Only 8 Crayons?

Remember the excitement of new school supplies? New pencils, fresh notebooks, and a box of crayons ready for the first day of school.

Now imagine sitting beside a classmate who has a box of 48—or even 64—crayons, while you have the standard box of eight.

Did a little envy creep in? Did you suddenly feel as though your eight crayons weren’t enough?

It’s an easy trap to fall into, and it doesn’t end when we leave school. We compare our resources, opportunities, experience, or abilities with someone else’s—and then decide we can’t begin until we have what they have.

Sometimes pride keeps us from trying because we don’t want to come up short.

But think about those crayons. Some of the colors in the larger box might never get used. And with a little creativity, you can make a surprising variety of colors using just the eight you already have.

That’s resourcefulness: finding a way forward with what’s available rather than focusing only on what’s missing.

Don’t let what you don’t have keep you from putting what you do have to work.

What are your “eight crayons”? How might you use them more creatively today?

P.S. What color is cerulean, anyway—and do I really need it?

Your coach’s insight…simply put.

— Rory