new year

January 3, 2019

Love gets you started, A System keeps you going

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“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

Great to be back and have you all here as well in 2019, here’s hoping you had a wonderful holiday filled with love and lots of great food. If you are like almost everyone else on the planet, I’m sure you have set goals or resolutions for this year and you are daring to go out there and smash them.

But before you pull the hammer out, let us be honest. Most of you are not going to accomplish any of your goals, some will never start, some will die out in a few days, some in a few months. Tragic I know but that is the reality that we are in.

The fact that you love to accomplish something does not give you enough momentum to see it through because love is an act. It is based on an emotional attachment that is characterised by moods and feelings hence a system is critical in accomplishing goals because a system works outside of the realm of emotion.

I had time to sit just reviewing my resolutions for this year, asking myself what are the main things that need to get done for me to feel this year is my best one yet. So I began auditing my values and habits to ensure alignment and integrity and reviewing the game plans for my businesses and personal life because clarity breeds mastery.

there’s no point in spending your finest hours climbing mountains, only to realise that at the end of the quarter/year/decade/life you climbed the wrong ones. Click To Tweet

Which brings me to the main idea of today’s post: Our Resolutions.

Seems so obvious to say that one of the mission-critical moves for enduring success is to build your daily life around your deepest priorities. Seems like such a platitude to offer that there’s no point in spending your finest hours climbing mountains, only to realise that at the end of the quarter/year/decade/life you climbed the wrong ones.

Seems so common to suggest that it’s foolish to invest your best days pursuing ideals that later turn out to be a success according to someone else’s definition rather than your own. But in this Age of Dramatic Distraction–where so many of us are in a constant state of relentless stimulation over things that ultimately will have amounted to nothing, this way of thinking is rare. And the main reason why is because we do not put systems in place to help us accomplish what we set out to accomplish. With no pattern or structure there is no order, where there is no order it is difficult to measure progress and where you can’t measure progress you do not see results.

So today I want to challenge you to a 90-day challenge, and all I want you to do is to write down your priority resolution for this year and repeat it every day without fail for 90 days. It could be going to the gym, not smoking, calling a loved one, buying someone flowers, jogging, writing, drawing, learning a new craft. Dedicate these first 90 days of the year to that one thing you love the most this year and see if a pattern will not form in the end. Be intentional and do not put your resolutions in the back seat but be proactive in making the necessary adjustments to aid you in achieving them.

The beauty about systems is they work even when you do not want them to, and cultivating such a habit allows you to achieve more of your resolutions even when they seem unattainable, even when you have fallen out of love with the idea, it gets to a point where it is muscle memory. Your resolutions should become your non-negotiables, your all or nothing, your do or die, your come hell or high waters.

So may I suggest, that in this world where so many people are following the herd and swiftly moving in circles, you rise from the crowd and get uber-clear on what you really want your days to stand for in 2019 by writing your own “90-Day Challenge.” And above all else, then start living it. Today.

Share with us what your challenge is in the comments section, we would love to follow your journey.

December 27, 2018

The Wrap Up

Productivity, self growth growth, my new year, new year, new years resolutions, personal growth, resolutions 0

“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbours, and let every new year find you a better man.” ― Benjamin Franklin

Drinking coffee. Hip-hop music’s playing. Still can’t believe the year is almost over, just 4 days to go. I sit in my dream room, my mind, and I think…

I think of the highs, the lows and all the in-between of 2018. I think of the people I’ve met recently. At events, in airports, work, in the streets. Good people. Great intentions, but so many sharing that they long for so much more. To feel more fully alive. To know what it truly means to feel and be inspired. To totally know their purpose, talents and potential. And to discover the bravery to let it all see the light of day.

You’re smart and talented and cool so you know that potential unexpressed turns to pain. You know that you have something so strong within you and it needs to come out for you to live truly. You know that the seductions of success that society sells you are meaningless at the end. You know that what this game’s really about is using each day as a platform to express your greatness. You know that the clock is ticking and that mastery postponed never gets done.

You know that you just can’t afford to wait another day to become the person you’ve always dreamed of being. And so I respectfully suggest that you make your start today (every master was once an amateur you know). In this coming year have the guts to go to your edges because as you meet your limits, your limits will expand, and remember that the easiest thing is rarely the best thing.

So to be practical, here are 3 fresh habits I need you to work into your 2019:

Habit #1: The 90/90/1 Rule

For the next 90 days, devote the first 90 minutes of your work day to the one best opportunity in your life. Nothing else. Zero distractions. Just get that project done whatever it is. Period.

Habit #2: The 30 Minute Inspiration Pocket

Schedule 30 minutes every day for the next week to get re-inspired. Please remember that you need to get your mindset right before you can achieve any results in your outer world. All masters make the time to fuel their well of inspiration, daily. Go to art galleries, read fascinating autobiographies and drink coffee with giants. Walk in parks, listen to awesome music and eat beautiful food, take aimless walks.

Habit #3: Write Your Ideal Days

This one’s cool. Every morning–while the rest of the world sleeps–write out the way your day will look if it were to unfold at perfection. Doing this will train your brain to look for opportunities to make your daily vision happen. Your mental focus muscles will grow stronger. And since your days are your life in miniature, this new habit is a life transformer. I call this the game changer.

Hope this sincere burst of words that I needed to share with you before the year ends inspires, encourages, supports and serves. And I express my deep and real gratitude to you for believing in me, following my work and being a model of possibility out in this world we belong to.

May you take on 2019 with more purpose, vision and determination. Be Great.

October 18, 2018

How To Have Your Best Year Ever

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“Better to start early than finish late.” ― J.R. Rim

Imagine this time next year…
You are walking down the street and you bump into yourself.
You’ve become who you said you would become.
And you’ve done what you said you would do.
And the journey has been as good as the destination.

Take a moment to imagine that; picture the delight, the pride, and the progress. Feel what it feels like to have become what you were not. Hear what you are telling yourself about the success, the lessons, and the accomplishments. You have truly had your best year ever.

As you land your best year ever, here are five concluding principles that will serve you well as we continue to map our way into the new year.

ONE

Finish your year before it starts. It’s a repeat message, I understand and it’s cliche to but it’s critical to optimising the next 12 months. When you have planned your work, you can work your plan. Create the year you most desire with the priorities you most want to achieve and follow the plan. Like a set of train tracks, once you have set out the path trust that it’s taking you to the destination you have predetermined. To paraphrase Jim Rohn, ‘set the goals high and hard because of what you BECOME by attempting to reach them.’ Having your year completed, your themes clarified, your goals articulated and your 90-day plans sorted, will give you a huge advantage on the year ahead.

TWO

Be energised by powerful clarity. In the previous blog, I spoke of SIMPLICITY but Clarity beats certainty EVERY TIME. If you wait to be certain, you will be waiting for a very long time. When you’re clear on the next best step in any area of life you MUST take it. Clarity gives you enough resource to step out. Stepping out shows you how achievable it is. This, in turn, gives you evidence that you can move towards your preferred future. The more you step forward with clarity, the more you realise that this ‘best year ever’ thing is doable. Clarity must produce purposeful action.

THREE

Move confidently towards your end game. When I set the GPS, I let it guide me efficiently towards the stated end goal. Of course, I calibrate along the way. I check the signs to make sure everything is working the way it needs to. If adjustments need to be made I make them. All those things are part of life. All those things are part of making something great. All those things are part of getting things done.

The key is you have an end game. You know your destination and you are heading towards it.

These things are cumulative. Finish your year, move with clarity, and track towards your end game. These build one on the other. Do them sequentially then allow them to create the momentum IN you and FOR you.

FOUR

Enjoy increased confidence and courage. When you aren’t certain, but you have clarity followed by purposeful action, you become increasingly confident to move into territory you didn’t know you could. As noted in the introduction, you become what you were not. This is the beauty of personal growth. This is the delight of learning new skills; this is the delight of learning about the joy of learning.

Confidence and courage are not arrogant. They are deeply held beliefs that “I can” based on the evidence continuing to be created in you and for you. They are the resources you use most when you can’t see the beginning or the end. They are the support structures that help you launch with a sense of ‘faith’ that all will be well. It’s incredible to have this level of confidence. Energising is essential to persevering and completing your best year ever.

FIVE

Continue to create your preferred future. The future you question is critical, isn’t it? “Who do you need to be and what do you need to have done to be delighted to meet yourself?” That helps you plan your best year ever. To maximise your potential and your contribution this benchmark question sets the whole plan into motion.

Right at the start of this experience, the idea that you could have the most powerful decade of your life was introduced. Rick Warren said, “You can do less in one year than you think you can and more in ten years than you think you can.” Rick is right. You are well on your way to your best year ever, and quite possibly your best decade ever.

Here’s to cheering you on.

QUESTION: What specifically do you need to do now to get started on this journey towards your best year ever? We’d love you to share your thoughts with us in the comments section.

October 11, 2018

The 5 Pillars Of Achieving Goals

Leadership, Motivation, Productivity, self growth grow, new year, resolutions 0

“Life doesn’t just happen, life happens just.” – Jim Rohn

To plan to have your best year ever is one of the best gifts you can give yourself and others. No doubt. To stretch yourself towards a “Future You” is critically important for the sake of becoming whom you currently are not.

Statistics vary, but all point to the fact that the vast majority of people choose not to continue with their game plan, and many do it before the end of the first month. In fact, Dan Diamond believes it’s only 8% of people who truly accomplish progress of this kind. Now you are thinking, hey wait we are only in October! True, but what I’m trying to do here is to make sure that when January 2019 comes, your mindset is already different.

How can it be different for you?

Here are five things to focus on in the next 30 Days to make the most of next year.

ONE
Know your BEST intention.

There is a saying in the faith world that says, “They have a good heart.” I’m not a huge fan of that statement, but I get the point. SO much of interacting with one another is to believe the best about our intentions. Believing the best intention makes managing unresourceful behaviour so much easier. An unhelpful act with good intentions can be far more easily resolved than something that comes from an unhelpful place.

What is your BEST intention for the next 12 months? Write it down. Make it sharp, compelling and FEEL the change it creates in you. I’m learning to “set my intention” for nearly everything I do. Work, this blog, speaking and parenting; with what I am planning to achieve, it helps because it shifts my internal world.

TWO
Expect Setbacks.

It’s true. Life isn’t necessarily going to lie down and easily allow you to become everything you have on the list. It is going to take some discipline, some sacrifice and a lot of persistence.

To expect setbacks doesn’t necessarily mean you ‘expect to fail.’ It means that when you choose to describe a “future you” you more than likely have to fight to make that happen. You may have to make an effort to make a change. A setback isn’t a good enough reason to drop the whole game plan. Perhaps Yoda got it right when he said, “Do or do not, there is no try.”
Life will challenge you to complete this. Time will be against you. Work will pile up around you. Your partner will expect things from you, and your kids won’t care.

Still, do. It’s worth it.

THREE
Keep your plan simple.

Simplicity gives you focus. Simplicity gives you energy. Simplicity helps you feel like this is doable!
Simplicity means you have done the work to evaluate if this plan is what you REALLY want. Remove the clutter, remove the distractions and focus VERY specifically on the most important things for you to become. One definition of simplicity is “something easy to understand or explain.” There lies a clue. If you show your gameplan to a friend and they don’t get it, you need to do more work.
It takes work to articulate something down to its irreducible minimum. When you have done that, it serves you in a compelling and energy giving way. To be able to declare where you plan to end up in a way that is simple and powerful gives you that critical reference point to keep coming back to.

FOUR
Make your ACTIONS specific.

The more specific the better.

The old I want to lose weight vs “When I meet myself I’m proud that I weigh 73Kg and have been eating a disciplined and healthy diet, exercising 3-4 times a week and enjoying the benefits of this.”
Specificity (hope this is a real word) makes it clear whether you have accomplished it or not.
Specificity makes this easier to move towards.
Specificity serves simplicity.
Specificity forces you to evaluate progress.

FIVE
Do it in a community.

Life really IS better together. Community means having a small group of people who are committed to you and who you are committed to. A place you get served AND you get to serve. A place of accountability, truth, authenticity and vulnerability. A place where you can share wisdom, lessons and resources.

By community, I mean a tribe that you have a sense of connection and unity with. A group of people that will commit to you as much as you, will commit to them. People who want you to succeed and do well and are willing to hold you to this highest standard of accomplishment, even if you don’t like it at the time. Accountability is best experienced in community. A place of love, a place of acceptance and a place that believes the best is yet to come.

Make it real, make it clear, make it simple and make it specific. Then make it work.

QUESTION: What’s your game plan for the next 30 days to make this work for you? We’d love you to share your thoughts with us in the comments section.

#leadsmall – because when you do, big things can happen.