Day 20: Restrictive

Between the parallels

I connected to a new parallel today through the difficulty that the Whole30 can cause by its restrictive nature. This was the first time that I was faced with having to eat out in a restaurant, and therefore be at the mercy of others to accommodate my dietary choices. Over lunch, I had a great conversation with a friend about the pros and cons of having such clear cut guidelines in the diet, including a no-cheat clause. I appreciate that to some this seems too extreme, however I believe that in this case it has been the secret to my success so far. The great thing about this kind of messaging is that it has no ambiguity and is very black and white. Now I am normally an advocate for autonomy and allowing creativity in teams, however in looking at my own communication style through this lens I can see how in my desire for creativity, my requested actions are less directive and too open to interpretation. A strategy needs to be very clear and have key agreed actions, parameters of scope and timed deliverables if it is to stay on track.