“Playing a bigger game.”
It’s a buzzphrase in this blogging/online biz/marketing sphere you and I are moving in. And it’s one of those phrases that has always made me, well, gag.
I’ll tell you why in a minute. But first, a personal story about rightsizing my entrepreneurial “game.”
A year ago this February, I was closing my retail store. It was my choice and I was filled with glee and relief. But of course I couldn’t dance and sing in front of my customers, who were very sad.
And yet a small percentage of them were, well, gloating. {I said a small percentage — like, less than ten percent. Let’s not forget that.}
One gloatypants person approached me and said, “Ah, well. You tried. On to bigger and better things.”
I looked this person in the eye and warmly said, “On to smaller and better things. See, this was more than I wanted.”
In return I got . . . a wordless stare.
The customer couldn’t connect with the idea that a big, public, high overhead, press-attracting brick and mortar business might not have been the ideal vehicle for my talents, or a comfortable fit for my desired lifestyle.
Chances are, there are people in your life who want to see you do something “bigger” and therefore, “better,” than what you’re currently doing, or than what you just did.
Be they friends, siblings, parents, partners, clients, or coaches — there’s the strong suggestion that growth equals upsizing.
By default, people want to see you topping yourself with every business move. {Oprah and J.K. Rowling talk about the pressure to top onesself in this interview.} Onlookers figure if you’re changing or moving on, it’s to become the next more grandiose iteration of yourself. As if what you did before wasn’t it. Or as if you owe the world something even better than what you were already doing.
But you and I know that “bigger” in the typical sense of the word isn’t always what you have in mind when you’re ready to evolve.
I’d like to propose a new working definition of “playing a bigger game.” I’m calling it rightsizing your inner game.
“Rightsizing” in business isn’t a new concept {Google it and you’ll see}, but it may be a new and refreshing way for you to conceive of your own next entrepreneurial moves.
Your inner game is a conversation: the convo you’re having with your right people and {most importantly} with yourself.
So when people talk about “playing a bigger game,” you can think about your rightsized inner game, rather than starting from the outside in and hoping that you can “live up to” these bigger, snazzier moves you think people want to see you making.
Brand evolution, as I recently wrote about, isn’t about getting bigger according to scale or size, but it is about playing a bigger/rightsized {inner} game.
Those of you who’ve been with me for a while know that I’m all about honing in to find the essential pieces of your message, the pieces that are the strongest and most apt expression of you in your business. Call it nichification, call it defining and ruling your realm, call it what you will. It’s another way to play a bigger/rightsized {inner} game.
Rightsizing your inner game starts with nourishing your voice in order to hone it.
Tara Sophia Mohr is someone I look to when it comes to nourishing my voice as a writer and entrepreneur. Her professional writing dossier is something I aspire to and her heart for women in leadership inspires me. Spending time with her promises to challenge your comfort zones and help you come into your bigger/rightsized {inner} game.
Tuesday, I’m bringing you an audio conversation with Tara here on the blog. Meanwhile, stay tuned and think about rightsizing. Remember, it all starts with ruling that realm in your mind. :)
Speaking of your mind, have you downloaded my free primer on mindsets savvy entrepreneurs use to rule their realm? Get it here.
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Hello, you.