Are we serious yet?

Every single day, everything is on the line. Taking yourself seriously does not help you take the problem seriously.

– Seth Godin

Q: What if you took yourself less seriously? What happens when you bring mindfulness to the project?

No, this post isn’t about dating. Or Ryan Gosling (sigh).

When I was watching Seth Godin’s lesson on taking oneself less seriously, I instantly thought of the dating world. You go on a few dates and someone always wants to know, “Where is this going? Are we getting serious? When are we getting serious?”

I’ve found myself going down the same path in my career. Getting serious too fast.

For people with Type A personalities, it is a natural inclination. Passion, endurance, competitiveness, ambition – these words evoke imagery of blood, sweat and tears, not joyful, jubilant smiles.

Fortunately, I’ve started to step back. Stop. Breathe. Refocus.

As my boss says, “The work will always be there.” It’s the moments in between that matter. Close your eyes, take a breath.

Q: Give an example of a moment in the past when you forgot rule 6 … and whether, in retrospect, those behaviors paid off.

Instantly, the first year at my current company comes to mind. I watched myself (multiple times) getting too serious – frantically working 60+ hours a week to complete a project.

Once, I woke up at 3 a.m. to call our agency in London because I was worried the producer might not get “the shot of  our talent.” Where was everyone else on my team? Sleeping.

Seth’s Rule No. 6: Don’t take yourself too seriously.

This post is part of  Seth Godin’s Leadership is not Management course on Udemy. Warning: posts are designed to be fast, not perfect.