They're Windmills, Not Giants.

Hi! My name is Parissa. This is "Modern Badass: A Field Guide", where Modern Badasses can feel seen, understood and valued. And, it's also a place for others to crack the code on the Modern Badasses in their lives (and maybe learn some badassery themselves). Want this in your inbox 2x/month? Hit the “subscribe” button above!

In Don Quixote, a wonderful book by Miguel de Cervantes, we become acquainted with a self-styled hero entranced by the idea of honor and chivalry. One part of his adventure leads him to fight these windmills valiantly... because he believes them to be giants that he must vanquish.

Sancho Panza, his companion on his chivalrous journey, tried to convince him that what he believed to be giants were windmills. Only when Don Quixote gets knocked down by a windmill does he admit it is a windmill. His cover story for the admission is that it must have been sorcery that transformed it into a windmill from a giant.

We all have perceived giants.

Yup. And nope, I won't believe you if you were to suggest you have none. Every Badass has vulnerabilities that they are desperate to hide. The more you try to hide something, the more obvious it is that you're hiding something.

I know this based on personal experience. Some of you may recall me admitting that it took me ELEVEN years to admit that I was fired from a job. I held onto that giant for dear life instead of seeing it for the windmill it was.

Like me, every leader has (or has had) experienced a time where they saw things as they believed them to be instead of seeing them as they were. Maybe someone is reading this article and questioning if something is a windmill versus a giant.

There's what appears to be true versus what is the truth. They're not often the same thing. These are some things that might make us see giants instead of windmills:

?? Believing that the past is prologue. Old hurts or perceived failures have a way of appearing much larger in our memories than they are. They may color how we see our present and future.

?? Seeking approval instead of alignment. It's bad enough when other people try to gaslight us. It's even worse when we gaslight ourselves. We will always believe windmills are giants when we forget to seek alignment on a goal or strategy and seek someone's approbation or approval instead.

?? Ranking performance over mastery. The way we learn and grow, or mastery, is through iteration. It's tempting to become attached to outcomes and fall into a vanity metric trap. Fall, instead, in love with the attempt and not what comes after.

Of course, this list isn't exhaustive. I'm sure you can think of other things that make us see giants instead of windmills.

I've shared with you that getting fired was one of my imaginary giants. What are the imaginary giants you are trying to slay?

Join me in LA on November 19 to see windmills instead!

I'm co-hosting Leadership Reinvention with Hayden Lee MCC , a dear colleague and friend. It's a workshop for ambitious, direct, and driven senior leaders who sometimes feel misunderstood or labeled as "difficult."

The workshop will help attendees channel their ambitions and directness into strengths that elevate and highlight their leadership. Click here to learn more and book time to discuss your attendance.

Hayden and I are hosting a LinkedIn Live on September 23, too. I'm pretty excited!?

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Seeing Windmills,

Parissa

P.S. I'd love to work with you regardless if you are a Badass or lead one. Book time to talk about any of these options that may intrigue you.

1. What Sparks You??How can you tap into your flavor of badassery? You might be ready to channel your edge and power but you're unsure how to start. Let's have a conversation to identify your blocks and get you back on the badassery road.
2. What's Your?Bold Vision ??I'll design a Sixense Vision a half-day workshop?just for you. We'll talk about your past, and your present to design a strategy to craft your future. It also includes a Hogan Assessment and debrief.
3. Make A Bold Move .?Retain me as your advisor and coach. My Modern Badass clients love working with me 1:1 because I am an objective thinking partner and strategist who champions (and challenges) them as they create their futures. I don't hold anything back and I speak truth to power with power.