What comes to mind when you hear “maverick”?
Someone who goes against what’s expected.
Here’s the deal: We all live inside the expectations of life, society, and external forces—the expectations we have for ourselves and the expectations others put on us.
A maverick is really someone who acts in a way that’s different than those expected norms.
Who are you when we take away what’s been covering up and protecting us?
A maverick is someone who’s living an unexpected life. Yeah, maybe they’re nervous about that! Generally, people like routine, because they know what’s to be expected and can go with the flow without being in fight, flight, or freeze mode.
There’s nothing wrong with going with the flow, but at some point, we must ask ourselves – “Do I even want to go with this flow?”
I was recently in Alaska on a wonderful anniversary vacation with my husband. I saw the most beautiful things!
One morning, I was deep in thought when I spotted fresh salmon. You know what – they really do swim upstream!
They do not go with the flow. It’s very odd! They swim on each other and even use these little fish ladders to climb over each other to get into waterfalls.
This made me realize that salmon are mavericks, who do not follow the flow to chart their course.
So, my advice to you is to be a salmon!
We tend to think that if we’re doing what everyone else is doing, we’re okay. That’s the lie of it all.
We’re okay, no matter what. We’re okay just by being who we are in the world.
For a lot of us, when we’re going with that flow, life looks pretty good. We’ve got jobs, some have businesses, some are in relationships, and some have kids. We’re mostly happy, but there’s that little gut feeling that something’s slightly off.
And sometimes, we don’t always know what that is. But we stay safe, doing the next routine thing.
If we can identify where we feel slightly off, where we’re not fully aligning with our truth, we can discover where we are lying to ourselves. These lies are stories and narratives we’ve told ourselves that are untrue.
Here’s a hard truth: The results you have in your life are perfect for the system that’s been created.
The system is your mind. It’s the thinking, the lens, and all the pieces others have given you. It’s even generational. Sometimes, we don’t know why we think the way we do.
To unbecome, follow the process outlined below:
- Think about something you want. It can be a dream, a hope, or a goal.
- Write it down.
- What narrative tells you that you can’t have it or why it will be too hard?
- Ask yourself: Is this true?
Often, we create false “truths” in our heads and life stories that are simple labels. These labels create fears and stop us from getting what we want.
Make this week a week of discovering “truths” you carry that are indeed false.
Then, go vivaciously find your new truth.
