Saturday, 28 of January of 2012

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wake up and live
WAKE UP AND LIVE!
5 Steps to Powerfully Live Your Purpose
Written by Gloria Hamilten
gloria hamilten
This book is a no holds barred, all-encompassing practical guide to helping men and women get out of the frustration treadmill of not knowing what their Life Purpose is.
wake up and live
WUAL book cover for online 150x150 It is designed for highly-motivated men and women who want a direct approach that works.

Even if you have an idea of how you’d like your business and personal life to be, you may have no idea how to go about achieving it.
wake up and live
This book  (also available as an Ebook) will alleviate your restlessness and frustration that comes with not living your Life Purpose.
wake up and live
Following 30 years plus of research and practical application of many techniques, this unique, proven 5-Step LifeMap™ System will help you break out of life’s monotony and give you control of your life back!


The Good Old Days…

It’s funny how we tend to enjoy clinging onto the past, and those “good ole days”…  It assumes that the present and perceived future won’t be bringing the same kind of fun and happiness. 

I’m as guilty as the next person in this regard, but a recent blog post by Seth Godin made me re-evaluate. 

Why do we like to look backwards with such fondness?  Is it because we romanticise what has happened, so we remember primarily the good things? 

While that’s a good trait to have, it can also be very destructive, as we try to mould our future to match those apparent past happinesses. 

Live in the now, and aim high, dream big, and allow the future just unfold…


How Grand Is Your Purpose?

prioritize for your purpose 150x150 How Grand Is Your Purpose?Having a purpose or vision for what you want to achieve in your life does not have to be “grand”.  In fact, the greatness of your purpose is completely irrelevant. 

The most important thing is that you have a purpose that’s true and yours, and that you love what you do.  Living your passion is what we all aspire to.  There is no definition that says your passion needs to rid the world of war or hunger. 

In fact, by just being you and living your purpose you are making the biggest impact possible.


Speed of Implementation

Recently I was listening to Eban Pagan and he said something that really resonated with me.  It was to do with the Speed of Implementation.  It’s the time space between when you hear about something and when you actually take action. 

Something that we’re keenly aware of in our life and business is implementation.  It’s great to be an “armchair traveller”, but it’s nothing like being in the thick of the action and really being part of life! 

We are at our most inspired and motivated at the peak of the experience.  Why not then just go and implement and begin to see results?  Well, how about fear for an answer, or uncertainty, or low self-worth…  There are any number of reasons, and everyone’s reason will be different. 

At the core of it though, taking action, and the speed at which you do this, will give you the results that you want, at a speed that won’t weigh you down.


Just As I Learned All The Answers, They Changed All The Questions

As a child, my parents bred Weimaraner dogs, and they had this sign hanging in the kitchen with a very perplexed looking Weihmaraner puppy with a speech bubble above his head filled with the words, “Just as I learned all the Answers, they changed all the Questions“. 

I used to just think this was just a cute saying, but for some reason the words became heavily implanted in my memory.  It now takes on a different perspective for me as through my experience I’ve learned the value of listening and asking questions. And, the more you actively listen, the better your questions get, which in turn means the better the answers get, leading to better decisions and actions. 

Never stop asking questions, not just for the sake of saying something, but to really understand what’s going on.  Just as a child loves asking “why”, keep that childlikeness and take an active role in your live – every moment! 


Is Vision Only What You Can Physically See?

The English language is a wonderful thing.  Words can have so many different meanings.  In a moment of whimsy recently, I pondered the meaning of the word “Vision”. 

On the one hand, vision means “the act of seeing, or sight”.  It can also mean being in a trance state, beauty (a vision of…), or even seeing a supernatural being.  Yet another meaning is having foresight and imaginative insight, and something to strive towards. 

Considering that in modern society we’ve become very conditioned to only ‘believe what we see‘, it’s important to remember that “vision” is also about the intangible.  It’s about having a grand view of your future, and putting steps into place that will help you achieve that future vision. 

It’s not something you can physically see, touch or feel, but it will become that with passion, purpose and complete faith in the attainment of that vision.  So, go and build your grand life Vision!


Ways of Reacting to Adversity

Recently we’ve been confronted with an elderly relative being diagnosed with Dementia, and the labyrinthine procedural and emotional rollercoaster that goes with it.  Part of this has meant delving into the history of this relative, which has raised some interesting questions surrounding a person’s ability to rise out of adversity. 

A research study done by the International Committee for the Study of Victimisation found that there are three different categories of people who have suffered serious adversity: 

  1. 1.    Those who were permanently dispirited by the event
  2. 2.    Those who go their life back to normal
  3. 3.    Those who used the experience as a defining event that made them stronger 

In our relative’s case, she is firmly planted into the first category, which has made the process we are now going through even more obstacle fraught.  Nevertheless, the process itself is for us, a form of adversity, and it’s been interesting to make the choice (unconsciously and consciously) of which category we will be in. 

Undoubtedly, the third category is where we are aiming to be, and making this conscious decision has made the process far smoother and empowering (as opposed to succumbing to the negativity and disempowering ourselves). 

It’s not the kind of introspection that we do all that often, but it’s an interesting question to ask when adversity affects your life in some way.


Perseverance

 

Stick with it, keep on going, don’t give up…  There are any number of ways that we hear words that amount to one form of behaviour – perseverance. 

Throughout all, or part of your childhood, you’re likely to have been told to “persevere” at some point, especially if you participated in sport, or any kind of physical activity.  It’s just part of life.  If we didn’t persevere we wouldn’t have learned how to walk, talk, write or read. 

Imagine if you gave up half way through learning to walk – that would have made life a little complicated…  At some point though, many people have stopped pushing through the pain, or unpleasantness, or fear, to the extent that it holds them back from really achieving and living the life they want. 

Is all it takes perseverance?  I once saw an interview with Harrison Ford and he said that he didn’t consider himself the most talented of actors, or the best looking, he just stuck with it, and kept on going.  He was “in the game”. 

It’s an interesting concept.  If you’re willing to start putting in the work to achieve something, then keep on going.  Don’t give up when the going gets tough – that’s just when the biggest breakthroughs happen!


Think Big

The concept of ‘thinking’ and ‘thinking big’ is not new, especially not to entrepreneurs.  It is however, a concept that requires much more attention than it currently gets.  We are not taught how to ‘think big’ through much of our schooling lives.  Being taught to think even can be a dubious notion.   

For the most part, school is designed to standardise the thinking process, teaching all students how to think in similar ways.  There are those students who don’t conform to the mould, and are naturally free thinkers, but this is the exception. 

Being taught the discipline of thinking is the key – having that skill and being able to apply it in a way that encourages innovation, expansion and action. 

As Donald Trump says, “As long as you’re going to think anyway, think big”. 

This idea is further explored in the movie “Limitless” which touches on the 80% of our brains that we don’t use, and what would happen if we had regular access to it. 

While biologically using more of our brain’s capacity is intriguing, the mindset that goes with it is even more important.  Thinking ‘big’ and having a vision that is larger than one person is the key.


Expense Duplication

Recently, I did a little “telecommunications audit”.  This might not sound glamorous, but in our business we seemed to be constantly receiving bills from our telecommunications provider.  Admittedly we have 2 offices, so there is bound to be some duplication, but I was interested in how we could better ‘bundle’ things. 

So, a few hours down at our location telecommunications store and we came back with bundled services, that were going to save us money each month. 

Now, it’s not just about the money, it’s also about the efficient use of resources. 

What also spurred this on was working with a client recently who had three sets of people doing the exact same thing!  One party was reviewing the other parties work, and the third, well, I really don’t know what they were supposed to be doing.  The process was completely inefficient – people’s time, resources, and not to mention budget duplication, or triplication in this case! 

So, take a look at how you’re operating and see if there are areas where you could enhance your services.


The Meaning of Life

What is the meaning of life?  What is my Purpose?  These are eternal questions that we are often asked.  Recently, an elderly relative was diagnosed with Dementia, and though not a surprise, it has been quite an emotional blow. 

Here is someone who used to be so robust and strong, and incredibly wilful.  This is no longer the person we see in front of us.  This particular person lived their entire life in fear, and infused criticism and cynicism into nearly all aspects of their life. 

Looking at it now, there was so much more potential, and it lay dormant.  In terms of “meaning” and “purpose”, don’t spend your life trying to figure it out.  Go out and LIVE.  Have adventures, make mistakes, and above all, be authentic and live with integrity. 

You will look back and realise that you answered your question many times over, as the answer evolves as you evolve.  As the cliché goes – Seize the Day!