Archive For: Personal Development

It’s A Success

My apologies for the delay in this weeks motivator. You see, I didn’t work yesterday as I was busy celebrating seven magnificent years of marriage with my gorgeous wife.

Success comes in many forms and another year of happy marriage is a great success.

As I have always said, if you may celebrating success a habit, you will make success a habit. So I HAD to have the day off yesterday.

Let me keep this message short and sweet. When you look at successful people they have some key habits and perspectives on life. Success is not about who you are but about what you do.

If you want to learn this “Psychology of Success”, join me tonight or tomorrow afternoon for a complimentary webinar on the subject.

We will cover:

1. How to set yourself up for success

2. Why some people enjoy good fortune and others endure endless mis-fortune, and how to be the former

3. How to recognise and over-come procrastination

4. Why “good” is a barrier to “great”… and how to achieve greatness

5. How to overcome fear

6. How to deal with adversity, how to turn adversity to opportunity

7. Why so many fail to reach their potential and what to do about it

Click here now to find out more and register.

Your Melbourne Cup Runneth Over

Your Melbourne Cup

It is the Monday before Melbourne Cup.

For many, the excitement is building about the “race that stops a nation”.

The trainers have been working hard to get the horses ready. The horses have been doing most of the work to get themselves ready (whether they know it or not). The venue staff have been making the place look beautiful, getting the food and beverages ready and working on people logistics. The bookies are doing their research to make sure they know what odds they need to put out there. Everybody involved is getting ready.

The place is abuzz with excitement – particularly because this is a carnival is not just for Melbourne Cup but for many races as the carnival lasts for over a week.

But what about the jockey? The humble person dressed in bright colours who seems to perch precariously on the back of the majestic beast and control the run towards victory. The Australian Medical Journal has research showing that the job of jockey is THE MOST DANGEROUS JOB ON LAND (with only offshore fisherman being more dangerous).

What mental courage to head back out into a gladiator like battle time and time again. Ignoring the odds and managing the risks to strive for victory.

They must have such a strong drive for success and commitment to their goal.

Sitting in our comfy workplaces in relative safety, how can we have that same drive for success? How can we stay commited when we want to give it up?

Bright, colourful, silk covered hats off to the jockeys. The real heroes of the Melbourne Cup.

PS If you want to Get More Success and learn some of the secrets that committed people like our friends the jockey’s use, then join me on a complimentary webinar next week.

It is being held in the evening of Tue 11th November or during the day on Wed 12th November. Click here for more information or to register. I would love to have you on the call.

Ask not for whom the internet trolls
It trolls for thee

(apologies to Hemmingway)

Trolling is easy.

Look at any social media site and you will see examples of it. Wikipedia defines it as “a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people.”

Too often, a discussion that starts out as a healthy debate with valid concerns transitions into a “slinging match” with someone finally activating Godwin’s Law. (Godwin’s law being where someone accuses another of being Hitler or a Nazi)

Trolling is nothing new. It has been around on the internet since the 80s with discussion boards rife with it. New technologies equated to new forums for Trolling. Politicians seem to have been trolling for years.

The shifts in to a more self-centred society seem to be a breeding ground for more trolls and troll like behaviour. Even people we know, who seem so polite and rational have succumbed to trolling. Some may say that road rage is a form of trolling, so are we surrounded by trolls?

Truth be told, most of us have a relative (typically being an Uncle with drinking issues) who seem to troll our family events. It is even more likely that you have some kind of troll at your workplace. The worst case is when the troll is your boss.

So how do you catch a troll, or at the very least, minimise their impact. As with most things, it is easier to catch a troll when they are small and before they get momentum. Once they have been activated they are almost impossible to catch.

Here are some Troll Hunters Guidelines for you:

Never Ever Feed the Trolls

A troll’s power increases with their feeding. What feeds a troll is attention. They don’t care if it is good or bad, any kind of attention will do. Godwin’s law is usually activated when two or more trolls start a flinging match with each other. Trolls cannot hear rational argument or a different perspective. It is not worth even trying. You can prevent significant damage just by following this guideline.

Set Boundaries for the Trolls

If you need to have a conversation or you are about to communicate something you know may be a little contentious, set the rules. If you run a page, group, or site set the rules up front. Trolling escalates when the commentary becomes personal so set the rules that you welcome comments about the idea or concept but unsubstantiated comments about a person or entity will not be tolerated. You can say something about their behaviour or ideas but not about them. Ensure that you also state the consequence of that action. Whether the comment will be deleted or the user will be blocked, it is up to you.

Never Tolerate Trolls

Should troll like behaviour start, shut it down quickly. Whether it is a conversation with the person, a direct message or a preventative deletion of the comment, do what it takes to kill the troll behaviour before it even starts.

Yes, the internet and life would be better without the trolls. Unfortunately, they are here to stay. What these guidelines will do is help you minimise the impact of trolls in your life.

Happy hunting!

When the Sky Is Falling

Overnight Melbourne had one of the wildest thunderstorms it has even seen. Rolling thunder and lightning (very, very frightening) lasted for hours.

I know it lasted for hours because I lay awake listening to it at 2am and then at 6am. My gorgeous wife struggled to sleep with all the noiseso listened to it for hours also.

Poor Winston (our dog) did not know what to do with himself. He was shaking and probably thought the world was coming to an end. We knew it wouldn’t last so we just comforted him and held him so he knew he was safe.

A couple of friends said that they had to do the same thing with their kids.

Life (and business) is like that. Sometimes you need someone who has been through it before or who has a different context or a great perspective to guide you. This is true whether it is because the sky is falling, you are struggling to achieve the success you are after or you are just facing a problem you don’t know how to deal with.

So what do you do when the sky is falling?
PS I am running an online session on Psychology of Success. There is no charge and you can attend on Tuesday evening (11th Nov) or Wed lunch time the next day.

I would love for you to join me. To find out more or sign up click on this link.

Do Not Go Gently

we want gough

Gough Whitlam was a polarizing figure. People either loved him or hated him. His passing overnight will sadden many.

I was thrilled to portray him at the recent Melbourne Fringe Festival but I really knew very little about him.

For a man who was Australia’s leader for three short years, he had a significant impact on it. You need only look at the considerable list of achievements to see that we still enjoy some of his benefits today. The Guardian newspaper lists some of the following:

created Australia’s national health insurance scheme, Medibank;
abolished university fees;
introduced state aid to independent schools and needs-based school funding;
returned traditional lands in the Northern Territory to the Gurindji people;
drafted (although did not enact) the first commonwealth lands right act;
established diplomatic relations with China,
withdrew the remaining Australian troops from Vietnam;
introduced no-fault divorce laws;
passed the Racial Discrimination Act;
blocked moves to allow oil drilling on the Great Barrier Reef;
introduced environmental protection legislation;
and removed God Save the Queen as the national anthem.

In his first year in office his government passed over 200 bills. Gough had created a vision for the future of Australia and it was referred to as his Program. Rightly or wrongly, he was steadfast in his commitment to achieving it.

My hope is that his passing with further stimulate open discussion about our current political state. While Gough was polarizing, he had character, vision and commitment to his cause. Our current political leaders pale in comparison. They appear to be self indulgent, self serving and, at best, “flexible” on their ideals. Our leaders have forgotten the notion that the are Servants of the PEOPLE and for the PEOPLE!

Gough was famous for his quote of “Maintain the Rage”. My tribute to him is his quote in a mash up with Dylan Thomas’ great work.

Rest well Gough, It’s Time!

—–

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Maintain the rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Maintain the rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my Prime Minister, there on that sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Maintain the rage against the dying of the light.

Where Does The Time Go?

It’s Monday … AGAIN!

This seems to keep happening on a regular basis. So why are people surprised when it comes around?

“Can you believe it’s Monday already!”

It’s a bit like Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, remembrance days …. you name it, they come around quick.

Can I highly recommend to you that you take advantage of this? [You KNOW that time will go quick, so you have to do more, experience more, be more in the limited time you have left.

Don’t wait to do the thing you have always dreamed of, start it today.

If you don’t start your desire (say piano lessons), in two years time, all you will be is two years down the track and still unable to play the piano. But if you start, you will be able to do way more than you do on a piano today. Even if it is merely to master the art of chopsticks!!

Don’t be the person sitting around waiting for things to happen wondering, “Where Does The Time Go?”

What Do You See?

I was fortunate enough to be hosting an association conference last week. It was held at the Alice Springs Convention Centre.

This image was the view out of the back of the convention centre at 7am. To me, it is simply stunning. It was an awe inspiring location.

During my conversation with other attendees, I realised that not everyone shared that perspective.

Some only spend time inside the convention centre networking with other attendees
Some felt the night activities outside were too cold
Some thought the town centre was empty with many shops for lease
Some spend their afternoon on tours on both sides of the McDonald Ranges
Some felt that the weather was too good to spend inside
Some felt that their travel agent needed a good kick because they bought them tickets to Ayers Rock and NOT Alice Springs (a five hour drive away!)
Some felt the countryside so stunning that they spent the two days driving from Adelaide to get there rather than fly
Some liked the place but couldn’t wait to get back home.

I am sure you have your own opinions as well.

That is the point. All too often we see something and think that everyone else will see what we see. That is NOT true. Everyone has different filters, different histories, different ideals, different values and this all impacts how they will see things.

So what do YOU see?

It’s Good

Have you seen the news lately?

Death, destruction, mayhem, questionable politicians, self-obsessed business people, profit driven leaders, war, environmental tragedies… the list goes on and on.

Why is this in the news?

Yes it is happening, but all the tragedy is in the news because tragedy is what rates and what makes money. Your life goes in the direction of what you pay attention to.

Can I humbly suggest [First Name] that you stop watching the news and stop reading the paper? Choose to focus on some of the fabulous goodness that is going on in the world.

I have had the fortune of hosting some great events of late. One of them as Elvis (in the post Burger stages!)

The focus of these events was to celebrate the Good and generate money for charity.

The people at these events are just normal people like you and me. Not super wealthy mega rich people, just people who work hard, love what they do and like to contribute.

At one event almost $15,000 was raised for Camp Quality and at another a cheque of $63,000 was presented to further research in to Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

It’s good. Life is good.

People, by their very nature are inherently good. Focus on the good, be part of the good and your life can’t help but be good.

Will You Survive?

Charles Darwin is often misquoted as saying it is the “Survival of the fittest”

What he actually said was:

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change”

From what I have seen, we are not that good at change.

Look at what happens if Apple does an update or Facebook changes its interface or if the email system you use changes. People go out of their mind and spend so much energy fighting something they cannot change.

You don’t have to be smart and you don’t have to be strong, you have to be adaptable. It is the same in relationships and with your work.

Stop resisting change and start adapting to it. It will magnify your success and your survival.

So will you survive?

Meet Hetty Kate.

Hetty was just leaving the choir I sing with as I joined it in 2007. She had worked for many years on her musical skills and was incredibly good. She had spent a couple of years with the choir to gain the experience of performing within a group and expanding her musical experience.

She would always talk about her dream of being a Jazz singer, singing with well known and regarded jazz musicians and going on tours singing.

Last week when Wifey and I were in Hobart, it was fabulous to see this article in the paper. Its references to how she has performed on four continents, released six albums and sung with James Morrison and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra shows that her dream is now her reality.

I’ve seen the same kind of thing with my clients.

But it MUST start with a dream. Something that inspires you and keeps you going when things get rough (as they will).

So what’s your dream? What are you aiming for?

PS Disney did a great song about this on their Tangled film. You can see some of here

What’s It For?

During a recent mastermind group “love in” we had a conversation about Work Life Balance. Not long after I was talking with a colleague about semi-retirement and retirement. The sum of these conversations led me to the conclusion that many people have no idea what they are doing!

Employees work hard because they want to add to their super so they can enjoy life in their retirement. Small business owners try to be bigger business owners to bring in money so they can enjoy more time with their family. People work many hours to provide for those they love who end up not recognising them because they are not around.

Too often retirees have lost their identity because their job was who they became, business owners can’t get out of the empire they build because “no-one can do it like they can” and both types lose what health they have due to the stress and demands of their choices.

What’s it for?

Why do you work so hard? Why do you do what you do? Why wait to have that experience? If you own the business, why don’t you have an afternoon off to spend with those you love – you won’t sack yourself!

Too often as people make a living, they forget to live. Never forget what you are doing this for and can you do some of it today?

PS Sorry I missed last weeks blog post, I was spending the day with Wifey before she went on a weeklong girls holiday to Fiji.

Again, Again, Again

Are you scared to get things wrong?

In the past, I have been so scared to get things wrong or make the wrong decision, that I have done nothing just so I wouldn’t be wrong.

I am happy to be on stage in front of hundreds or thousands of people and stuff up. I have even completely stuffed up a song in my choir during a performance and been ok with it, but one on one I hate getting things wrong or doing the wrong thing.

As part of my continual professional development, I am doing some Improv training. The first thing they teach you is to celebrate your mistakes. There is no “wrong” and part of what slows you down is looking for the RIGHT thing. Our standard approach is that if you get stuck, stuff something up or just don’t know what to do, you wave your hands in the air and shout, “Again, again, again.”

How great would that be in real life? Imagine if during a negotiation, part way through a deep and meaningful conversation with a loved one or simply talking with a client, whenever what you said came out wrong or you weren’t how the next bit should go or they reacted unexpectedly to what you were saying you could just say, “Again, Again, Again.”

Next time you are scared to get things wrong, always remember you can say to yourself “Again, again, again.”

PS Want to see me get it wrong on stage?

My choir Mood Swing is performing this Sunday in North Melbourne at 2pm.
Two hours of family friendly entertainment for only $20 and kids are free.
With over 20 songs there will be plenty of opportunity for me to get words, dancing, commentaries and so much more WRONG!

To book your tickets or find out more, simply click here.

How Is Your Service?

What an amazing week in Abu Dhabi. So many amazing experiences and a great view from the lunch restaurant!

Grand Mosque

One of the things that I found fabulous was the level of service.

No, I was not staying at a 6, 7 or 8 star hotel, but it seemed no matter where you went the service was great.

What was the key thing that made the service so great? The assistants, waiters, hoteliers, AV crew, hosts were all smiling and happy.

You genuinely felt that they wanted you to have a good time and an enjoyable experience.

It proved to me that great customer service is a choice. You get to choose your attitude and the energy it takes to give a little extra is minimal.

So how is your service? Do you give good internal customer service as well as external customer service?

It’s a choice!

BONUS

As a little bonus, I shot a quick video (less than a minute!) when I was in Abu Dhabi on some of the service. Enjoy!

PS This concept of using a name was confirmed during my flight home. I noticed that the flight attendants name was Leanne (she was wearing a name tag).

So when she asked did I want chicken or fish, I replied “Can I have the chicken thank Leanne”.

She paused and said, “Thank you so much for using my name. I really appreciate it and wish more people would”. She then took great care of me on the way home and said thank you again as I left the plane.

Names are important. Use them as often as you can.

Warwick In Action

Greetings From Abu Dhabi

I have only just arrived here and I am here for a week presenting and hosting different elements of conference (I am looking forward to hosting the day at Ferrari World!)

In a session with The Bucket List Guy, Travis Bell, he told me that it is not achieving the item on the bucket list that counts; it is who you are on the other side of achieving it.

That put into words for me how I have always felt about travel. It is the exposure to different cultures, putting yourself in unfamiliar locations and situations, being resourceful enough to communicate when you don’t know the language, comprehending that YOU are the odd one out that stretch your mind.

When did you last put yourself in a “Foreign situation”? How can you have more of these growing experiences that stretch your mind?

The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque near my hotel

Less Is More

As part of the recent Festival of Warwick, Wifey took me to see Suzanne Vega at the Melbourne Recital Centre. A fantastic concert at a brilliant venue.

One of the things that made it so good was it’s minimalism.

The set was simple; just some coloured lights on the curtains.
The band was simple; just Suzanne and her guitarist Gerry.
The introduction was short and simple; no support act, just Suzanne Vega.
The show was loaded with great songs and went for nearly 2 hours.

I was thrilled at the sound Gerry got from his guitar. A few bits of equipment (loop pedal and other effect pedals) and he was making some great sounds.

What made the show so engaging was the lack of flashy effects. You got the core elements. It was a prime example of Less Is More.

So what about you? Where in your life could you have Less and be More? Do Less and achieve More? Take Less and give More?

Image: Gerry Leonard

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Archive For: Personal Development

It’s A Success

Your Melbourne Cup Runneth Over

Your Melbourne Cup Runneth Over

How to Catch an Internet Troll