What does version 2.0 of you look like?
What might version 2.0 or even 3.0 of you look like? What do you need to let go of in order to fully embrace a completely new version of you? This was some of the questions I had to ask myself a few years ago when I was asked by a senior executive to coach him on his values. His desire was to achieve a greater degree of personal mastery
Following a detailed conversation with this client, it became clear that he wanted to spend the next six months in a coaching relationship reflecting on what is important to him and how this manifest through important relationships in his life and work.
My initial thoughts were, “Wow! I cannot coach this client for six months on his values alone. There must be some other goal he wanted to achieve.”
Well, there wasn’t. We spend the next six months talking about the client’s values, how these show up in his life and work, how it influences his decisions, directs his relationships, find expression in love and family, etc.
This was the most significant assignment I have ever had as a coach. You see, as a coach I generally spend no more than 1 session talking about values in detail. This client demanded a level of mastery I was not sure was possible for me to achieve as a coach at that point.
And, this assignment had me move into the next level as coach – a level of personal mastery and professional expertise that went beyond the normal coaching conversation. It called on me to dig deep into the current version of who I was a coach at the time. At the same time it called me forth to stretched and tap into strengths, wisdom and experiences in a way I never thought possible.
In short, this assignment asked of me to be a “Bono” when in reality I was simply a truly bad “sing in the shower guy”.
As a self-professed nerd, I cannot help but equate this to computer operating systems, the web, etc. Simply put. I was operating at version 1.0 of myself, and this assignment called on me to shift gears into a more advanced operating system – not 1.01 or 1.1 but 2!
Are you still operating at version 1.0 of yourself – you know the version that 5, 10 or perhaps even 15 years ago was gutting edge. A version that served you well then, but a version that is now nothing more than the MsDOS (remember floppy disks?) equivalent of today.
The fact is that all of us have an inbuilt operating system. This system comprised a number of elements but the key components are our values, our beliefs, our hopes and dreams, our attitudes towards life, etc.
Much like the DOS of old, our internal operating system functioned within a particular context. As this context change our internal operating system needs to adapt to reflect and leverage our new dreams, vision, knowledge, skills, experiences and expertise we have managed to design. It is this version of ourselves that others want to see – that they feel excited about. Not the version that you have worked with for the last 5, 10 or even 15 years.
You see, not changing – not advancing the features and benefits others may experience through us, we run the risk of being abandoned in favour of far newer and more feature rich operating systems (e.g. younger more savvy upwardly mobile colleagues).
What would version 2.0 of yourself look like? What would version 3.0 look like?
Most new and cutting edge advancements in technology are the result of years of research and development.
Unlike technology that’s constraint by operating capacity, human beings have infinite capacity to be whatever version of themselves they wish to step into. But it requires some work and some discovery.
It requires reprograming of our internal operating system. It requires us to push other technologies (knowledge) to the boundaries so that our version of 2.0 or 3.0 stands out head and shoulders above the rest.
Here’s the deal. You will only know whether your version 1.0 cuts it when a version 3.0 from a competitor shows up. And, then it’s to late.
My challenge to you is to go out and seek your version of 2.0. You’ll be surprised at what you will discover. Work with a coach, a mentor or trusted advisor to help you achieve personal mastery and create something magnificent.
It is closer than you think.