When you bounce on a trampoline you go as high as you think you can, until someone else hops on and starts jumping with you. Then the bounce is springier and higher than ever. You collapse with laughter and disbelief at how high you felt yourself go.
Big Potential author Shawn Achor describes how we can achieve more and tap into our potential more than imagined, when we connect with others. Not only do we gain personally from their resources, we also help them find a greater capacity to succeed, making it a win-win situation.
He illustrates this with a story about fireflies. In a mangrove in SE Asia, biologist Dr Hugh Smith observed a strange phenomenon: a cluster of trees lighting up and going dark in unison. He discovered lightning bugs that were flashing synchronously. Research shows that if a firefly lights up randomly, the chances of a female responding is 3%. But if there is collective lighting the likelihood is 82%. The odds jump up substantially. More are drawn to the light, adding their own light, creating visibility for miles. These bugs have learned to sync up their lighting in their mating ritual. They have evolved into an interconnected community leading to individual and collective success!
We humans have been conditioned to focus on individual success from childhood; whether it is being able to tie our own shoelaces, ride a bike without training wheels, or ace an exam. Individual metrics are continuously measured and celebrated. As Achor points out, “We spend the first 22 years being judged and praised for individual attributes and achievement. For the rest of our life our success rests most entirely on interconnections.”
The biggest predictor of success today is not just the ability to work harder, faster or smarter. It is how well you connect with and give to others that increases the odds of your own success. Pause and ask yourself what positive impact you have on people around you. Do you motivate them, cheer them on, and add to their resilience? You will find that by raising the potential of others you raise your own exponentially. It is the power of what is known as the positive feedback loop or what Achor calls the virtuous cycle. “The more you help people find their light, the more you both will shine.”
Create your own ecosystem of interconnections. You will multiply your own potential many times over and reach far greater heights. Invite others on to your trampoline. Your bounce will only get stronger, higher and easier.