What can Zorro Teach Us?
You may be wondering why I have Zorro and his famous “Z” in this blog, his signature symbol he left behind after riding in to save the day. I’ve never watched the movie or series based on the original 1919 fictional novel, but I learned a little about him in High School.
A guy in front of me in English Class used to turn around and decorate my papers with “Z’s” all over the margins whenever he found an opportunity when I wasn’t looking. Scott, you know who you are. I found it quite annoying as a focused student who only liked to see the letter “A” on her papers, as an admitted nerd. Recently, though, I’ve had a second encounter with this character.
I’m almost finished reading The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, whom I first heard in a Ted Talk on “The Happy Secret to Better Work” before this book was recommended. It’s all about how a positive brain fuels success in work and life, and better than that, it offers seven principles to actually GET one, even amid loss, crisis, stress, and deeply challenging situations that we all find ourselves in varying degrees in this life. I’ve been fascinated and empowered by it, so I wanted to share a little in hopes it helps you out of gratitude to those who have stayed with me on this author's journey.
The fifth principle offered as a strategy to stay in the zone of positivity and happiness is entitled “The Zorro Circle.” Shawn shares how this fearless and disciplined hero rode in and saved the day with his sword, horse, witty one-liners, and effortless skill with women. Then, he shares a lesser-known prequel of Zorro to introduce principle #5 and give it a name. Zorro was not always this dashing, successful hero, even though it was always his passion to be one. He just tried to get there too quickly, and the higher he flew in his heroic quests, the farther he fell. He ended up so out of control and utterly powerless that he turned to drinking in despair.
Until Zorro’s rescuer, Don Diego rode in, saw his potential, and took him under his wing. He started by drawing a small circle in the dirt in a hidden cave and instructed Zorro to stay inside that circle as he practiced sword fighting, hour after hour. Finally, he had slowly mastered enough control that Diego allowed him to attempt more significant feats in larger circles until, one day, he was swinging from ropes and beating his trainer with his sword.
So, most of us are not going after expert sword fighting, horseback riding, or rope-swinging, even if we are after heroic endeavors. What could this fairy tale have to do with us? Back to the previously referred to “loss, crisis, stress, and deeply challenging situations.” Things that left you with feelings of being out of control, which we don’t like. Left unchecked, it can lead to our limbic brain taking over with “fight, flight, or freeze” without cognitive thought. What to do? Here are your small circle instructions. You can decorate them with a “Z” in the margin:
Be self-aware of the state of your heart so you recognize when you’re spiraling.
Draw a small circle around this stressor by making a list with two columns – things I control and don’t control.
From the list of what you control, pick an action point and go after it – a small area where you can make a difference. This is like putting your thumb over the end of a hose so the water becomes more powerful. Repeat, repeat, repeat, as necessary, until you’re swinging on a rope and the day is saved.
Making smaller goals helps us build confidence and celebrate our forward progress – the proverbial eating of the elephant one bite at a time. One Harvard Professor put it this way: one that leads this blog full circle, pun intended, back to me as an author-to-be: “Don’t write a book, write a page.” Or, in my case, edit a page, followed by the next, and the next…
Whoever thought Zorro could teach us? Send this on to anyone you think needs this, and have them sign up for more on the link below.
