Success is waiting for you

There are no hop, skip, or jumps to greatness. Success in life is a systematic process, where one step follows the next. You can turn the speed dial any way you like, but you can't miss steps.

 Have you heard the one where the computer programmer comes home with six cartons of milk. His wife, with a belligerent look on her face , says: "I told you to bring one carton of milk, and if they have apples, bring six." "Exactly," said the husband.

 The husband and programmer, in this story followed his wife's instructions in the same way that he would program a computer. A computer carries out instruction one line at a time. If the supermarket didn't have apples, he would have brought home only one milk carton. This addition to the computers instruction is called a "condition."

 Some people would argue that the wife implied that the husband should bring home six apples if the store had them in stock. Yes, this was implied, but a computer doesn't respond to implied messages. It responds only to conditions.

The computer assumes nothing, and reads each line of instruction in a literal manner. The programmer must make sure that all instructions are given to the computer in a clear, systematic way, with clear and specific conditions. Any error in step sequence, or in language, causes the computer to just stop and wait for the programmer to get his or her shit together.

 Let's pretend for a moment that the computer is success, and our actions are the line of instructions in a program. Instantly, you realise that success responds to each action line and carries out instruction literally. Success cannot respond to implied messages, and will only carry out instructions as it reads each clear and specific line. Success is, however, always open to conditions.

 Most people are clear about what they want, but the instructions become less so when we attach conditions. "Bring one carton of milk, but if the shop has apples, bring six." "Find me love, but if he or she is rich, let it last forever." "Let him be the one, and if there is honesty, the only." "Let me be rich, but if it comes easy, it goes easy."

 Confusing instruction and conditions brings success to a grinding halt as it patiently and indefinitely waits for us to get our stuff together. Regardless of how modern or speedy your version of success may be, it still only responds to one clear instruction at a time. 

Write out your steps to success, and give it to someone to read aloud. Let them "follow" instructions literally, and see how long it takes for the reader to get stuck. Maybe then you will realise it's not so much that you are waiting for your ship to come in, but your ship is waiting for you to sort your stuff and give proper instruction to dock.

The mentor is the mirror

You have never seen your own face! You have only seen a reflection of your face! This is the reason using a mentor is critical to your personal and leadership development.

  Well, not the exact reason, but it relates, strongly, to the reason you need a mentor. 

  Because our eyes are a part of our face, essentially - in our face, looking out - we never actually see our face. We use a mirror as an aid for feedback as to show us how presentable we are... or aren't.

  The mirror is not us, it will never be us. It can't decide what we should look like or what we should wear. A mirror merely reflects back to us the image we present to the world. It let's us see hair out of place, sleep crust in the corner of the eyes, and reflects back the radiant, or not, smile that we give others.

  The primary role of a mentor, like the mirror, is to reflect back the image we present to the world through our vision, mission, goals, hope's and dreams.

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  We are essentially stuck in our own faces, looking out, and not always conscious of whether what we do aligns with who we are.  We are not always aware of the "grooming" we may require.

  When selecting suitable mentors (yes, you should have more than one) to guide your life's journey, consider the following:

○ The mentor should reflect you, not be you, nor get you to be them. The mentor should reflect back your purpose and actions, and how these are viewed by the rest of the world. 

○ With the use of wisdom and experience, the mentor should help you align who you are with what you want to achieve. Cars, houses, and fat bank accounts are not who you are, these are thing with which we reward ourselves for the effort of living deliberately.

○ A good mentor should never take responsibility for your choices or results. The responsibilty is ours, and only ours. Yes, the mentor should guide the options from which you choose, and point out the consequences of each, but they should never make the decisions for us.

 Working with a mentor allows us to get a different perspective on the world. If we change how we look at something, what we look at changes. Using a mentor as a mirror helps us get real about our personal and leadership growth and grooming.

The purpose and power of mission

"WTF!"
This was my standard response to the "your-daily-habits-are-the -foundation-of-your-success" type leadership quotes, that is, until I discovered the power and purpose of mission.

  My dad was a "stand up" guy when it came to work ethic. He would get up at four in the morning, do his daddy chores and still be in the office at 06:30 sharp. He was committed, determined and loyal towards his job, but he was just an average man and for all of his hard work, he never amounted to much.

  I don't mean to sound ungrateful, nor am I attacking what my dad did to support his family. The point is that leadership quotes often imply that success is the result of hard work, but evidence in the real world suggests that success needs something more.

  Shaun's dad was also commited to family and job, but with very different results. Shaun's dad worked hard at cultivating an attitude of service to others. He also worked to deliberately grow his skills, which paid off and greatly benefitted his family.

  I know you work hard to have a better life. I also know that you become despondent and depressed when the rewards of your hard work are missing. So, what the jinx are all the leadership quotes talking about? Why do they imply that what we do daily produces our success?

  Our success is directly related to the mission in our lives. Mission is the skills you use, and efforts you put in daily to achieve your goal. Mission requires commitment. It implys service to others and it also expects you to deliberately grow in ability each and every day.

  Once you have given commitment, service, and development to your mission, your mission will reward you with the powerful gifts of focus, momentum, and mastery. These three elements are the seeds that produce life's success.

  This is where the leadership quotes ring true - you must deposit effort into your mission daily. Feeding your mission only now-and-then will produce results only now-and-then. WTF.

How to grow the leaders inferno

When explaining basic firefighting to beginners, we teach them that the "fire triangle" represents the three core elements of a fire, namely; oxygen, heat and fuel. If you effectively remove one of these three elements, you will extinguish the fire.

 Similarly, a developing leader has a "fire triangle" with three core elements: Value, mission and engagement. Remove just one of these elements and the developing leader will be extinguished.

 The first "leader triangle" element is value, which talks to the value perceived by all the role players around the leader's vision. In other words, if people believe in your vision and see the need, they will invest in it. If people benefitting from your vision have the need, they will gladly receive it.

 There is no point in selling your vision to an audience that doesn't recognise the need that your vision addresses. Weak or random needs will not attract a talented team nor inspire "customers" about your vision.

 A leader's healthy development is directly proportional to the healthy growth of his or her mission, the second element in the "leader triangle." Many a great and important vision has been undermined and brought down to nothing by a weak mission.

  This is the single most misunderstood element in leader growth, yet it holds the power to produce infinite significance or absolute failure.

 The third element in the "leader triangle", and probably the hardest to master, is engagement. The leader must skillfully engage both role players and beneficiaries of the vision, in a meaningful and sustainable manner that allows rewards and validation for everyone involved.

  In a nutshell, the leaders development consists of establishing a vision of value, on a foundation of mission, in a manner that benefits everyone involved.

  The three legs of a gypsy table allows it to stand on uneven ground, but removing any one leg results in the leaders utter failure. The fire triangle shows us how to effectively extinguish a blaze, but the leader triangle shows us how to grow the leaders inferno.

When will you value your dream aloud?

So, imagine you're the winner on a game show and you get to choose your own prize. The options are a bottle of water and a fat diamond. Which would you choose?

 The answer is obvious... the diamond, of course.

 Okay, let's change the situation. Imagine that you were lost in the desert for a few blistering hot days, and suffer from dehydration. Which one would you choose between the bottle of water and the diamond this time? The diamond would be of little value to you, as you are lost, dying, and unsure you would get out of the desert alive.

In this situation, you value the bottle of water more than the diamond. This method of putting a value of something, is called utility value. Utility is the value of an object, knowledge or a person, determined by how useful it/they are in the "now" situation. This way of valuing something also offers an insight to Maslow's hierarchy of Needs model.

 Most people live by utility, and plod around Maslows lower levels of basic needs, security, relationships and social esteem all the days of their life. Although this type of lifestyle lays a good foundation for people to discover their purpose, it is not a guarantee that they will.

 Utility Value is a hedonistic and self absorbed approach to life, where things are easily disposed of when they no longer serve us.

 Purpose asks us to serve others. Yes, you may need stuff to achieve your purpose, but having stuff is not, never was, and never will be, the goal of life.

 When the value of our cars, houses and fat bank accounts is more important than the reason we have them, we are in danger of contracting the disease of megalomania - believing that we are God ... because we own stuff! Ja, well, no, fine.

  The crown of Maslows Heirarchy of Needs is Self Actualization. At this top level, people discover how they can be the most they can be - by realising the true value of stuff is the value it adds in serving others.

  I know the dream you hide in your heart will improve the lives of others, regardless of whether you have stuff or not. The question is: when are you going to value that dream aloud?

To you, I say thank you

Today, I reflected on the people that were, that are, and that will be, on my life's path.

 Some of the memories were of terrible clashes and conflict, and I still bare the wounds and scars. Some of the reflections were filled with incredible kindness and love. Today, I chose to greet all of the memories with gratitude.

 Every soul we meet brings a gift. Some people on my path brought difficult lessons that were bitter pills to swallow, and to you I say thank you. Some people were brightly burning stars, that brought amazing light for an instant, and then vanished. To all of you, I also say thank you.

 Every soul we meet takes a gift with them. When some people left my life, they took with them things I wanted but didn't need, and to you I say thank you. Others left with what I needed but didn't want. Some left with things I need and want. To all of you, I say thank you. 

 To those souls no longer on my path, I will remember you. Some names have a place in my heart that I visit often, some I visit too often. To all of you, I say thank you.

 Then, there are incredible souls still on my path, points of brilliant light, that share, shape and shave my life. To each of you, oh goodness, I say thank you. To those in my life that balance the light, I also say thank you.

 And then, there is you. Against all odds, defying all reason, you are in my life too. Despite the season, here you are, laughingly unravelling the knots. Looking ahead on this path, I realise that life has no guarantees. With your hand in mine, now is full of sunshine, and to you I say thank you.

Whose responsibility is Education?

How do you empower someone? Educate him. How do you enslave someone? Stop educating him.

With today, 24 of January 2020, being the International Day of Education, it gives us an opportunity to ponder who is actually responsible for education and learning.

  Most people respond that it's the government's job to educate us and provide free schooling. Of course, we all want free schooling, but isn't every government strategically educating people to align with it's own political agenda? Can a government give objective training, looking past its selfish bureaucracy to focuse on the economic stability and development of the nation as a whole?

   Goverment is centrally placed to analyse global and economic trends, and able to forecast the skills and educational needs of the country to align with these trends. With this information at their disposal, goverment should be involved in the advising and planning of the education direction, but do you think they should be in control of what or how we learn?

  Business is the driving and stabilising force behind ever country, and dictate the skills of employees required in order for them to be successful. Should we leave our education and training in the hands of business, as they are the job providers anyway? Should we allow business to dictate and control our career paths?

  Unfortunately, the turbulent relationship between employee and employer resulted in the later seeking alternate options to appointing people. Hello computers, robots and automation. Technology offers Business a "HR-friendlier" solution to rising employee costs and union interference.

  As the use of technology increases in business, the South African goverment sees it good to do away with Mathematics and Science in school, so removing the very two subjects that prepare our children for a good financial future.

  It seems goverment and business are divided about the best education development for economic progress? Doesn't a house divided against itself collapse?

  A nation is like a baby, whose needs change as it grows and develops into an adult. The trick for the goverment, business and you (yes, you!) is to correctly identify and address the baby's changing needs as it matures.

  The role of the individual citizen, you, is to find and own your future in the nation! To own your work development! Your responsibility TO YOURSELF and to your family, is to plan out your own career path, and to actively pursue your dreams in a way that contributes to the national growth.

  A responsible leader doesn't wait for goverment schooling hand outs. The responsible leader isn't dependent on the psuedo-generosity of business to direct his or her career and life path.

  On this International Day of Education, consider that the education provided can and will only be as good as the willingness of individual citizens to learn and empower themselves. The way to improve education is not by promoting studying, but by promoting self empowerment.

  A responsible leader educates himself or herself, and in so doing empowers self to meet their obligation as a nation builder and a responsible citizen.

Between vision and mission - who wins the title?

In a direct but empty competition for "King of the Castle" between vision and mission, mission wins, hands down!

  Before you drag me to the gallows, let's look at what we should know about both vision and mission.

  Mission is the skills and task we perform daily to achieve an outcome, like a fisherman selecting the right tackle and bait, casting to the right spot and owning enough patience to wait for the fish to bite.

  Your mission can evolve as you gain mastery in the related skills and tasks, but it will always look the same, like a fisherman progressing from standing on the shore catching tiddly winks, to owning a boat catching once-in-a-life monsters - it's all still fishing!

  Vision is the "hooray" to missions "hip hip." Vision is the shiny outcome that we aim at, like the fisherman aiming to catch one hundred fish in just one hundred days - and doing it!!

   Vision is the bright chrome and brilliant paint job on our fancy car, but mission is the engine and wheels that takes us places. Vision is the pinnacle of our efforts, but always stands on the shoulders of mission.

  The man with just a vision is full of enthusiasm, but rarely goes anywhere. The man with just a mission will work hard and eek out a dull existence.

  The danger of "either or" is mission on it's own produces a humdrum existence of repetitive task that lose their meaning. Vision on it's own turns the ambitious into daydreaming paupers.

  Starting with a glittering vision, you must forge a strong and relevant mission to turn vision into reality. Starting with a mission, you must look up and see the beautiful potential vision the effort of your mission creates.

   Neither vision or mission can ever be the "king of the castle!" No! That title is reserved for those that learn to harness the power of vision AND mission, making them pull the chariot of success - together!

Why I am the teaspoon

So, I believe my mission in life is to play the role of a teaspoon.

 Yes, you read that correctly. Why a teaspoon, you ask. When making a cup of coffee, you put all the ingredients in the cup, and then you add the hot water.

  Do you drink it straight away? No, of course not. You take a teaspoon and you stir. The ingredients need to be mixed properly, giving a full flavoured experience all the way to the bottom of the cup.

  I believe that every person, including you, has everything necessary for life and leadership already in their cup. What's needed is for someone to stir your capacity, so that you realise the fullness of who you really are, and to permeate you with falvourful life and leadership throughout your cup.

  My message as the teaspoon is to stir your potential into track record. Although the focus of this blog, and my message, is aimed at leadership development - leadership and personal development are synonymous.

  The leader must answer the call to personal growth in order to pick up the mantle of leadership. Such leadership is sustainable, offering hope and real solutions to the citizens of choking nations.

  Give wings to your potential by creating a useful track record: Join me in sensitive, sometimes difficult, and stirring conversations, as I explore what it means to live fully through responsible leadership.

Get out of the box Part 5 - Fear of Failure

Get out of the box Part 5 - Fear of Failure.

 We've briefly looked at three sides of the box that keeps us in complacency. Surprisingly, the emphasises in the last side is not on failure, but on the fear of that failure.

  If I asked you: "What's the opposite of success," are you likely to answer with: "failure"? Most people would, and why not? That's what we've been taught.

  We have, however, seen in this series that Thomas Edison, with his ten thousand attempts at making the light bulb, doesn't regard failure as the opposite of success, but rather, he sees failure as a necessary part of the path to success. Many great people from history share Edison's view of failure.

  So, what would Edison and his illustrious group of powerful friends regard as the opposite of success? The answer is "fear."

 By way of simple definition, success means "satisfactory completion of a goal, task or action." Success is the happy ending of what you DO!

  In contrast, fear is opposite in its definition and wants us to "do nothing in anticipation of not completing tasks to satisfaction." How ironic! Fear wants you to do nothing because you may not be happy when completing the task - so you don't complete the task - and end up unhappy anyway! No really - Duh!

 We need to take a page from Edison's life. His attitude towards his ten thousand failures is summed up in an interviewe he gave: "I either win or I learn." Sportsmen and women regard this cycle of "do, fail, learn, do, win" as PRACTICE.

 You wont always succeed the first time around. And that's okay. Failure will give you a chance to learn, and to practice the success you want, putting you in the same class as Thomas Edison and thousands of sports stars. 

 If you don't quit when you fail, you will choose to learn and win. Now, that's getting out of the complacency box successfully!

Get out of the box Part 4 - Fear of the Unknown

Get out of the box - Part 4 - Fear of the unknown.

   The most common barrier to getting out of the box of complacency is the fear of the unknown. When encountering this fear in others, you must know that they have not planned!

   Planning removes the impact of the "unknown" element, and replaces it with "calculated risk."

   People wrongly believe that they can just "wing it" through this life, and still enjoy the benefits of success. Nothing could be further from the truth.

   Winging it through life is like standing up on a public platform to do an unprepared speech - it results in a lot of incoherent rambling that goes nowhere and means nothing.

  When asked to prepare for a thirty minute speech at Cambridge University, Winston Churchill said he needed two weeks to prepare. When asked how long he would need to prepare for a two hour speech, he replied "I'm ready now."

   Life is like a thirty minute speech, it needs planning and preparation to make it smooth and meaningful, with a lot of impact. In order to plan it, you must understand the purpose of it.

   Your job is to first decide on your purpose, and then plan the heck out of it. This will result in the maximum benefit, on all levels, and at every stage of life.

 "Know thyself."

Get out of the box Part 3 - Principle rules Precedent

Get out of the box - Part 3 - Principle rules Precedent.

 If we are fortunate enough to overcome the first limitation of our paper prison, the lack of instant feedback, then we need to deal with the 2nd wall limiting our growth: allowing precedent, our past experience, to rule our judgment.

 "I tried it, but it didn't work" has become the anthem for those unwilling to work their way out of the rut. We use this excuse to pardon our failure and to justify our lethargy.

 It's time to admit that weak and uninformed attempts at bringing about change are NOT "proof" that the method, recipe or principle doesn't work, but is infact evidence that we are not really willing to change.

 There is nothing new under the sun. Everything that is, was. Everything that was, will be.

 I promise you: someone somewhere has successfully achieved what you want to attempt, and they have the right laws, principles, and methods for you to duplicate the success.

 Getting out of the box of complacency starts with us admitting that principle, or truth, is more valuable than our faulty personal experience.

 The second thing we need to do in order break free from our prison of mediocrity is to find the relevant laws, principles and methods to help us succeed, and then to APPLY THEM.

 Yes, you will fail in your first few attempts! So what? Learn! Practice! Persist!

 Decide that principle rules precedent, and keep striving for success, for in due season you shall reap.

Get out the box - Part 2

Get out the box - Part 2 - Success is a numbers game.

 The box of complacency is a four-sided prison of our own making, locking us into the rut of mediocrity.

 The first side of the box is called: "the lack of instant feedback." People are unwilling to get out of the box because their previous attempts have not produced results quick enough.

 Our "instant" mentality is fueled by instant access to information, entertainment, and services through the hand-held computers we all carry, called cell phones.

 Our world has geared around producing instant feedback. Even our restaurants cater to this insatiable appetite for immediate results. We don't even have to go into the restaurant anymore. We drive up to a window to order, drive to the next window to collect, and instantly we have our food.

 This desire for "instant feedback" has spilled into our drive for personal and business success. In reality, success is a result of good ideas, hard work and persistence. It's the last word that trips us up.

 We want instant results when we attempt business. We want instant millions in cash, which we want to instantly spend on ourselves.

 The only thing is - the seed of success takes longer to germinate, grow and produce fruit than our impatient arses are willing to wait.

 We quickly point fingers at the wealthy and say "but look, they are lucky, they got overnight success." But we remain oblivious to their personal sacrifices, and many hours of behind-the-scenes labour and sweat.

 The inventor of the now common light bulb, Thomas Edison, recorded ten thousand failed attempts to get the globe to work. TEN THOUSAND! Most of this generation would quit after three failed attempts, believing it not possible.

 Edison, and every other successful individual, teach us the value of persistence. They teach us the value of numbers in the success game. They teach us that if it doesn't work at the first attempt - keep at it! YOU WILL WIN EVENTUALLY.

 Persist in working hard. Persist in searching for success. Persist in knocking at every possible door, for in due season you shall reap.

Get out the box - Part 1

Get out the box - Part 1 So many people get caught in "a rut," trapped inside the box of complacency.

 We are conditioned by so many areas of life to stay inside the box that we are never surprised by the realisation we are in a rut. Rather, we are shocked by people able to break free of their of their confines, and puzzled by how they achieved this feat.

 Sadly, people resign themselves to be slaves of their confinement, but not due to unwillingness or a lack of effort. Surrender is often due to a lack of understanding. Simply put: people just don't know how to get out of their box!

  When effort is wasted and people are confused, the box remains king. Focused effort will surely free you from the trap of complacency.

  To help lazer-tune your focus, be aware that the sides of the box that keep you prisoner have names. These names will give you a clue as how they fool you into surrender.

  The four sides are:
  - a lack of instant feedback
  - the pull of the past
  - fear of the unknown
  - fear of failure

 Walk with me as we explore the sides of the box of complacency, and discover the solution to master your freedom.

How to discover your truth

It's not in the comfort zone that you will discover your greatness. No! When standing amidst the lions in the den, you realise that the Power in you is far greater than the jaws of death.

   It is easy to believe that you are strong, wise, or powerful while standing in the middle of your comfort zone, never confronting a real enemy in a real battle.

   Very few people venture beyond the walls of the safe house to discover the true beauty of this life. Those that do leave are divided into two groups: the mad dogs and the patrolling lions.

  Mad dogs are annoyingly easy to identify by the incedeous noise they make. They constantly bark about their feats of strength and victory, and howl about their greatness as a way to scare off potential threats lurking in the darkness.

   Sadly, the mad dog is driven by his or her fears, and fail to discover who they really are as they hide behind the noise of empty boasting.

  Mad dogs easily fall victim to the crocodiles seductive smile and promises of safety and protection, only to end up as lunch.

 The patrolling lions quietly walk every inch of their territory, as they survey, observe, take in and discover the fullness of their potential.

   These confident lions know the true test of their ability lies along the borders. There they confront intruders and scuffle with challengers. When injured, they quietly lick their wounds until they are strong enough to patrol again.

 It's in patrolling the borders of your own capacity that you develop the reputation of being courageous and powerful. One day you will realise your reputation has gone before you, as your enemies keep silent and just walk away. It's in that day you will know your hard work and resilience used to overcome difficulties has made place for you amongst the lion pride.

   Be courageous my friend, take time to heal, face your battles with confidence, for these are the true makers of your "I am."

Your calling is to change YOUR world

The call on each person to "influence and leadership" is not about bringing change to THE world, but rather, to change YOUR world.

   The concept of leadership is misunderstood by most people to mean "those with global power and universal influence that control all the other little puppets in the world," instantly excluding themselves from the sphere of leadership and influence.

   When thinking about leadership, most people imagine "world changers," like Ghandi or Bill Gates, but see themselves as having little or no influence. As a consequence, people believe that they are not leaders.

   This perception is simply wrong.

   When you realise that Ghandi and Bill Gates did not start their journey as "global influencers," but were merely people with a dream, you will recognise that they both answered a call to change their own individual worlds first.

   Stepping out and acting on their personal dream allowed their influence to grow over time, which eventually engulfed the world. Your call is not to immediately affect the whole world, but rather, to first act on the dream inside of you.

   "Leadership" is correctly defined as; recognising the dream within, and choosing to deliberately turn it into a reality.

   Every person has a dream, even you. Some dreams have global intent, and some are for personal benefit. Regardless of which dream you hold, the moment you choose to turn that dream into reality is the same moment you step into leadership - AND THIS IS YOUR CALLING!

   Each one of us has been given just a "piece" of a dream in the "patchwork quilt" of universal life. Failure to live your dream is to allow the "quilt of life" to remain incomplete. You have a role to play. Go ahead and do leadership development. Ready yourself as a "dream worker," prepare yourself to change YOUR world.

Mission is the way, the truth and the life

Our personal development and life success is directly linked to the statement: "I am the way, the truth and the life."

   Each of our missions in life uses this legendary quote as a map to growth through: focus, momentum and mastery.

   Just in case the process is not clear: focus equates the way, momentum equates the truth, and mastery equates the life.

   Some people incorrectly hold the belief that we must first discover truth, which then magically opens "the way" for us. In reality, we need to progress along the way in order to discover our personal truth.

   Testing the leadership model, the U49, I set out on a personal growth path, exercising my mission as I went. I had preselected a random mission as part of an experiment to prove the effectiveness of the leadership model.

   The experiment required me to dedicate one hour a day of focused time and effort, performing the various tasks within my selected mission, for a period of one hundred days.

   One hundred days of focused mission led to the most amazing discoveries around my own truth and offered an unpolluted understanding of life and purpose.

  The combination of focus and truth had the unexpected and welcome effect of me establishing a reputation as a subject matter expert within the mission - and I had a blast doing it! Oh goodness, it was fun!

   What the experiment taught me was that standing still exposes us to unnecessary drama and frustrations in our life. I discovered that abundant life is found in focusing on a way, and taking a deliberate step down that path each and every day.

    What am I saying to you? Friend, pick a path, shake the dust of daily drama from your feet, and move your butt down that road. Truth will rise up to meet you, grab you by the bottom lip, and fling you at the feet of a better and more abundant life. You've gotta know - its the way first, then truth, then life. You've got to take the first step!

  You've got to make the effort, but, trust me when I say, it will be worth every drop of sweat!

Know thyself

"Know thyself" is a critical key to success in life, love, work and play. 

   Success is like programming a journey on a GPS, it wants to know where you're going, and it wants to know where you are in order to pick the best route.

   For the most part, people will clearly tell the success-GPS where they want to go. However, defining where they are - not as simple! The task of self-discovery can become a complicated and draining process when left in the hands of beginners.

   "Well, I don't need self-development. I'm happy where I am." Okay, then you had better be happy forever more with where you are, because any change must come from within. 

   You can only take out of a bag that which is already in it. What's currently in your life-bag produces the life you have. If you want something else from life, you will first have to put something else into your life-bag. 

   Choosing what to put into the bag is difficult, because we simply don't know what "extras" we need. If we did know what we needed- we wouldn't need it because it would have been it the bag already! Hahahahaha

   Now, we turn to others for help, which is also a flawed exercise! If we don't know what we need, how will a stranger know? "Come let me rescue you, or you will drown" said the monkey to the fish as he put it safely in a tree.

   The ideal would be to invest in a kit, filled with tools that when taught to handle them correctly, you will be able to use, at will, without judgement, in a simple manner, to your own advantage. 

   Such a kit would make the effort to map our current location in an open way, and offer us multiple routes to the success we seek. 

   I use just such a kit, the Profiler - as offered by Oak Training, to explore the outer boundaries of my potential, and to fully discover the power and value behind the instruction- Know Thyself!

What's the Real Cost of X-Skills?

In the dying seconds of the game, the team's star player does a twist, fooling the opponent. The star sidesteps another challenger, and with a flourish - scores again!

   In the after-game interview, the star player tells how being in the "zone" gave them "move-prediction" powers, supported by super strength and stamina, making winning a sure thing.

    As "fans" we swoon at the thought of our star's abilities on the field, and at their charisma off it.

   With glittery admiration we wish, oh, we so wish we were them for a day! Would you want to have the skills and abilities of a great sportsman or woman for a day?

   Would you like to jog onto the pitch, walk into the office, or swagger into the arena, knowing you were empowered with your hero's abilities, skills, or focus? Of course you would! We all would like some hero's ability in one form or another! That's not the question we should be asking. The real question is: what are you willing to do to own skills or abilities of excellence?

   Getting into the "zone" doesn't just happen! Oh no! Legendary skills and abilities that magically summon the "zone" don't come cheaply. X-skills cost sweat, dedication, and effort, paid over a long time!

   "Pfft!" I hear you mock, "no, I'm not investing that much time, effort, and energy into anything!"

    And .... BOOM!

    We just uncovered the very attitude that eternally keeps you ... in lack, in the box, in the rut, in last place!

   Don't you know? Haven't you heard? What you sow is what you will reap!

    The time, effort, and energy you sow with be harvested as focus, momentum and mastery. These golden elements woven into the fabric of your mission will produce the significance you get a glimpse of in your prayers!

   Feint not, friend, for in due season you shall reap! Here's hoping it will be a harvest worthy of who you are!

You are not a product of your past

You are not a product of your past, but of the choices and actions you take now.

    As a ship moves, it leaves a trail or a track of its travel through the water. You can easily tell where the ship has been by looking at this disturbance that we call a wake.

    As much as we can see the ship's past path by observing the wake, it has no direct bearing on the ships movement now or its progress in the future.

    It would be ridiculous to claim that the resulting wake has an influence on the ships current direction.

    To claim that your life now is a product of your past, is to claim that you have no power to influence your actions or decisions.

    Your life is a product of the now. You live as you choose to behave in the moment.

    When looking at a clock on the wall, mindless of the countless times the hands have travelled around and around again, we call the time as we see it now.

    Your past is the fading wake of the ship, and to make it anything more is to shift blame, forsake your responsibilities, bury your power, and to fake your truth.

    Own your behaviour, own your now and the day will no longer be something that happens to you, but becomes a canvas on which you can chiose to leave your legacy.. 

Everything is connected to I Am

"All your arty words and clever philosophies mean nothing to me.

  "Your 'I am' and 'peronal truth' crap has no relevance in my life, or anyone elses for that matter.

  "I work and live in the real world. I have what I want and I'm slowing down for my old age.

  "I don't need you and all your motivational bullshit, because I'm already motivated." He smugly sipped his beer and slumped into his chair.

  "Check!"

 Previously, I would have kept quiet, and left the ignorant to their devices. However, this is the year of the teaspoon. So, buckle up buttercup, because here comes a stirring.

  "You sit confident in the things you have amassed in life; car, house and a seemingly secure job.

 "You are lulled into complacency by objects that break, rust and are stolen, and think you're better off for it. Really?

  "You think 'I am' is empty and disconnected, when your view of self is directly related to the love you get from the God you serve, and from the people that surround you? In this life, we don't get what we pray for, nor what we want. We get what we are.

  "Do you think the guilt and worthlessness you feel when you sit in the quiet of your own presence is seperate from my message of walking in your truth?

  "Is the heartache and loneliness you feel not a direct message from your own 'I am'? Isn't it this torment that drives you to seek the noise and drama of others in the hopes of drowning your pain?

 "Isn't the drama of others the very reason you are three times divorced, and has become the source of fear that you will live alone and die in misery?

 "Excuse me for sharing specific principles in the hope you'll find the narrow path to a better life. The path to destruction the wise man spoke of, is broad to accomodate the complacent, the lazy and the tired. Don't act surprised when your life produces only destruction,  because all of this "crap" is connected.

  "Everything is this power-evolving universe is connected. Your view of God shapes your I Am, which affects your relationships, which shapes your mission. Your end will be a direct result of who you are.

 "You may be ready to retire. Me? I'm working to understand I Am and to walk in my truth by exercising my mission until I die. I would love for you to have a share in this success, but that is your choice. I will walk this path, even if it's alone." 

  Checkmate!

Truth and Deception are United by Self

Truth and Deception may be opposites on the scale of "desirable," but they are grossly enmeshed by a great equalizer called 'self.'

    Self Deception is the two-faced enemy of our success. The first face is deception that we are not 'good enough.'
We conjure up lies about our worth that works magic to keep us dumb, pathetic, and purposeless.

    Once we break free from the depressing shackles of self doubt, by realising the Sea of Potential we possess is enough to overcome any limitation - we suddenly meet the second face of Self Deception.

    This cunning enemy comes as our 'friend', stroking our ego and allowing us to wallow is self glorification, believing we are greater than we actually are.

    In this delusion of Grandeur, we adopt self -awarded titles reserved for recognition by others, like 'leader' or 'influencer', which inflate our arrogance and sharpens the axe of pride that will eventually cut us down to size. 

    In the painful aftermath of our fall, we wonder if success is possible. Yes, it is. In our humiliated state, we ponder if we are meant for greatness. Yes, you are.

    However, the power of Self Truth needs something other than wallowing in self pity to operate in your life, and something more meaningful than pseudo-titles of success to fabricate your destiny.

    Walking in our own truth requires godly characteristics to forge and guide our greatness through our efforts, our mission, our focus, the ensuing momentum, and the inevitable mastery. These elements may seem foreign and impossible to achieve in your mind, but in reality they require two very simple things; the willingness to learn, and the openness to move.

    Your greatness awaits you with open arms. Make this the year of learning and movement.

What does it mean to walk in your truth?

Being honest and walking in your truth are two very different things.

  Most people are quick to pick out honesty as a quality they want in others, all with good reason.

  We want people to be honest about their intentions and actions in relationships. No one wants to expose their heart only to realise we've been played.

 Honesty allows us to trust the owner of the hand we shake in a business deal. Honesty puts our hearts at ease, knowing where are loved ones are really, and what they are doing. 

  As much as we want and offer honesty, how many people actually walk in their own truth? 

  Walking your truth is realising your shadow, and owning it. Truth is recognising your full potential, and polishing it.

  Truth is understanding the greatness of your dreams, and preaching it. How open and forthcoming are you about your hope's, dreams and ambitions? How frank are you with what you believe about God, love, life and other concepts that shape your existence?

  Personally, I'm familiar with the sting of having shared a dream, and then be snubbed by the person I trusted. The blank stares, confused expressions, and streaming punctuation of "WTF!" make it easy to dull the shine, dumb down the genius, and to dial back on the power. What's left then, but to remain silent?

 I know a lady that's honest in everything she says, even though she chooses to leave out the majority of detail. What she says is true, but what she remains silent about is truth. Is she honest? Sure. Is she walking in truth? No.

  For many years I hid my truth under modified behaviour and fake smiles in the hope of a acceptance, only to be abandoned.

  I choose now to share my truth, in all its cranky, quirky fullness. Those that leave were never meant to stay. Those that stay and seek to understand discover beauty.

  Walking in truth strips away the pretence wrapped in fear, to reveal the beauty that is in you, the beauty that makes this life gloriously powerful.

  It's time, my friend, to walk in your truth, to reveal your beauty.

The purpose of general laws

So, what's the purpose of laws? We have general and specific laws.

General Laws are set in place to help govern the general population, and to create a certain level of predictability.

 What do I mean by predictability?

 If we consider traffic laws, as a example, you quickly realise that knowing the laws, and assuming other drivers know the laws, we gain an ability to predict what other drivers are thinking or are going to do. When everyone follows the laws, we know cars will stop at red lights, allowing us to go safely. Indicators gives us insight into people decisions and we adjust accordingly. Speed limits help us evaluate and predict how we should join the flow at a junction.

 Following the laws allows us to "prophesy" about peoples intended driving behaviour. However, if drivers intentionally or unintentionally break the laws- chaos follows! 

Laws, however, are not physical forces controlling our behaviour. Laws are cognitive ideals that require choice to obey. For example, a red light is not a physical wall preventing you from moving forward, it's an instruction by a fancy street lamp that we either choose to obey or choose to ignore.

 Spiritual laws work along the same principles. These are not physical barriers that control us, but rather they are principles that opens up our understanding of the world.

 Like traffic laws, spiritual laws don't just happen. The laws require us to choose obedience.

Choosing to seek out and obey spiritual law offers a prophetic quality to our lives. Ignoring spiritual law will result in chaos.

We are free to choose, but we are certainly not free from the consequences of the choice.

 Spiritual laws operate like doors to understanding. When we open those doors, we get insight into ourselves and our behaviour can be adapted accordingly.

Specific laws are a conversation for those that have opened general doors and seek specific understanding.

Are we here just for death and taxes,

Why are we really here?
To pay tax and then die?

  Goodness! I hope there is a lot more to our existence on this odd little rock than death and taxes.

    I used to observe those people that had clicked into a sense of their purpose with wonder.
 Trying to find the common key to unlock my own destiny,
I noted that just as many of the purposeful where devotees to some form of religion as those that were not.
Spirituality did not seem to be a factor in discovering purpose.

   A factor that did separate the purposeful from the rest was the intense sense of self they had.

   The purposeful have a clear image of who they are, and embrace it without remorse, and without arrogance.
Identifying their talents and abilities, the purposeful unashamesly pursue excellence, allowing their gifts and talents to carry them to the top of their field... and in no uncertain terms - to make a shit load of money in the process.

   In contrast, the purposeless seem to resent self, ashamed of their gifts and talents.
It's as if the purposeless intentionally dumb themselves down, or render themselves as powerless, in order to make those in their presence feel better about themselves. "If I am weak, you will be strong."

   It seems the purposeless choose to dress in weakness and lie in order to impress a few, when the truth inside of them could liberate and inspire the whole world.

   The difference observed between the purposeful and purposeless is in how they iidentify with the "I am."

  When following Jesus's example of "I am the way, I am the truth and I am the life," your personal I am will open the way, will reveal the truth and will generate abundant life.

  It's time to pick up your real self, and let your light brighten the world.

How would you fare in the Dragons Den?

How well would you fare in the Dragon's Den?

 Inspired by the TV show, where entrepreneurs stand in front of potential investors to ask for money for a share of the business, I started to wonder ...

 Not that I'm starting a company and need investment. No, I wondered how I would fare in front of a panel pitching me, and what I believe about the world and all in it.

I'm not one to be easily swayed by the opinions of others. I past needing validation from people a long time ago. I wanted to know: if I was "the company," would people choose to invest or not.

Cowardness, or fear of the truth or (maybe) both, caused me to forego a panel of real people. Instead I elected a panel of mirrors.

 I took the tall, thin mirror from the hallway. In my mind this mirror represent a tall, thin man, experienced in business, especially finance, intelligent, and maybe a little mean and a little cold.

 I took the rectangular mirror with its pine frame from the bathroom. In my mind this mirror represented a balanced stoic person, also experienced and wise in life and business, but with a sense of the "natura worldl" and kind.

 I took the double sided mirror, normal or one side, magnified on the other, to represent the "different" person, spontaneous and a little reckless, that offers a really different perspective on life.

 The "panel" of mirrors sat in the dining room and quietly listened to my "sales pitch." When the pitch was over, I gave each mirror-person an opportunity to give me honest and open feedback.

I learned a lot about my image today, and about how others perceive me. The biggest lesson I got from this exercise is that our own inner voice is not as mean, off-the-wall, and as foreign as I had initially thought.

I discovered today that given a chance my Mind Mutter, my inner voice, can produce meaningful, clever and positive advice for success in my own life.

I will pitch more ideas to my personal Dragon's Den Panel in the future.

So, how well would you fare in your personal Dragon's Den

Why I choose principle over recipes

I was wrist-smacked recently for producing "complex and confusing" articles. As much as I regret confusing you, I want to take a moment to make my approach to writing clear.

 I choose to communicate "principle" before I share process or recipes.

Process is methodical and offers clear steps of what needs to be done, but offers very little in understanding the laws and principles behind the actions.

 Let me offer you an example: in ancient times ships and boats were made of wood.

Why?

Simple! In the mind of ancient shipbuilders wood floats and therefore a boat made of wood will float too.

This idea that a boat floats because it's made of wood seems plausible when dealing with a raft or canoe, but the recipe fails when building a large gallium or ancient war ship.

 Today, shipbuilders use metal to build massive ships because they understand the principle behind floating objects.

So,  what makes a ship float?

The principle of displacement helps explain the phenomenon of a giant aircraft carrier ship floating on water: the principle says ... if the ship weighs less than the water it pushes out the way when its put into the sea - it will float!

 Shipbuilders make the shape of the ship in such a way that the ship pushes many tonnes of water away, so it can carry lots of cargo too. 

If shipbuilders didn't understand the principle of displacement, modern ships would be smaller and still made of wood.

 Here's the problem with principles; they make people think, and force people to assume responsibility for applying the principle to their recipe themselves. Sometime we get the recipes wrong, which means we have to try and try again until we get it right. Practice ... 

Here's the problem with recipes: they only work under perfect conditions. If your conditions are less than perfect the recipe will fail and leave you clueless. Great for me, because you will come running to me for help to fix your problem. Only thing is... I want you to be an independent thinker, able and capable of solving your problem yourself. I write articles accordingly.

The meaning or life and love

Life and love don't get meaning from ckearly written definitions. Life and love get meaning from principles.

   I watched a documentary of a man, who once played Jesus of Nazareth in a movie, in search of the real Jesus. In the documentary, the actor told of how he researched every portrayal of Jesus he could find, because he wanted to get the "character" just right. He wanted to portray Jesus perfectly.

    In the movie, the actor puts very little into the actions or emotions for the character of Jesus, choosing rather to only imply action, emotion and intent, leaving the character of Jesus open to interpretation.

    The actor knew that viewers would project their own meaning and intent onto the character.

     In the reviews, critics and fans called it the best movie of the life of Jesus ever made. It would have to be so ... because the actor gave us "our own version" of Jesus... we would have to award it the best rendition ever! It's us!

    In a similar way, descriptions for love and life are vague and at best, mere outlines. It would have to be so ... in order for us to project ourselves into love and life, making it "our own version."

    It's in the principle of vagueness that life and love can have the best meaning to and for us, because it is open to our own interpretation, open for us to insert our own meaning.

    If your life isn't winning awards and your criticism is less than favourable, you may dislike this view of love and life.

    The principle, however, is sound and you have the opportunity to project a better version onto life for yourself. Project a better a better version of love into your world.

    After all, the descriptions and definitions are vague enough for us to portray our own version, in the hope of others acclaiming it as the best version ever.

    Life is not about searching for meaning, but rather meaning is about expressing life.

Why I am a teaspoon?

So, I believe my mission in life is to play the role of a teaspoon🥄. Yes, you read that correctly. Why a teaspoon, you ask.

Well, I am.

 When, for example,  making, a cup of coffee, and you have all the ingredients in the cup, you add the hot water, but do you drink it straight away?

 No, of course not. You take a teaspoon (should be called a coffee spoon for this example 🤷‍♂️😁) and you stir...

 The ingredients need to be stirred to properly mix them, giving a happy flavour experience all the way to the bottom of the cup.

 In my mind, the teaspoon🥄 brings nothing nor removes anything from the cup of coffee, it is used to stir. EFG 😈

 I believe people (yes, you are a people) have everything they need for life and godliness already.

Sometimes people (you) just need to be stirred a little to remind you, to permeate you with the full coffee flavour throughout your cup of life.

 Public courses, books, articles, videos, and one-on-one counselling are my choice of stirring.

 You may have noticed an increase in articles here (yes yes, I heard your eyes roll at that), as I have stepped up to own the role more actively.

 If you're annoyed or offended by such spooning, please note, 2020 is going to be a whirlpool of stirring: best you cancel your subscription ... now! 👣👣

 To those that stay: I look forward to ladle-whipping your butt to positive progress. 🤣👌🥄👍😁

The Value of what you do

Putting a price or value to what you do is based on a very simple formula: (how much others need what you do multiplied by how well you do it) divide by how easy it is to replace you.

 So, lets consider a street sweeper: (it a needed job-but could be replaced by machines 4/10 X he does a goodish job of sweeping 6/10) / anyone could do it!!! So 0/10 = 0!!!! The income size the sweeper would earn is very low.

 You have a skill or an ability that could benefit others, and earn you an extra income. Maybe you work at this skill, but its likely that its left to gather dust with all your other hopes and ambitions.

 Make this year the year that you invest in your talents and abilities in a way that will bring you a tidy return.

Focus, momentum and mastery

My mantra for 2020: focus, momentum and mastery!

Don't be misled - there is no such thing as multi-tasking, especially when it comes to pursuing your dreams.

Multi-tasking dilutes your energy and resources making you less efficient and less effective.

 Your dreams deserve laser-like focus, which translates into drama-ignoring commitment and relentless dedication to achieving what's needed today!

The law of inertia tells us that a moving object needs less energy to keep it moving. Starting the process is tough!

Suck it up buttercup ... create the momentum, get that goal rolling now and the rest will be easier!

 Neither focus nor momentum has any value if you do a half-ass job! It's not good enough to "do your best!"

Your dreams need ... no .... demand excellence! Become the best at what you have to offer and the best will be returned to you as an offering!!!

 Package focus, momentum and mastery as part of your motivational drive this year and you will see success melt into your path in the most miraculous way.

 The U49 Leadership System offers great tools to shape the three cogs of success - focus, momentum and mastery. #justsaying Look me up and I'll hook you up.