Do Your Part

Posted on June 7, 2012

Big question for you: “what are you doing to help build a new and better world?” Don’t blame the politicians. Don’t blame those around you. Don’t blame your parents or your background. Doing so is playing the victim and this world has far too many people playing the victim when they could be shining and making a profound difference. Mother Teresa said it so much better than I ever could: “if each of us would only sweep their own doorstep, the whole world would be clean.” Nice.

Blaming others is excusing yourself. Telling yourself that you – as an army of one – cannot have an impact is giving away your power. A couple of college kids got their hands on empty school buses and drove them into New Orleans when everybody else said the city was unapproachable. A little man in a loincloth named Mohandas Gandhi freed an entire nation. A college student named Richard Branson took some initiative to start a record label on a shoestring that has since morphed into the Virgin empire. You are no different from them. We are all flesh and bones – cut from the same cloth.

In a recent issue of Vanity Fair, Jennifer Aniston said that she gives herself one day to play victim after a challenging event. After that day of feeling sorry for herself and powerless, she wakes up and takes ownership over the way her life looks. And if she doesn’t like a piece of it she sets about to change it. That’s personal leadership.

What don’t you like about your life or the organization you work for or the country you live in? Make a list. Write it down. Shout it out. And then do something to improve things. Anything. Start small or go big. Just do something. Today. Now. The world will be better for it.

Posted in Leadership

 

 

The Myth of Personal Transformation

Posted on June 7, 2012

Too many people believe that playing their best game as a human being requires them to revolutionalize their lives. And for most of us, that’s a scary thought. No one wants to make massive changes to the way they think, feel and behave. Human beings love staying within the comfort zone. But guess what? In my work as a success coach with people around the world, I’ve realized that lasting personal change does not require you to turn your life upside down.

The best way to get to your greatness is through small, continuous steps-what I call the “1% Wins”. If you improve your health only 1% each day for the next 30 days, you will see a 30% increase in that dimension of your life in only 1 month. Same for every other area of your life, from your relationships to your career. Doesn’t seem so scary now does it? Can you make those little improvements in the areas most in need of improvement? Absolutely.

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Get Some Skin in The Game

Posted on June 7, 2012

I fail more than most people. I fail all the time. I’ve had failures in business. I’ve had failures in relationships. I’ve had failures in life. I used to wonder why this happened. But now I get it. Failure is the highway to success. And the more risks you take in the pursuit of your dreams, the more you are going to fail.

Too many amongst us live our lives in what I call “the safe harbor of the known.” Same thinking for twenty years. Same conversations for twenty years. Same breakfast for twenty years. Same drive to work for twenty years. I have no judgment on that kind of a life. If it makes you happy, well that’s a beautiful thing. But I don’t know of anyone who is happy living like that. True joy comes when you put some skin in the game and take some chances. Yes, you will start to experience more failure. But guess what, success also starts to pay more visits.

Failure is just part of the process of getting to greatness. The best companies on the planet have failed more than the average ones. The most successful people on the planet have failed more than average ones. To me, the only failure is the failure to not try and dream and dare. And I deeply feel that the greatest risk you will ever take in your life is if you never take a risk.

So go ahead, stretch today. Ask for the best table in your favorite restaurant. Ask for an upgrade into first class on your next flight (good luck). Ask your teammate at work for more understanding. Ask your mate at home for more love. Do it. I dare you. And just remember, you can’t win the game if you don’t even play.

Posted in Leadership