We just had our first Reading Far book discussion. The book we read and discussed was Michael Gervais’ “First Rule of Mastery: Stop worrying about what other people think.” First, let me say how much I enjoyed the lively discussion and how appreciative I am that people on the call made the choice to share their thoughts and experience. It made the experience personal and meaningful. Second, my mind is still buzzing with all the great questions that were raised.
One particularly meaningful distinction that was raised was the difference between caring about what others think ( let’s call that Caring About People’s Opinions – CAPO) and worrying about what people think (Fear of People’s Opinions – FOPO). Caring is born in social fabric of our being. We are inherently social creatures and, as Michael rightly points out in the book, the connection and caring for our community and something larger than ourselves is one of the pathways to living an authentic and purpose driven life. One of the pathways to living to our potential. Fear is born in an overemphasis on performance and separateness which leads to insecurity. Fear squashes the expression of our authentic selves and limits our potential.
It is ok to care, But, let us be thoughtful about whose opinions matter most. Let us surround ourselves with others who care about us and the greater community as much as we care about them. And, let us choose people with courage who are willing to share their truth with those they care deeply about. Let CAPO be a source of inspiration and connection and a guard against fear. ~ Paul
We just had our first Reading Far book discussion. The book we read and discussed was Michael Gervais’ “First Rule of Mastery: Stop worrying about what other people think.” First, let me say how much I enjoyed the lively discussion and how appreciative I am that people on the call made the choice to share their thoughts and experience. It made the experience personal and meaningful. Second, my mind is still buzzing with all the great questions that were raised.
One particularly meaningful distinction that was raised was the difference between caring about what others think ( let’s call that Caring About People’s Opinions – CAPO) and worrying about what people think (Fear of People’s Opinions – FOPO). Caring is born in social fabric of our being. We are inherently social creatures and, as Michael rightly points out in the book, the connection and caring for our community and something larger than ourselves is one of the pathways to living an authentic and purpose driven life. One of the pathways to living to our potential. Fear is born in an overemphasis on performance and separateness which leads to insecurity. Fear squashes the expression of our authentic selves and limits our potential.
It is ok to care, But, let us be thoughtful about whose opinions matter most. Let us surround ourselves with others who care about us and the greater community as much as we care about them. And, let us choose people with courage who are willing to share their truth with those they care deeply about. Let CAPO be a source of inspiration and connection and a guard against fear. ~ Paul
