When I bring people into my private studio, I’m constantly looking for ways I can impact their thinking. I ask myself, “How do I give them aha moments or epiphanies?” I love to impact thinking and help people see things more accurately…or in some cases, just more clearly from a more strategic perspective.
An epiphany is defined as:
An experience of sudden and striking realization’ that ‘generally follows a process of significant thought.
They are leaps of understanding that are often triggered by a new key piece of information coupled with a depth of prior knowledge. One famous epiphany is Isaac Newton’s realization that a falling apple and the orbiting moon are both pulled by the same force.
Think About Your Own Experience
Have you ever resolved a problem or seen a powerful result and then realized you understand the entire situation both differently and more deeply? Have you been able to apply lessons learned to other scenarios, building efficiencies and making better decisions? Has enlightenment about one resolution ever allowed you to see another issue in a totally different way, or given you an awesome “aha” moment?
I see this happen all the time. The truly successful are able to access a mental arsenal of past experiences and create new applications, like master chess players.
So, I challenge you: the next time you solve a problem, remove a Blind Spot, or see a real victory, take a minute to pause and let that light bulb over your head turn on. Think about what happened, how you resolved it, what you learned, and, most importantly, how you can use that knowledge in the future. Share that epiphany with someone else and see if it sparks them into action!
Epiphanies to Ponder
Here are some revelations I’ve seen over the past two decades of working with highly successful people:
- We have 168 hours a week. We spend 56 of those hours sleeping (or at least we should) and 12 on personal maintenance, so that leaves 100 hours (basically 50 for personal and 50 for our professional lives). Sometimes that isn’t enough, but did you know that you can actually buy time? You can pay someone to do research, drive you or run errands for you, to allow you to spend that time more efficiently.
- Elegant Solutions allow us to accomplish several High Leverage Activities (HLAs) at once. I like to vacation with people with whom I can grow and learn from, as well as teach and share with. So it’s not just about “down time, ” but it’s about time that can result in new tools, better thinking, inspirations and friendships.
- When you communicate, do you make it easy for others to cascade and share your message? Next time you have a meeting or deliver a presentation, don’t let others take their own notes. Instead, provide them with a summary handout or follow-up email, which will allow them to focus on your information and later relay it to other stakeholders.
- If you’re in sales, consider that companies don’t buy; people do. So sell to the person, not the organization! Communicate real and personal value to your prospect, and tell them why the purchase will help them win at work.
Simply thinking about something differently can often spark a great idea! – Click to Tweet
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