Grossweiner’s Law is a fictional concept from the television show Stick on Apple TV. A young pro golfer is given a pep talk by his caddie, who basically tells him to let go of what you can’t change, get back to the present, and play this shot.
A reminder that performance only happens in the here and now. It serves as a metaphor for the principle of staying focused on the present moment.
Take my morning walk, for example, my mind was like a pinball machine. Going through my checklist of to-dos, worrying about so many things that I have no control over, and missing out on the trees and the sky and the flowers that were right there asking for my attention. I may have met my step goal, but I was out of sync with my surroundings.
Work actually turned out to be an arena that helped me stay in the moment. A day-long workshop for a client had me completely hooked. I was so immersed in the facilitation that time seemed to stand still. I left my worries behind, and I forgot about the task list. A briefing call with another client found me asking questions, refining and sharpening the focus of what the client wanted, and giving shape to their ask
These are precious moments because in them I find myself. As I press rewind on the week that went by and look for moments when I just tee up and play the ball as it presents itself, my work shows up repeatedly. One key takeaway for me is that the places I put “Grossweiner’s Law” into practice are connected by a common thread. They all involve me showing up with an energy of “I am not worried about winning or losing, just playing for the pure enjoyment of the game.”
My ego often gets me caught between what I thought was promised and what now seems possible. The second I start overthinking; I begin second-guessing myself and others. The energy shifts to fear, withdrawal, aggression (not the good kind), and a bunch of other unhelpful stuff sets in. I tighten up, and my swing gets affected. This is the downward spiral.
On the other hand, I find myself catching the warm currents of an upward spiral by asking myself, “What lights me up? What about me lights others up?” And then finding ways to focus on doing more of those things and being that Nikhil.
As the world is buffeted by the strong winds of AI and geo-political storms, it is learning to adapt and cope with change of a magnitude that we have not seen in a while. As a PR professional and a coach, this thunderstorm of change is bringing with it the ask of being the enabler of systemic and individual change. However, complex the context, the simple truth that Grossweiner’s Law offers, of bringing people into the present moment, is what an elegant change management program must contain. Accepting the current reality, unmolested by the past or the future is a form of freedom.
“I am here… It does not matter how I got here, what do I want to do next?” Real, sustainable change comes from deep withing, ignited by a desire for something different and then built into a culture (in an organisational context) or a habit (in an individual context). When I see myself differently, I see the world differently. The inner work, shapes the outer world.
Every day is a new day. Every meeting is a fresh start. I keep reminding myself to “Take the shot” that’s all I can do. Every moment of life that invites me to ‘take the shot’ is like a mirror. It simply shows me what’s going on inside of me. If I’m ensnared in the past, it gets me all tangled up. If I race ahead in my head and reach into tomorrow, I lose sight of today and miss what’s right in front of me. But if I just read the room and ask myself, “How can I be of help?” Then I’m able to select the right offering from my kit bag and play the shot.
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