Stop hesitating!

Alibaba's Jack Ma got US$2.8billion richer in one day when stock price of Alibaba rose 13% to a record high as the company's forecast sales growth topped analysts' estimates. "We're Not Just a Company; We're an Economy," Jack Ma proclaimed.

Every master was once a beginner.

I learned a new word recently. Decidophobia. The fear of making decisions. It's a common disease for some. They convince themselves that ok, I can't do it now, but maybe tomorrow, in a month, or next year. Today is not the right time.

There are no perfect moments to start.

Most people dream about adventure, money, happiness but they don't dare actually say yes to these opportunities. I am not saying we should say yes to everything but do make thoughtful  decisions about opportunities of real value, because they never come back. We'll never be younger than we are in this moment. We'll never feel as we do in this moment.

You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. You have to do something. There has to be a beginning.

I recall some years back when I decided to get off the couch to have a healthier lifestyle. A little moderate exercise, fifteen minutes on the stationary bike. Got my heart rate up slightly, no big deal.

When I got up the next morning, did I feel better? Not really. That is, not noticeably. Hardly seems worth the effort. But I kept up doing it. I cycled through a few stiff muscles and missed my Netflix program. Hey is this all really worth it? Maybe not. But then, I kept doing it anyway. Eventually, these days I feel like a million bucks.

Looking back, did my life change on that first day after I cycled for fifteen minutes? Probably not. And if I didn't cycle that day, will my life start to fall apart? Of course not.

But successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do - even when it doesn't look like it makes any difference. And they do it long enough for the compounding effect to start to kick in.

Whether it's your health, your happiness, your knowledge, your skills, you diet, your relationships or your financial status, turn your one day into your Day One!

 

Trust begets trust

"Let's make June the the end of May!" The billboards read. Can a weakened Theresa May survive the inevitable storm following the remarkable British General Election? Her political gamble backfired dramatically in the surprise snap election which was unnecessary; her term in office ran until 2020.

Following the advice of Og Mandino...

...if I feel incompetent, I think of past success.
...if I become overconfident, I recall my failures.

We've all been programmed to think, believe and act the way we do. Our programming is a result of what we have been told by others, what we have told ourselves and all our life experiences.

Our programming can be changed at any time - to overcome fears and insecurities, or to reduce cockiness and narcissism.

As a leader, my role is to create confidence and momentum. I found out over time that the best way to get my team to trust me is to trust them. It isn't what we say, it's what we do that communicates trust - or the lack of it. I show trust by believing in their capabilities. I show trust by sharing the stage. I show trust by being real - admitting I don't have all the answers. I show trust by getting out of the way.

And if one of my team member screws up, I talk about it, help him learn and then move on. I show trust by letting it go.

Wasn't it Marshall Goldsmith who said, "The #1 skill of influencers is the sincere effort to make a person feel that he/she  is the most important person in the world. It's one of the skills that Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey used to become the best in their fields."

I will do this for every person I connect with!

 

Why are we so busy?

When Real Madrid defended their Champions League trophy with a convincing 4-1 win over Juventus, the curtain came down on the 2016/2017 European football season. It had been a hectic season with Manchester United going through a punishing and grueling schedule and having only two to three days of rest between matches over a period of 2.5 months.

Does it ever seem that life just won't happen the way we planned? I keep calendars, I make appointments, I have daily, weekly plans. But many a times unexpected things crop up.

One of the strange and false ideas in today's world is that an important and successful person is always busy. Many people judge others, and are judged themselves, by how busy they are.

If you're killing yourself just for a salary raise or to impress the boss, you are not genuinely committed. Hard work will not make you an inspired performer more than practicing writing will earn you a Pulitzer Prize for poetry.

I used to think I was busy, but then I met a couple of people who were really busy. The thing I learned from these two people who truly did have an enormous amount of work and responsibility  is that they have order - they know their priorities and resist sacrificing their health and relationships.

When was the last time you said, "I don't have time!" to a person. What was it you didn't have time to do? For most people, it is spending time with the people they love and the people who loves them. For some others, it is taking time to look up an old friend.
 
In mid-life, lots of people reflected on their lives - and I was no different. I questioned how I was spending my time and what I really wanted to achieve. I'd stumbled through life believing that one day I will find the pace of life that will allow for optimum health, happiness, efficiency and contentment. 

I know now that it must be created. We must make it happen. We must take breaks and give ourselves space to be inspired and energized.

Don't work yourself to death; what's the point?