“This is the best I can do now.”
Recently I said that statement to a business development expert. She hesitated and then said, “That has a negative aura about it. Instead, how about saying, this is how it’s showing up at this time.” What is the difference? I could hear it, but it took me awhile to sort it out.
First, when I state, “the best I can do”, I am at the center of the endeavor implying that everything depends on me. Instead, my work is always with others, in exchange with others. Communication and connection are crucial. These interactions coalesce to create awareness, new ways of seeing, and new ways of working.
Next, “I can do”, suggests that any work done also depends on me. Again, I am working with others. Efforts that I make must be in concert with them. Of course I have to do my part, but my achievement alone cannot determine any outcome.
And “now” sets a limit. How long is “now?” What happens next? When does “now” become a different time? Although it seems innocuous, placing “now” in the statement tends to lock out potential for future possibility and change. We are then stuck in one perception of time.
Turning to the reframed statement, there is no “I” in it, instead the emphasis is on “this.” “This” can encompass as much or as little as the situation requires or implies. “It’s showing up” is inclusive of personal effort, the effort of others, and the evolution of events in time. And finally “at this time” while seeming to fix things at a certain point in time, actually has the opposite effect. “At this time” can unfold into future time and multiple possibilities.
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