I recently came across the “I DROP” exercise and found it incredible powerful. Here is how it is played.
All you need to do is simply, loudly or silently say “I DROP”. For example, when someone abuses you, say “I DROP”; when someone shows attitude to you – say “I DROP”; when someone disappoints you – say “I DROP”…..add your variants
This exercise reminded me of 2 more stories which immediately have perched themselves on my attention window. The 1st one is about carrying potatoes and the 2nd, about holding a glass of water. I am sure most of us know these stories.
In the 1st story, each student in the class was told by their teacher to bring different quantities of potatoes, – from 100 grams to about 2 kilograms of potatoes. The teacher simply told the students to carry the potatoes in the bag. Weeks turned to months and but obvious, the potatoes were spoilt and had started smelling. Whose bag was smelling with rotten potatoes is common sense.
In the 2nd story, you simply hold the glass of water in hand. I suggest you experiment with this simple exercise of holding the glass. How long were to able to hold the glass of water? Did it pain? Were you able to establish the relationship with the duration you held the glass of water?
The common thread in all the 3 stories is of travelling light as we journey through life. After all, we all pay a price for excess baggage as a traveller. The longer we hold this excess baggage, the heavier and painful it usually gets.
Why am I sharing this with you?
1) Personal growth – what is in it for me?
Foremost, I personally am benefiting from shedding my excess baggage and invite you to experience it too.
2) Organization growth – connecting the dots
In the spirit of “Humble Inquiry”(Note 1), inviting you to identify, become aware and explore the “excess baggage” gathered as an “Organization” or as a Department or Team. The good news is you can scale this model based on your risk appetite. After all, an organization is a collection of you and me working for a common purpose and the excess baggage may hinder that “common” purpose.
It is time to heal, grow and transform. It is a conscious journey towards growth which often gets spoken only in numbers and ROI, ignoring all other elements which make us human.
(Note 1: Humble Inquiry by Edgar H Schein. Ed Schein defines Humble Inquiry as “the fine art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not know the answer, of building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person.”)
-#SJ
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