I read this social media post recently:

“This morning I was working on something, and made an interesting metaphorical observation. The cutting discs used on a rotary tool are very brittle. You can break them with your fingers. However, mounted on a spindle and spun at thousands of RPM, those same fragile discs can cut through steel. So the next time you’re feeling weak or useless, consider that you may simply not be getting utilized properly, and that your true potential awaits.”

u/voxlunch

I really love this. Many of us have heard the phrase “trying to fit a square peg in a round hole”, and I think the sentiment is similar to the revelation above. We often find ourselves on an less than ideal path, whether in work, school, or other areas of life when we, at some point, realize there’s a disconnect.

It often isn’t that we’re “failing” at our endeavor. Sometimes, we are doing the very best we can, which is very good in and of itself, but it is not the “best” for the situation or the environment in which we find ourselves.

My husband and I talk a lot about being in the right seat on the bus, or being entirely on the wrong bus. This terminology is from Jim Collins Good to Great book, summarized here:

First Who, Then What—get the right people on the bus—is a concept developed in the book Good to Great. Those who build great organizations make sure they have the right people on the bus and the right people in the key seats before they figure out where to drive the bus.

Jim Collins

The issue isn’t always a poor performer, or an unhappy person. Quite often, it is a misalignment of skills, vision, or talent, etc. Sometimes we first need to take a step back, get aligned with our vision, values, ambitions, and desires. After that we can make a shift, sometimes just a small one, to go from being a fragile piece to an effective person who can figuratively cut through steel.

What would it take for you to cut through and find your right seat on the bus?