Colby B. Jubenville, PhD, is an international speaker, author, educator and coach. He is the Host of the Goat Consulting Podcast.
Jason Feifer, editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine, was recently a guest on my podcast. During the interview, he said something that I had been taught years ago but needed to be reminded of. He said, “I believe at heart, everybody has the same skill: pattern matching.” Mic drop. We all have this ability. It is hardwired into us. But because of our perspective, education and experience, we may or may not uncover it.
This uncovers a central truth about ourselves and our education system. Patterns are an inherent aspect of life and can be seen in the work we choose to do and the relationships we build. Patterns provide a framework for understanding and predicting behavior and can improve the ability to solve problems and make decisions.
In business, patterns can be identified in areas like consumer behavior, sales trends and market data, providing insights into how we grow, how we change or how we improve. In relationships, patterns can be seen in the way we communicate or approach conflict and intimacy, helping us identify areas for improvement and strengthening connections. In life, patterns can be seen in our habits, routines and, ultimately, the lifestyle and freedom we create for ourselves. Lifestyle isn’t the car you drive or the house you have. Lifestyle is getting paid for your value, not your time. Freedom is doing it with people we want to do it with.
People who have “seen” their patterns understand they are shaping their experiences and influencing their outcomes. This made me think back to the first time I recognized patterns, and my mind went to being eight years old swimming for Spring Hill Swim Club in Mobile, Alabama. We would practice early every morning.
The practices were long, and the coach had his own brand of high energy and fun. This energy would become the competitive advantage for the team and ultimately is one of the first patterns I can remember using to compete. Before a swim meet, he would get the team together and lead us in a ritual made up of—you guessed it—patterns.
He would say, “Is that not the swimming pool?” We as swimmers would reply, “Yes, that is the swimming pool!”
C: “Are those not the backstroke flags?” S: “Yes, those are the backstroke flags!”
C: “Is that a diving board?” S: “Yes, that’s a diving board!”
C: “Is that the loooooosing team?” S: “Yes, that is the loooooosing team!”
C: “IS THIS THE WINNING TEAM?” S: “Yes, this is the winning team!”
C: “Swimming pool.” S: “Swimming pool!”
C: “Backstroke flags.” S: “Backstroke flags!”
C: “Diving boards.” S: “Diving boards!”
C: “Loooooosing team!” S: “Loooooosing team!”
C: “WINNING TEAM!” S: “WINNING TEAM!”
That ritual became our greatest competitive advantage, psyching out the competition before the match started. Pattern matching. We are all born with it. We just need someone to help us see it. Where do you see patterns in your life and business relationships? Once you do see them, there is no turning back.
My first memory of pattern matching was at a swim club. Where was yours?
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