Archive for February, 2012

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Give me energy over time any day of the week. With energy you can do so much more in the time that you have. You and I need to break the shackles of the old world … ‘manage your time well, work hard and you will get ahead’. I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news… it does not work anymore.

Your life and mine is about energy, not time! What are you doing today to gain, maintain and recharge your energy cells? What ritual do you need to have to give you energy? Here is my daily ritual…

• Eat good healthy food
• Walk for an hour
• Meditate or be still for 15 minutes
• Drink 3 litres of water

Do I get it right each day? NO. However when I do, I have great energy. Here is what else recharges my energy, when I know I have made a difference to someone. I get juiced up when I here about people having a go, achieving their goals and living their passion.

Image from dedica.la

I had the great pleasure to listen to a speaker colleague of mine … Peter Baines. He is not only a great speaker, with a wonderful story but he is doing some amazing work with kids who were orphaned by the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004 in Thailand. Check out his website, in particular his annual January Bike Ride Event that raises money for his charity … Hands Across the Water …  www.peterbaines.com.au

He shared this wonderful quote with the audience …

“We cannot change what has happened, we can only change what happens next!”

So often we are stopped in our tracks because something goes amiss as we pursue our goal. I believe our strength comes from what we do next in that situation. Anyone can achieve a goal when everything is going great, however that is not always the case.

If something doesn’t go to plan, how will you react, respond and refocus?

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I saw these 3 words in a magazine advertisement and it got me thinking how these 3 dimensions can apply to our lives. Here’s how I look at it…

Latitude is about how broad your character is through the varied experiences that you have had in your lifetime.

Longitude is about your depth of character. The challenges you have faced and conquered in your past that have made you the person you are today.

Attitude is about your strength of character. When faced with a challenge or opportunity today, it won’t be your knowledge or skill you need most, it will be your strength of character, to take the next step.

We all need to be multi-dimensional in today’s world. Everything that has happened to you and everything going on in your life right now is adding to these 3. Enjoy the Journey!

Image from philosiblog.wordpress.com

There is a great quote … Ships were built to leave the safety of the Harbour. You and I were built to live a life that has challenges. These challenges are never convenient.

Understand this when you put yourself out there, as you start to pursue your goals, as you state to the world that you want to be better, do better and achieve better. You are going to encounter challenges, situations that will not always go your way and some people who don’t want you to be excellent, for it may show them up.

Remember, that is OK, as it is all part of your journey, your adventure and your learning.

Excellence has no demarcation line.

Image from candychang.com

Just before going back to school my girls made the comment that they wish they had another week off. How many people do you meet who are wishing their life away, focusing on the impossible?

I have been guilty if it, I wish I was fitter, I wish I had another week to prepare for this program, I wish I knew what I know now back then, I wish I had taken more time to research that company, I wish it was Friday already, I wish I had listened to intuition, I wish … I wish … I wish.

Wishing doesn’t get the job done. Instead of wishing, each of us need to enjoy the moment, find the gift it is giving us and move on with it.

Image from - justinlattaway.com

You’ve got to find what you love. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life and the only way to be truly satisfied, is to do what you believe is great work; and the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If every customer you served, every project you worked on, every assignment you completed and every person you worked with, could experience that love, what impact would it have?

What difference could you make to those people you connected with and more importantly what difference would it make in your life? What if this week, just for one day you followed your heart, what could you achieve? Doing great work, delivering excellence and making a difference is the way to be memorable in the hearts and minds of those people that count in your life.

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I am a great believer in putting yourself in inspiring environments and over the years a great man that has inspired me to be better, do more with my potential and achieve better results, is Paul Dunn.

He is speaking at a number of locations around Australia and if you have the chance, his presentations are something not to miss.

People rightly regard Paul as a legend. This new program [it’s appropriately called: INSPIRE!] changes businesses and changes lives. I can tell you that absolutely.
So I’m suggesting to you in the strongest way I know how, to register now. You can check it out (and register) right here:

20 February, Perth: http://bit.ly/INSPIREPK

21 February, Melbourne: http://bit.ly/INSPIREMK

22 February, Sydney: http://bit.ly/INSPIRESK

23 February, Gold Coast: http://bit.ly/INSPIREGK

24 February, Newcastle: http://bit.ly/INSPIRENK

For the past 17 years I have been looking inside businesses and talking with people about their challenges, whether they be internal or external to their markets and the one thing that comes up time and time again is: issues around communication. As you know we have more communication tools than even before … Emails; BLOG’s (thanks for reading this one), Twitter, YouTube, SMS, Mobile Phones and the Web. So why is this still an issue?

Simple: it has never been about communication, it is about connections. When you connect with someone they will listen to your message, hear your message and act upon your message, because they have connected with you. Not because they have to listen to you but because they want to listen to you.

If you truly want people to understand what you want to achieve and who you really are, stop telling them and start connecting with them heart to heart.

As you and I know, not everything goes to plan and it is so easy to fall into blaming others or a set of circumstances. Sure it can make you feel better, however it does not change anything.

Perhaps the better way to approach it is to ask yourself… What is the gift in what is happening to me? It could be a learning experience, an opportunity that is disguised as a challenge or a chance meeting that may never have happened.

When you take your mind off the challenge and look for the gift you will be surprised how fortunate you are.

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In 1997 at a WWDC, Steve Jobs gave a great quote …

Focus, is about saying NO.

In your life, what do you need to be saying no to? In the role that you are doing, what do you need to be saying no to?
He was not advocating being difficult, but simply to look at what is not serving you well and to stop doing it.

Too often we each put up with “OK”, “it’s not that bad” and “it will get better soon”, rather than stopping it now. We put up with feeling a bit uncomfortable over a long period of time that does not serve us well, instead of facing the uncomfortable or difficult head on now and getting it over and done with.

What do you need to say NO to in your life, business or career role?