My Own Worst Enemy

I'm reading this terrific book: Your Own Worst Enemy: Breaking the Habit of Adult Underachievement, by Ken Christian. It's really captivated my interest. Already intrigued by giftedness and underutilized (perhaps undiscovered) talent, especially as it pertains to how we each show up in the world, I'm becoming even more excited about the possibilities that these facets of life present. This book takes a look at the habit of complacency and the self-limiting behaviors of high potential people, a growing phenomenon among people today.

Only one-third the way through it, I'm seeing a theme consistent with my own developing ideas and theories around leadership, sustainability and deep personal fulfillment. I'm seeing remnants of myself and many people whom I know and love in the examples the author provides. Situations of putting ourselves close to the target so we're sure to hit it or dumbing ourselves down so as to fit in (a common adolescent-early adult ploy) might have made things easier at first, but later we became averse to challenge or even decision-making and lost or risked the loss of credibility as we fell deeper into these self-limiting habits.

I so appreciate the author's passion that people can break free of their self imposed limits and learn to achieve great things. He opens up the reader's awareness and provides the tools necessary to make achievement possible. ... but beware, he doesn't sugar coat it: it's all about change, accepting the responsibility of choice and taking action in directions that will actually allow you to grow and shine as opposed to stay miserably stagnant in what has manifested itself previously as bad luck, oppressed conditions, loneliness, boredom, being misunderstood, feeling incapable of making a difference, fear of disappointment, rebellion or lack of opportunity.

The rest of this book awaits me and I'm looking forward to learning more about breaking the habit of adult underachievement. I'd love to hear from you and discuss what resonates with you as you read.