ADVICE FROM...

I got approach about doing a speech to a group of young adults, for a Indigenous Business event later this year.

I pondered long and hard about the program topics and decided I would focus my presentation on a list of life lessons / rules, "so to speak", to help guide one's adventure through life.

Lessons I've personally learnt throughout my life that I can now humbly share, with hopes that it may provide guidance in the next 20 + years that would fulfill the gap between their and my current realities.

At this point I will lay out my talking points, won't add the details of each point. 
Intent would be to add a brief story / explanation to each.

1. Commit to others... Care for others.... 
2. Be Self Discipline.  
3. Fall in love & fall in love often, with as many things as possible. I love everyone in my life, my work life and my personal life. Don't be scared of the word love and especially don't be scared to show love.                                                                                                                             Fall in love with that special someone and have them by your side; Share your time, your love, your memories. We are great as individuals and we need to ensure we find ourselves and become balanced; However we are so much more with that special someone at our side.           
4. You need to be aggressive in life and business, but only when listening....                            Focus & learn to truly listen....
5. Do not procrastinate... Always have more in your Outbox than your Inbox. "Never put off for tomorrow what you can do today".
6. Commit to the Soul. Give yourself to an higher belief; There is something grander than you...
1. Believe, understand and practice in the "Law of Attraction"...
7. Stop trying to live your life, stop immediately.... Design & then Build your life.. 
8. You can't give away your Past... But you can give away your Future..
9. All "Successful" people work hard; Now let's define "Success". 
1. Best quote I've heard to define is, "The progressive realization towards a worthy ideal".   I heard this from an Earl Nightingale's presentation. However, you to define your own success.
10. You can't do it alone, surround yourself with great people. 
1. People more intelligent, more talented, humble and especially kinder than you.
11. Make Decisions / Choices!! You have the opportunity to make the "right choice" based on the information you have at that point, remember you can always make another "right choice", if / when the information / situation changes.
12. Meet as many people as you can in this life, enjoy the company of others. 
1. Focus on building rapport and cherish those relationship, this is the master key to many locked doors.

   ***** All require you to be committed, adaptive, resilient and focused (Present).


Choose to Care

Five Leadership Qualities that start with C......

Early in my career whilst under the mentorship of a wonderful person and great leader. I've learned and come to understand common traits of great leaders. These have been the backbone of my leadership experience, beliefs and values throughout my career / life. I truly believe these common traits are universal within great leaders.

Before I express these, I’ll tell you a story about when I was attending a meeting last year and had the absolute pleasure to be part of a presentation by a distinguish Chairman / CEO. His experience and stories are / were of legend, I tell you this, because he presented at the time a list of the three qualities that he believed existed in all great leaders. We overlapped on 2, I've taken forward his 3rd however, it stuck with me so it's now a new addition to my list. It's Conviction... …

Humble me for a moment,......take a piece of paper before you read any further……………………. Write down what you believe the 5 qualities of great leaders are? as noted above, I've given one already. :-) List 4 more that start with the letter C......

Conviction; A strong persuasion or belief in your goals and mandates within your life and the organization / team you represent. Having a strong personal belief structure and culture, whereby you stay true to these beliefs and values.

Confidence; The feeling and belief that you can do well and succeed, being able to bring out the confidence in others and in turn not to dilute this confidence. Again, having the faith and belief that you will act in the right, proper and effective manner while holding yourself and others accountable.

Collaboration; To work with others, to cooperate as a team to achieve common goals and objectives. Alone you may struggle to see all opportunities or simply be unable to resolve an issue, together, a group can overcome any challenge.
I've used the following quote endlessly to represent what I mean.
"At our organization we do nothing alone, because someone may get credit for it." 

Consistency; Relentless pursue to act and behave in the same professional, respectful, collaborative, dependable and trusting manner. Approach all situations in this consistent manner whilst controlling your emotions in order to lead the attitudes and behaviours around you.

Courage; The ability and self-awareness to do something that you know is difficult or even dangerous. Having the mental and moral strength to venture, persevere and withstand danger, fear and life / work challenges.  Then ultimately having the courage to challenge yourself and others; to hold others and yourself accountable and question the status quo.

The 6th C, that I have built my personal leadership structure and belief system around is Care. If you do not Care about / for yourself and more importantly Others, then these other traits mean nothing, I've come to find the core to everything in my life, is "Caring". 

If you find yourself unable to achieve these 5 C’s in your life, then please take a step back adjust what you need to, in order to get back on track and become the best leader, person you can and want to be.

The Leader must always 'ante up' first and 'eat last'.  Be a servant to others and an higher power.

Care, it’s your choice.

BLINDED

I was reading last night and came across the word “blinded” in a sentence, for some reason, I paused and could not stop focusing on the word, like it was releasing from the page in 3D. It automatically opened a thought process of all the different things in life that we are blinded too and or by.

Love;

This is probably the number one “feeling”, indescribable emotion that blinds us. It blinds us from negative qualities and actions in the ones we love, it often blinds us from the positive qualities as well.
It blinds us from reason, in many cases, it blinds us from truth.

Ego;

LOL, yes you can stop laughing now… Ego blinds you from seeing your faults, blinds you in the decision making process, blinds the patience required to ensure wisdom overpowers your ego.

Stress;

Stress can blind the trees in front of the forest but certainly takes the forest away.

Anger;

Do I need to say anything for this one; anger blinds us from living and always blinds us from forgiving.

I was blinded for a long time;

But got Lasik surgery a few years back!

CARE for each other