Ignorance
There is an excuse for ignorance, but there is no way to avoid the consequences - Edward Deming
The Big Questions
For a while I've been using the questions below to help clients form a vision of what they want, in a way that expands their thinking and tries to remove some of the restrictive beliefs we all have. The challenge with beliefs is they can severely limit the way we think and the results we achieve.
In recently talking with a friend who is doing a bit of soul searching, he gave me the idea of posting these for public reference. If you stumble upon this blog and it helps you out, let me know. I'd love to hear the outcomes.
Spend some reflective time in a quiet place to ponder these. Take notes and see what comes out. After committing some time to this, park it and let it simmer with you. A few days later revisit and see what your brain pops out. Remember …. there are not rules on what is right and what is not.
The Big Questions ...
- What am I really good at?
- What am I passionate about?
- What do I enjoy doing the most?
- If money and time were not limited, what would I do?
- If success was guaranteed, what would I do?
- How can I create the most value for people doing what I enjoy the most and are the best at?
- How much impact can I have on the world? How would I do it?
- What does a legacy look like by my definition?
- What would I have to do to create a legacy?
- If there was one global problem I would like to solve, what would it be?
- If my mission was to impact a billion people, how would I do it?
Does Diet affect Postive Mindset?
We hear so much about healthy eating and good food diet ... how about our other diets? Like Mental and Spiritual. These are vital human systems that also need feeding. The problem is, most of the time we feed them by default. I.e. they just get whatever life throws at them.
I say be as intentional with your Mental and Spiritual Diets as you are with your Physical Diet. Here's my shortlist of favourites for my Mental Diet. I'd love to hear yours.
- The Art of Exceptional Living – Jim Rohn
- Think and Grow Rich – Napolean Hill
- How to be a Winner – Zig Ziglar
- The Power of Positive Thinking – Normal Vincent Peal
- YES Attitude – Jeffrey Gitomer
- Success Principles - Jack Canfield
- How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
And my Spiritual Diet consists of:
- clarity on my purpose
- Making sure my activities are aligned with my purpose
- Engaging regularly in activities I enjoy.
- Meditation
What else do you do here?
The Top 5 requirements for Success
Necessary Elements for Business Growth
Reflecting on the past 10 years of coaching, if I had to pick my top 5 requirements to achieve success, here's my list:
1. Time
Your ability to plan, prioritize, know your 80/20 (which 20% of your actions give you 80% of your results) and delegate will be key to your success. Only time spent doing valuable activities counts towards success. No-one achieved their goals by focusing on filing and bookkeeping (unless you are a bookkeeper 🙂 )
2. Energy
Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. Hours worked is not the measure. It is the effectiveness of those hours. Are you alert, motivated, passionate and physically energized? Knowing your limits, how and when to recharge is a personal recipe. Know yours for best results from your hours invested.
3. Knowledge
You can only do what you know. And often what we ‘know’ is not always the right thing. Sometimes unlearning is the right first step. Keeping an open mind is crucial and avoid falling into the trap of thinking you know. You are more likely to do this the more successful you become. Continually invest time and money in growing your knowledge base. It is said that knowledge is power. Not quite. Knowledge is potential power. Maximize your potential power by growing your knowledge.
4. Confidence
To be gained through continuous small wins. Growing your knowledge; being very intentional in your self-talk; being selective who you hang around; these are all ways to grow your confidence. Growing confidence is a gradual process. Be consistent and intentional. The payoff - an increase in confidence has an exponential effect on your results.
5. Taking Action
You could excel in the first 4 points but if you don’t do anything then the results are zero. If you apply yourself in the base 4 then take massive action … results are guaranteed. Not always at first, but over the long run your path will be in the right direction. Remember the line to success is not straight. When things appear to be going sideways despite your work on all 5 points, remember to have faith in the principles shared here. They ALWAYS work in the long run.
What is your top 5?
Nature vs Nuture
Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton
The age old question of which has the greater influence - nature (genetics) or nurture (how we are raised). It is common belief that while the nurture part of us is certainly real, you cannot argue that genetics "is what it is". That is - your DNA determines what you are.
Well if your open to some new ideas (and concrete science) check out this video by Bruce Lipton. Bruce used to be a stem cell research scientist until he learned what really makes us tick. The video is an hour long and will leave you with a renewed belief in your ability to create your own outcomes ... despite your genetic coding. Enjoy.