John's Blog

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...

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. https://ww...

"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 s...

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...

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...

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 pl...

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...

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,...

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 answ...

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...

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 ne...

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.  Gett...

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 a...

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 ...

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 vi...

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 t...

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 p...

"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 th...

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: wh...

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...

"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 direc...

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....

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 t...

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...

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,...

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....

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 e...

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...

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 ...

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.

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...