Part I: The ‘Maybe’ Game
I was reminded last week while working on some PurposeBuilt messaging that entrepreneurs, and human beings in general, prefer things simple and lighthearted.
The denser the subject matter, the more important it is to find a way to make it light.
This is what prompted me to share the “Maybe” Game with all of you.
As decision-makers, we are expected to have answers.
Lots of them, all the time.
We are responsible for providing certainty and creating safety in destabilizing times. This can feel incredibly heavy.
So, we often present as unshakeable, even when we do our best to show up as honest and human.
This runs the risk of over-indexing on the confidence of our opinions, but the most dangerous thing a leader can bring into a room is the “Truth”—a strongly held perspective that has become fact.
The antidote to “Truth” is “Maybe.”
Part II: How to Play
I recently went through this with a business owner holding on tightly to a partnership that wasn’t working.
She “knew” she had to exhaust every last attempt at salvaging it before giving up.
On one hand, this was honorable and kind; on the other, it was deeply limiting.
Here is how we played the “Maybe” game:
Maybe… the friction isn’t a sign of a “bad” relationship, but a misalignment of roles—we are both trying to hold the same Mass when the business now requires us to divide it to maintain Momentum.
Maybe… the “truth” that I have to exhaust every option is actually my ego protecting me from the label of “failure.”
Maybe… “saving” the relationship is actually an act of attachment that is preventing a higher-level evolution for my business.
When you collapse reality into a single explanation, you lose your access to expansive choice.
When you lighten things up with “maybe,” you bring iteration and possibility back online.
Part III: How to Practice
This week, when you find yourself clinging to a single “Truth,” take a second to:
- Check your “Shoulds”: Is your decision driven by a fixed story of how things need to be going?
- Watch your lived experience: What do you actually know to be true in your body (felt sensations) right now?
- Play the “Maybe” Game: Can you find three other possible explanations for what might be happening?
I hope this helps you watch your thoughts and behaviors from the perspective of a little play.
More soon.