what you deeply care about?
Do you give yourself permission to indulge, listen, and engage with your dreams?
Do you give your permission to take the first tiny (or bold) steps in the direction of your dreams?
What would it mean for you if you would work towards making those dreams a reality?
Reply back with any insights from asking the above questions. I am eager to hear what this email triggers. I read and respond to every reply.
Fascinating Articles & Stories
One
Are You Playing to Play, or Playing to Win?
Federer uses a one-handed backhand — a notoriously more difficult technique than the two-handed version. He also happens to make it look easy.
And so to watch Federer play a tennis match is a little like watching God play tennis — or perhaps, more accurately, like watching a version of tennis that is more ballet than racquet sport.
This, I think, is what mastery looks like. Federer, like Ono in Judo, is a maestro. We can’t believe that they do it. But we stand in awe of them because they do it anyway, and win.
Find an article on Commonplace
Two
Stop Trying So Hard
This podcast episode explores the tendency many of us have to work hard, but not necessarily clearly define what we’re trying to achieve.
Greg McKeown invites us to look at the minimum steps required to complete what’s most essential.
From an episode on the Coaching for Leaders Podcast
Three
How to Identify What You Enjoy
In this special-edition, bonus episode of How to Build a Happy Life podcast, the psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb demystifies one of the vital components of a happy life: enjoyment.
As responsibilities multiply exponentially, time grows limited, and challenges mount, it becomes harder to make time for fun, let alone remember what it feels like.
Gottlieb believes that we not only find it challenging to make time for day-to-day enjoyment, but also struggle to identify what it should feel like. In this episode, Arthur C. Brooks and Lori Gottlieb discuss the importance of fun, the cultural distortion of emotions as “good” or “bad,” and how envy points you in the direction of your deepest desires.
From a podcast on The Atlantic
Four
New Leadership Journey Interviews on the Choosing Leadership podcast
Listen to the below CEOs and leaders as they reflect and share key learnings from their leadership journeys.
I believe we all have a lot to learn from each other’s stories – of where we started, where we are now, and our successes and struggles on the way. With this series of interviews, my attempt is to give leaders an opportunity to share their stories and for all of us to learn from their generous sharing.
- Leadership Journeys [17] – Lars Maat – “Everybody in my company has an unlimited study budget”
- Leadership Journeys [16] – Eddie Rice – “There’s no straight line to success”
- Leadership Journeys [15] – Gastón Käufer Barbé – “I am always paying attention and always learning.”
- Leadership Journeys [14] – Marleen Evertsz – “You can trust your guts and follow it. And it will be okay. “
To listen to all previous episodes, find the podcast on my website, or on Apple or Spotify. Leave a rating if you love what you hear.
That’s it for now. If you have any questions or feedback, or if you are new and want to introduce yourself, hit reply. I read and respond to every reply. All the best,
Sumit
(Twitter) @SumitGupta
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