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Archive For: Personal Development

Spending Time With the Future

I spent time with the future this weekend.

Friday night, I hung out with my nephew chatting about all things that a young fella talks about. Watching movies, eating burgers and having a bit of fun.

Sunday morning I caught up with my friend’s son who wants to be a professional speaker when he grows up. I talked a fair bit but he shared some of his thoughts, asked some great questions and told me of his plans.

The future is in pretty good hands.

Both boys were a huge credit to their parents. They were respectful, polite and had a great sense of energy.

Too often we hear people talking about how the “younger generation” has it easier, are rude, have no respect, put whatever your thoughts are here. But maybe those ones are the exception to the rule.

What I heard was all about possibility, ideas, energy, enthusiasm, all without the heavy cynicism that many of us older people have.

From where I stand, the future is in good hands. It is up to us to make sure we operate in the best interest of ALL of our planet’s future inhabitants and not focus on a profit for the old farts who will soon be gone from this world.

So what are you doing today to make our world a better place for our future? It may even make things better for you too!

What’s Your Hobby?

This week is a special week.

It is a special week because both of my hobbies start again.

As I have commented before, I study with Impro Melbourne and sing with Mood Swing and this week we are back into rehearsals to get ready for some upcoming performances.

I have always been a fan of having a hobby. There are many different research papers showing that early retirement can lead to an early death and I believe that some of that is due to retiree’s not knowing who they are outside the work environment. I have seen this frequently for men in business.

Their identity is wrapped up in what they do rather than who they are.

Having a hobby can help combat this. Hobbies also tap into your passion and can energise and stabilise your emotive state while dealing with the other situations life throws at you.

By the way, a family is not a hobby! A hobby has to be something you do for YOU. Something that inspires YOU, challenges YOU, pushes YOU and delights YOU.
Like my hobbies, they can also contribute to your professional life but that is not the primary reason to choose a particular hobby.

So, what’s your hobby? When do you start?

Are They Accredited?

January is Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) month and I am thrilled to say that I have held this level of Accreditation for the last two years.

But what does that mean?

Like many professionals in our lives, accountants, lawyers, plumbers, electricians, mechanics, IT professionals and speakers, their professional bodies set a minimum required skill set as well as significant professional and ethical standards that must be met to receive a level of accreditation.

From personal experience, achieving CSP was incredibly difficult. It is a global designation and it is a top level of accreditation awarded by member bodies of the Global Speaker Federation.

As with many industries, there are a handful of people who don’t have the accreditation but they are still excellent at what they do. The accreditation is the guarantee that someone else has done the due diligence and that the professional you are considering has the skill for the job.

So do you do the due diligence on all of your suppliers? Whether they are fixing your house, compiling your accounts or hosting your next client event, do you minimise the risk of drama and maximise the chance of success.

Do you ask yourself, “Are they accredited?”

What If You Have Nothing To Say?

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and all of a sudden you have nothing to say?

By the time you think of what you need to say it’s 30 minutes later in an elevator! In your head you have the conversation. “They would say …. and I would say … and they would respond ….”

With everything going on in your life today you know it is going to happen at some stage.

Maybe it’s on a stage? Maybe it is when you are introducing someone at an event and you suddenly forget their name or the location you are in. Maybe the sponsors name slips from your mind – so what do you do?

Personally, I just make stuff up and keep talking!

I don’t just make anything up. I make up something relevant, something about what is happening around me, hopefully something funny or so unfunny people think it’s a dad joke.
I work with what is in the room so that everyone can share the fun of what is happening.

This is the art of Improv.

The lovely Tanya (or as I call her Door Number 1) accompanied me to Theatre Sports recently, as performed by one of Australia’s premier improv companies, Impro Melbourne.

The stories we were beguiled with ranged included: the singing chickens at the country fair, the romantic version of Hansel and Gretel (with stalker room mate), the pivot table Shakespearean Halloween story, Euripides in the Wollongong Caravan park – plus many more.

The power of Improv is in the “Yes and.” It means you take what you have and then build on it with the intent of making your partner (or the audience) look great.

This concept is also powerful in every day conversation, showing that you listen or finding something to say when your brain suddenly stops and you have nothing to say.

So what will you say?

PS
If you are interested in Improv at all, I highly recommend you check out Impro Melbourne shows and Workshops. I have long been a student of theirs and it has really pushed my MC/Speaker work to the next level. If you are not based in Melbourne, an internet search will help find a company near you to visit.

PPS
Booking for the 2017 Success Session have started. If you want to make 2017 your best year ever, check out the details of the day to be held here in Melbourne and take advantage of the early bird special.

Ready for 2017?

“Whaaaat? But it’s only October?”

You are right. It is only October and already I am having discussions with people about next year.
Some of these discussions about holidays, some are about conference hosting and some are clients asking me to contact them next year as they “can’t even think about 2017 yet”.

So let’s talk about this year.

How is it going for you?
Have you achieved your goals?
Are you on track for budget?
What have you done differently?
What new skills have you achieved?
Would you call it a “successful year”?

Too often we waste time, energy and resources because we don’t set ourselves up for success. It may just be some high level considerations for next year.
Maybe it is defining how you will measure success for the year. It could even be a simple Bucketlist Brainstorm for 2017.

Whatever you do, it is time to start thinking about 2017.

You want to be ready for it.

PS Here is Help to Get Ready
Last year I ran a very successful 2 day retreat to help get ready for this year. I received some excellent feedback about it and wanted to act on that feedback. One of the comments was that it would be more accessible in a one day intensive. Others wanted the event in late December to get their brains started on it over the quiet time.

Here is what I have done. I am now running a one day Success Planning session in late December and another in early February. There are limited to 20 people each and I would love for you to be there. Click this link to discover some of the powerful tools and methods we will be learning about to plan your successful 2017. If you could do me a favour and share it with your friends, that would be awesome too.

Let me know if you have any questions.

There Has To Be More

Many of us have a job, some of us work for ourselves and others are business caring for others (kids, family and so on).
As some stage, most people have the thought, “There has to be more than this.”

The answer is, of course there is.

The world is full of fun things that you can do just for yourself, just for pleasure, just for the challenge, just for the contribution, just for the feelings you have as you do it.

What is your MORE?

What is the thing that you do just to charge your batteries, the thing that gives you energy?
Long time readers will know that one of my things is to sing with a choir.
This weekend we had our sold out concert. Click here or on the video below to get a sample of the kind of things we sang.

What will you do to meet your need and desire for MORE?

Same, Same but Different

Humans don’t like change. We love our routine and the sense of control that “same” brings.
Many people have challenged me on that statement. Upon further discussion, the person challenging me has “their spot” on the couch, “their side” of the bed and even “their seat” at the dining table.

Yet in a world of constant change, how can we deal with all the change thrust upon us and the changes we need to make?

The answer is Same, Same but Different.

Let me explain

The image above is of Post Modern Jukebox. I was fortunate enough to be taken to see them perform by a good friend.

If you are not familiar with them, they perform modern songs in a 30’s to 50’s kind of style. Click the image and you will see Guns and Roses Sweet Child of Mine in a way you may never have considered. Google will show you a whole lot more.

The familiarity of the song means we are comfortable with it, but the new and interesting arrangement becomes an enjoyable experience within a known framework.

How much change is happening in your life or workplace? If you can make it Same, Same but Different you will find the change easier to embrace and easier to implement. It is simply Evolution rather than Revolution.

Are You Beside Yourself?

This is my gorgeous wife, beside herself during a dusk walk at Cardinia Reservoir.

Yes, it’s a sneaky little trick you can do when shooting in panorama mode.
Yes, it would be good to be able to clone yourself to get more done.
Yes, it’s not like this in real life … or is it?

Long time readers will know that I am a huge fan of systemising your activities.
Let your processes and systems run the business and your people run the systems.

Now, with some of the newer technologies and apps available, not only do the systems run your business, but you can also automate them so that they run by themselves.

Here are some examples:
Accounting packages – Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks, Sassuu and others all now link directly to your bank to download your statements and based on past activity, will partially reconcile these statements saving you a lot of time.
Social media – Hootsuite, Buffer and some social media channels themselves, allow you to post your news across multiple social media streams at once. MeetEdgar will store your social media entries by category and continue to publish them according to the schedule you set, ad infinitum.
Education – Online learning via video, audio and other modalities allows you to present new knowledge at your speed and convenience while the student absorbs it at THEIR speed and convenience (and level or repetitiveness required).
Your relationship – Just so you know, you have to do this yourself. Once you automate or outsource it, you are in big, BIG trouble! I thought it was important to state this!

It is now possible, even preferred, that you be beside yourself and be able to leverage your skills, knowledge and earning capacity.

So how can you be beside yourself today?

PS For those of you who will be in Melbourne on Sunday 18th September, I am beside myself with excitement as the choir I sing in Mood Swing will be performing.
If you love A Cappella music and want a relaxed and family friendly Sunday afternoon of enjoyment, check out the details here. I would love to see you there.

Do You Hear The Voice?

Aren’t these lovely horses? Such majestic creatures. Except that last night, I was swearing at them!
It was late at night, I was tired, it was dark, it was raining and five of them got out and I could not get them back in the paddock!!

Truth be told, it was all my fault.

We had a colossal weekend splitting 25 cubic metres of wood (about 15 tonnes) and I was delivering some to the farm. The horse’s owner always leaves the gate open, visits them and then leaves closing the gate behind her.
I thought I’d do the same. I will never do that again!

This voice said, “Shut the gate. It will be better. You don’t know where the horses are and you would hate to have to chase them.”

Did I listen? Nooooooo. I overruled my common sense, sub conscious, gut reaction, guiding thoughts (what ever you may call it) with my wilful self. I was so tired and I knew I couldn’t be trusted but I did it anyway.

(The story has a happy ending. The owner finally checked her phone that was on silent, and after me trying for 90 minutes, within 5 minutes she had the horses all back in the paddock!)

Do you ever ignore that voice? Maybe it’s an email you want to send, a comment you think about saying, a phone call you could have made or some kind of action that the voice is telling you to do or not do and you over rode the voice to your detriment.

The secret is, trust yourself. You really do know what you are doing it’s just that sometimes you have to get out of your own way. Listen to the voice or you may be wasting a lot of time fixing a situation you have caused.

Upgrading Your Problems

It’s fantastic when your problems get upgraded.

We had a large gumtree that had been diagnosed with internal rot. It was in danger of dropping a limb on the house or the house next door.
As you would expect, this was a problem for us.

We asked the lumberjacks (and yes, there were ok) to leave some of the wood for firewood. So now we have a better problem.
We have almost 40 cubic metres of huge sized firewood. Click on the image above to see a short video of the firewood. (It’s worth watching!)

The pieces are too big to lift so we need to get a big truck and a front end loader but that is a better problem than the possibility of a falling limb.

So how are your problems? Can you upgrade them?

UPDATE

So my gorgeous wife and a couple of friends and relatives went crazy on the wood pile and here is the outcome. The tree pieces are now split and stored. There is over 20 cubic metres of firewood (about 12 tonne). Oh, and there are some very sore bodies too as it took a lot of effort. Now for the toasty warm fires!

2016-08-21 16.54.52-1

2016-08-20 20.20.07

How Much?

I have just taken on another mentoring client.

They are a leader in their industry, have a significant presence in the market and are excellent at what they do but they charge only about 30% of the average industry price for some of their services.

Naturally one of the first things we will be doing is raising their prices.

To do this we will have to have some serious conversations, but not with their customers. It is all about what THEY think they are worth.

Your price does not reflect what your market thinks you are worth but what YOU think you are worth. You then need to go to market and position the value.

So for what you do, how much are you worth?

Keep the Fire Burning

It’s winter in Australia and down south we are having a few cold nights. That’s when it is great to huddle around a fire, feel the warmth and connect with those around you.

But the fire doesn’t keep alive by itself.

It needs a bit of a poke every now and again. Sometimes it needs more wood and if it gets too low sometimes you need to get some more kindling or fire starters just to beef it up again.

Life’s like that.

Sometimes you need to give yourself a bit of a poke to get going again. It can be easy to slow down and forget that you are not operating as well as you could.

Other times, you need more fuel, more inspiration, more engagement, more ideas, more conversation, more thought provoking ideas, different perspectives or a fresh start on something.

It’s all about keeping your inner fire going.

How do you keep your flame burning?

When It Rains

There is so much about elections in the news at the moment. From Trump vs Clinton to Brexit to our very own federal election here in Australia. The impact of these elections is unknown, widely speculated upon and loaded with fear and uncertainty.

It is so easy to get caught up in the speculation and start to worry unnecessarily about what may or may not happen. There are a lot of commentators, educated people and highly passionate arguments out there. Some are not very nice.

When it rains negativity and intolerance, I need to change my perspective by surrounding myself with something positive. So let’s focus on something good.

As Shakespeare said, “If music be the food of life, play on.” So here is a great burst of music to give you a decent feed. A speaking friend of mine, Rich Allen, has been working with his daughter Pip for the last two years to create her album When It Rains.

Pip wants to share this burst of positivity and delight with the world and so would love for you to have a copy. I have listened to it and really enjoy her delicate vocals and some of the topic matter. There are also different styles of music as well. If you would like a copy, head over to her website and download it.

At the very least have a listen and see what you think.

What about you? When it rains negativity, indifference or unpleasantness on you, how do you deal with it?
How do you protect yourself from this rain and remain focussed on what is important and what brings you joy?

I’m Getting Grumpy

Oh dear. I am turning into one of those grumpy old men who talk about how it was in the “old days”. But I am not the only one who is grumpy.

I have posted a few things on social media recently about guns, particularly in the USA. While I know it is a sensitive issue, I figured that avoiding the issue was doing nothing so how about a civil conversation or debate.

Now I have some lovely friends in the USA who are passionate about their guns and while I have a different perspective, I also respect their right to have a different belief.

Then the trolls came.

Somewhere along the way, we have lost the ability to have a civil discussion that attacks an issue and not the person delivering it. It is great to get passionate but it is not nice, pleasant or appropriate to convert a discussion about an issue into a personal attack. So often I see a comment “You’re/They’re an idiot” or “only fools would believe …” This does nothing to progress the discussion and only drags it down.

Now this holds true whether you are discussing guns, office policies, strategic directions or the best way to pack a car. It holds true in private discussions, work discussions and even the political discussions we are seeing of late.

We seem to have lost the ability to tolerate an opinion that doesn’t match our own, listen with an open mind and then construct a logical argument to support our own beliefs all while being willing to change our opinion if we are proven wrong.

My commitment is to stop being grumpy and focus solely on the issue as well as ensuring my arguments focus on logic and facts rather than attacking an individual and getting carried away with emotion.

What about you? Will you join me in the Anti-Grump?

Can You See Stars?

Img: WikiArt

I love starry nights. Even Van Gough’s classic above is fantastic. The problem with living in the city is that they are hard to see.

Last night I drove a friend to a country location where she will be running a workshop today. As I got out of the car, I looked up.

It was stunning.

Without the light pollution you could see the ceiling of the world covered in twinkling points of light. Some of these stars already don’t exist and we are just seeing their echoes, others will keep burning for eons to come. Not only was the night sky clear, I also had a moment of clarity on my place in the world and what is truly important.

What about you?

Are you surrounded by “life pollution” that doesn’t enable you to have clarity on what is really happening and your true position in the world?

Can you back away from the smoke and mirrors and truly see what counts for you and however you measure your success?

Too often we get caught up in our own thoughts and lose focus on what really counts.

Maybe it’s time to step away from the life pollution and ask yourself, “Can I see stars?”
PS Huge thanks to all those who have taken advantage of the 2 for 1 May Sale on Get More Inspiration. If you want to find out more or get your two copies of the book while I pay postage and give you additional bonuses, head to this website.

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