Happy Friday!

And greetings from London, UK, where I’m excited to be speaking at Executive Secretary LIVE this week!

London is an exciting city to say the least, and it is MASSIVE! 

And as I’ve been riding the ‘tube’ quite a bit to get around, I’m going to take inspiration for this week’s post from London’s transit system. 

‘Mind the gap!’ is the famous phrase that a woman with a delightful English accent announces on repeat as you’re waiting for tubes and trains or the underground and the overground (tubes = subways; overground = subways above ground, not to be confused with the regular trains that also travel over ground… it may sound very confusing, however I have to say it is an extremely efficiently run system. And I just did some interesting research – they service 1.35 billion passengers annually!)

The gap, in the context of London’s transit system, is the space in between the platform and the train. And if you’re not careful, you could potentially slip or fall in that dangerous gap, which would not be pretty!

But there is another type of gap – a few actually – that I would l to talk about today. And arguably equally as detrimental. 

Last week you heard me speak about the gap between our thoughts and our actions. And it’s where a lot of people live… overanalysing, looking for clarity to come, waiting for the perfect moment to magically arrive, waiting to feel confident enough. 

And what all too often happens, is we end up spending a whole lotta of time waiting, and not a whole lotta time taking steps towards where we want to go.

According to John C. Maxwell, the gap has to do with our growth. The more we’re willing to grow, the smaller the gap becomes.

In his 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth 

https://www.johnmaxwell.com/blog/dont-trip-over-these-growth-gaps/) Maxwell speaks about 8 different specific types of gaps that could be preventing us from growth, and preventing us from taking action:

The Assumption Gap (I assume I will automatically grow)

Especially when it comes to your personal growth, you can’t assume it will simply happen by default. You have to be proactive and choose to take responsibility for your own growth process. 

The Knowledge Gap (I don’t know how to grow)

Even if you don’t know where to start, don’t let that stop you. Ask around. Find resources. Don’t give up and a way will present itself. 

The Timing Gap (It’s not the right time to begin)

You may never feel it’s the right time to grow, or the right time to begin. And yet ask any parent and they will admit they didn’t feel ready before they had kids, but they had no choice when they arrived! 

You will never start the thing you want to start if you’re waiting to feel ready before you begin. And there will never be a better time to start than now!

The Mistake Gap (I’m afraid of making mistakes)

Too many people are worried about getting it wrong, or worried about looking foolish. And so they don’t want to begin the process. If you want to grow and improve, making mistakes are simply par for the course. 

The Perfection Gap (I have to find the best way before I start)

Again, this goes back to so many people wanting it all to be perfect right out of the gates. And that is simply never going to happen! How can anything be perfect the first time you are trying it?!? And how are you going to find the best way before you start? You have to start somewhere, and the best way will present itself.

The Inspiration Gap (I don’t feel like doing it) 

You may want to wait for that ‘aha’ moment to strike. And, you may be waiting a long time for it! Inspiration and clarity do not come from waiting, they come in the doing. And there will always be reasons or excuses we can find, if we so choose, as to why it’s not a good time. Simply start, and inspiration will come along at some point in the ride. 

The Comparison Gap (Others are better than I am)

This gap can be pretty detrimental. Because the truth is, there will always be people ahead of you, or closer to where you want to go, or already there. And, nine times out of ten we are comparing our beginning or middle with someone else’s middle or end game. And that’s not fair! Every single person is at a different stage… and so it simply doesn’t make sense to compare. You are where you are for a reason. And, you don’t have to live there forever!

The Expectation Gap (I thought it would be easier than this)

Not only do we take on expectations other people in our life have for us, we often have big expectations for our own lives. And then we have all kinds of expectations based on how we think things should be versus how they actually are.

Enough with the expectations already!

Things are likely going to be harder, and take longer, than expected. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start. Because even though you may not arrive overnight, if you start today, you’ll be further ahead than you were by tomorrow. 

Now these are only 8 types of gaps that another person – as brilliant as he is, especially when it comes to leadership and growth – has discovered on his own journey. The truth is, some may resonate with you, some may not, and others that are true for you may not have even made the list.

The point is, only YOU know where your gap is, and what is really going on in that gap.

Whether it be fear (and that becomes a whole other list in and of itself!) busyness, comparison, excuseville, self-sabotage, expectation, procrastination, lack of clarity, people-pleasing, over-analysis… figure out what’s really going on in your gap. And then MIND THAT GAP!

But instead of minding it in the way the London Underground suggests, which is to ensure you step OVER it, you AVOID it, I want you to do the opposite. 

I want you to face it head on. Get honest with yourself. Know your gap, own your gap, and then take the first step THROUGH your gap, so it no longer exists at all. 

It’s time to take your power back over the gaps that exist in your life. 

It’s time to get your /brāv/ on!

And then just wait and see what opens up for you… (and please let me know what you discover in the comments below!!!)

Have a FAB week!

Carol