I remember a call during my old job which was so important – and which had so many serious and senior people joining – that I started preparing three weeks before the call took place.

It was the kind of call which took up so much worry and brain space that to say it had become all-consuming is like saying 2 + 2 = 4.

My preparatory notes and prompts meant I’d practically scripted the whole meeting.  And I’d ran through the script so many times in my bathroom mirror that I’d almost memorised the whole call too.

I’d also prepared detailed and thoughtful answers to all the questions I might be asked.

But lo and behold...

When the call took place, I was asked a question which I hadn’t prepared for.

And three things happened.

Firstly, I frantically scoured my notes for the answer, even though I knew it wasn’t there.  And ended up cobbling together different parts of my script in a garbled mush of a response.

Secondly, I gave myself a kicking for not having thought of (and thus prepared) the question I was asked.  Even though Nostradamus himself wouldn’t have been able to foresee half the questions which were asked on that call.

And thirdly and most consequentially, I started to prepare more and more when similar calls and meetings came along. 

I’d script out as much as possible.  I’d rehearse even more carefully.  And I’d rack my weary brain harder and harder for the questions which might be asked. 

My database of pre-meeting notes became so detailed that I morphed into ChatGPT in human form. 

And when I attended meetings at work, I was so in my head that I never responded naturally and intuitively to the ebb and flow of the meeting.  Instead, I just searched my written database for the right words or answers, then regurgitated whatever I found.

You could say I was so hung up on “getting it right” before the meeting that I left no space to get it right in the meeting itself.

And what I’d missed was this:

We all have a natural, intuitive, responsive knowing that tends to show up just when we need it.  A superpower we use in so many parts of life that sometimes we forget it’s there.

And whatever the situation, we can use this superpower to respond in the moment with what occurs to us in the moment.  Instead of trying to hunt down the words in our preprepared catalogues.

Of course, preparation still has a role to play.  There’s a balance to be struck between preparation and showing up in the moment.  And I don’t always get this balance right.

But that’s okay.  

Even knowing this superpower exists is helpful. 

And life is becoming a little bit lighter as a result.

That’s it for today.

Have a great weekend.

 - Tom

p.s. if getting more into the flow of the moment is something you’d like to explore, coaching might help you do this.

To discuss how I could support you and find out whether coaching might be a good option, here’s the link to book a call with me:

https://calendly.com/followingfulfilment