If you are like most people, at one time or another you have likely asked questions like, “Where do I fit?” or,” How do I create ‘fit’ with my spouse, or with a boss who is so different from me?” You may have encountered the frustration of not knowing how to connect in meaningful ways with those who are important to you, or additionally, to feel like your work “fits” you. If this has been, or is now your experience, breathe deep and know that this is in fact an almost-universal experience. As can be the confusion of trying to find the answers!
There is a very good reason for this. It comes because whether you know it or not, you are part of a three-dimensional puzzle that is being created in this very moment, a puzzle with over seven billion pieces. The fact is, you are your puzzle piece, and you are part of a grand global picture that is being formed even as we speak. Now, what adds to the complexity of all of this is the fact that your puzzle piece is constantly evolving and changing, because you are. It doesn’t have the same shape or feel as it once did, and it doesn’t add to the overall puzzle of the world in quite the same way as it has in the past.
This can feel incredibly confusing at times, particularly when you consider that every other person around you is constantly changing too. This means that the kind of fit you create today will not look the same in five years, or twenty years. For proof, just ask your 16-year old son, when you try to treat him like you did when he was 10, or 14, or think about how hard it might be for you to feel energized by the kind of work you did in your first job. As you and others evolve, and as your work changes, there must also be a way to evolve your fit with those around you and to the important work you do each day.
The good news is that experiencing optimal fit does not have to be a happy accident. It happens increasingly for those who understand the principles of creating fit, a pattern that once learned and applied leads to fit everywhere: at work, at home, and in all your important relationships and responsibilities.
Fit (F.I.T.) happens as you increase your own ability to do three things:
- Focus on purposes bigger than self. This implies creating fulfillment in relationships, roles, and work through establishing a clear line of sight between current choices and the bigger “why” (purposes that serve “us” and others, and not just you!).
- Increase intentional interdependence. This is about designing complementary, synergistic relationships with others (regardless of their differences) to accomplish meaningful purposes, since you will always get farther faster with and through others.
- Tap into strengths-strategies. This includes leveraging strengths and success patterns to accelerate energy, performance, and engagement of yourself and others.
If you learn and live this pattern in your life, you are guaranteed more time experiencing optimal results and relationships, as you find yourself fitting hand-in-glove with those around you, and to your life’s work—whatever it may be.
To learn more about Optimal FIT, take our one hour online course, “Foundations of People Acuity”. Available for free for a limited time. And, coming soon, an online FIT assessment that will help you identify where FIT is working for you and where it can be improved.