Have you ever watched a duck glide across a pond?
Regardless of the weather, these fabulous creatures look like they are having fun just swimming and watching the world go by.
What you can’t see is under the water their little hind legs are paddling like crazy!
Sometimes I feel like the duck. I often tell people in my mentoring program to ‘be the duck’ – I have coached many executives on productive communication skills and suggested they ‘be the duck’ – yesterday one of my girlfriends and I were chatting about the huge plans we have to accomplish this year and I said ‘be the duck’.
Being the duck means:
Remain calm – regardless of what is going on around you, what your big goals are or how much you might be stressing about something… remain calm (at least on the outside).
Glide through – don’t get flustered, upset, anxious when you are faced with a challenge, choose to look elegant, in control and focused – don’t let others see you sweat.
Stay focused – just like a duck; glides from one side of the pond to the other, you can do the same. Keep your eyes focused on the goal at hand, the presentation you are giving, the business plan you are writing and stay focused on the end result.
Arrive safely – I’ve never seen a duck bump into one side of the pond; they simply glide across, pop out and then wander the banks of the pond – totally calm and often accompanied by another fabulous duck. Maybe you might also like to find another fabulous duck to help you on your journey?
This year choose your big goals, the ones that will really stretch you and make you feel uncomfortable and accept that you are going to have to ‘be the duck’ – calm on the outside and paddling like crazy underneath!
In what areas of your life do you need to ‘be the duck’? Share your ideas with us here on our blog.
PS. If you want more ideas on how to increase your productivity – check out other blogs here and several eBooks you can share with your team.
