You 2.0: On Becoming the Best Version of Yourself

What would you look like, if you were operating at the top of your game?

  What if the best possible version of you, turned up in the circumstances you are currently in?

What would that ‘best you’ do differently?

The best changes in our life do not come about by happenstance, or luck. They are imposed on our environment from the inside out – they happen when something CHANGES on the inside of us and blasts its way out from our hearts into the world outside. And they are changes that can only be made by us, when we reach that moment when we decide things are going to be different.

Think about some of the most important areas of your life.

Health & Fitness – if a world class athlete (rugby player, Olympic swimmer, bodybuilder) awoke in your body, it is guaranteed that in 6 weeks time your physique would be unrecognisable. Why can’t you do the same thing? Ask yourself, what would that athlete be doing (and MAKING time for) that you aren’t doing now?

 

Business & Career – if Richard Branson or 26 year old Mark Zuckerberg awoke in your body, what do you think your level of success, reputation and impact would be within 1-2 months? Ask yourself what would they be doing differently, and start thinking of how you can DO those things.

 

 

 

 Relationships – how would the BEST version of you operate in your relational sphere? How would that ‘you’ connect to, relate to, and treat your loved ones, friends and family, and even those new people who you want to build relationships with? How would those relationships improve (and how much would your levels of satisfaction and happiness grow) in 1-2 months?

 

  Self-investment – world class people, those who change the planet, are almost without fail, people who invest in themselves. They take (and usually MAKE) the time to reflect, consider their lives and work out what’s going well, what could be improved on, evaluate where they are in relation to where they would like to be, and how they could get closer to that ever-changing goal! The process of growth cannot happen without change, and the best growth comes from change that is self-initiated. Encourage yourself as much as you can by using the resources you have access to – books, CDs and seminars or one or two people you find inspiring to be around.

We all want to be better people. But rather than allowing that vague sense of  ‘you’re doing it wrong’ niggle at you “like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad” (to quote Morpheus from The Matrix), stop ignoring it, and start to pay attention to it and ENGAGE with it. Change can be a scary thing, but if you are willing to consider yourself and where you are at honestly, you will open up the way to move forward. And the world that opens up to those courageous enough to embrace change, is AMAZING.

As a wise man once said, the difference between who you ARE and who you WANT to be, is what you DO.
–          Quinton

 

 

BE THE CEO OF YOU INC.

Just read this brilliant article by world leading business brain, Robin Sharma. Enjoy. 

–          Quinton

DU TELECOM, the upstart telco in Dubai, that in just four years has become truly world-class, brought me in to speak at a special function for a few hundred of their CEO clients. My job was to inspire them, to challenge them and to help them get their leadership genius to its next level of excellence. As I finished, I offered them 6 challenges:

1. GET OUT AND EXPLORE: Extracurricular activities are not a waste of time. The best leaders are interesting people. They pursue passions. They love art. They experience unforgettable travel. And they engage in conversations with fascinating people. This allows them to stay inspired. And hungry. And offers them a steady stream of ideas that actually makes their businesses more successful.

2. LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE WITH THE DIRTIEST HANDS: Want to know what your customers love – and can’t stand – about your business? Listen to the people on the front line. The grocery clerk hears exactly what’s being said about the products on the shelves. The person answering the phone knows what people are most dissatisfied with. The technician gets exactly what needs to be fixed for the brand to grow. Learn to listen to the people who are closest to your customers. The data they carry is priceless.

3. YOU ARE PAID NOT ONLY TO WORK. YOU ARE PAID TO BE SCARED:  It’s easy to do what you do every day until it becomes second nature. But what leadership’s truly about is having the courage to out-think + out-perform who you were yesterday. And that’s scary. Because you need to consistently do what’s uncomfortable. But all growth lies on the outer edges of your comfort zone. Commit to not just doing your work but accepting the challenges that frighten you.

4. HEALTH IS YOUR WEALTH: These were peak-performing CEOs leading 24/7 careers. There was utter silence in the room when I shared this statement: “Health is the crown on the well man’s head that only the ill person can see”. Why be the richest person in the graveyard? And what’s the point of getting to the mountaintop but reaching it sick? Get serious about becoming superfit. Then watch the caliber of your work and the quality of your life fly.

5.  FAMILY FIRST: With children, we have a little window of opportunity. And once it closes, it’s very hard to open it up again. Having a strong family foundation of deep relationships with those you love makes you a more effective businessperson. And who wants to get to the end of your career and realize you’re all alone?

6. BE VALUABLE: Business, to me, is nothing more than a breathtakingly great vehicle to deliver unusual value to as many people as possible. Want to double your sales? Then double the value you bring to your customers. And the whole game of life’s about much of the same thing: contribution. Being of value. Making a difference. No one on their deathbed wished they had made more money. Most of us do wish we have had a greater impact. As a seminar participant in Qatar shared with me: “The measure of the greatness of a person is the length their shadow casts on the future.”

Why do I share the 6 challenges I offered to the CEO crowd with you? Because you are the CEO of your own career and the Leader of your own life. I encourage – and challenge – you to reflect on these ideas and then to act on them with speed. There’s never been a bigger need for leaders in our organizations and within our world. And whether you have a title or not, that need applies to you.

LEADERSHIP QUOTES TO THINK ABOUT 

 “There’s been nothing but discipline, discipline, discipline all my life.” – Celine Dion

 “The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.” – Juma Ikangaa, 1989 NYC Marathon Winner 

 “The average are addicted to leisure. The exceptional are obsessed with learning.” – Robin Sharma on Twitter

Self talk – what do YOU say?

This is a fantastic, thought-provoking poem from the website of Sydney executive & life coaching company Self Talk (website www.selftalk.com.au). Enjoy – and let yourself consider the questions it raises. – Quinton

At every moment, when you’re awake

And sometimes whilst you dream

You are actually talking to yourself

Making sense of what you see

Self talk is your constant interpreter

A part of everything you do

Its made up of what you say to yourself

Yes, it all comes down to you!

So take a minute to reflect

What self talk are you doing now?

Are you setting yourself up for success?

Or mindlessly waning your power?

And if you’ve never taken time

To notice what you’re saying

Take a minute, spend some time

Read on and stop delaying!

Light hearted though this poem may be

Don’t underestimate the theme

Working on yourself is a life-long journey

Coaching can help you build your dreams!

The Voice (of doubt) and what to do with it

Be Responsive, Be Successful

– Adapted from an article on Get Rich Slowly

I found a piece last week that addresses an important facet of personal relationships. Michael Hyatt is often asked, “What’s the secret of your success?” His answer: “Responsiveness.”

So many people I meet are unresponsive. They don’t return their phone calls promptly. They don’t answer their emails quickly. They don’t complete their assignments on time. They promise to do something and never follow through. They have to be reminded, prodded, and nagged. This behaviour creates work for everyone else and eats into their own productivity. Hyatt is describing the good old-fashioned procrastinator. Procrastination springs from many sources — stress, over-commitment, depression, fear of failure — but ultimately it hurts both the procrastinator and those around him.

 Reality is that we live in an “instant world.” People want instant results. They don’t want to wait. And if they have to wait on you, their frustration and resentment grows. They begin to see you as an obstacle to getting their work done. If that happens, it will begin to impact your reputation. Your actions affect how other people see you. If you’re unresponsive, people will look for other ways to get their job done. If you’re an unresponsive salesman, your customers will call somebody else. If you’re an unresponsive manager, your employees will work around you, not with you. But if people know they can count on you, they’ll seek your assistance in the future, and you’ll be rewarded with increased reputation and responsibility.

Not sure how others see you? Ask them to tell you the things you never hear. The truth is, you are building your reputation — your brand — one response at a time…You can’t afford to be unresponsive. It is a career-killer. My basic rule is this: respond immediately unless there is a good reason to wait. Free Money Finance often states “your career is your most valuable financial asset.” It’s true. Responsiveness will help you to succeed at work; lack of responsiveness will lead you to fail.

The great thing about being responsive is that it will quickly differentiate you from your peers. People love doing business with responsive people. Nothing will advance your career faster than this. Here are some ways to become more responsive:

•Develop a positive attitude.

•Modify your environment to eliminate distractions.

•Learn to put others’ needs before your own, especially on the job.

•Think creatively — reach your goal through any means necessary.

•Compare your actions with your personal values: are they in line with each other?

•Implement a system to assist you in Getting Things Done.

•Don’t be a slavish adherent to rules and procedures — be flexible.

•Don’t put things off — take care of them now.

Just do it!

– Quinton

3 keys: Happiness in a busy city

Three pointers to finding happiness amidst the hustle and rush of life in a concrete jungle… taken from an article on Psychology Today. Enjoy.

-Quinton

Happiness Comes from Inside. No class, event or person is ever going to make you happy. The order goes like this: Become happy. Then go out into the world and do what you need to do. You see, the high we get from our senses or material possessions lasts about six minutes. Yep that’s it. Then we’re ready for the Next Big Thing. Sounds crazy, but it is entirely possible to find more happiness sitting alone at home than running around. Get still and secure with your life first, then make decisions about what you want and where you want to be.

Focus on What You Have. My brain used to run the same script every morning, running through everything I didn’t have in my life. Now I realize that what we focus on is exactly what we get. The more I thought about not having love or a dream job, the more stuck I got. When I started waking up with gratitude for everything I did have in my life, more of that grew.

Watch What You Tell Yourself. Every thought and word you say has power. That cynic in you criticizing every situation just created his or her destiny. What we see and what we believe is exactly what we get in life. Even if you have to convince yourself, think positive thoughts and make wishful statements. Using positive affirmations is the best trick.

Living in a busy and anxious city isn’t always a walk in the park. But by looking inward and changing some of your habits and thoughts, it’s possible to live your dream life in the city. No to-do or check list needed!

Technology – Communication or Connection?

There are tens of thousands of businesses making many millions a year in profits that still haven’t ever heard of twitter, blogs or Facebook. Are they all wrong? Have they missed out or is the joke really on us?

They do business through personal relationships, by delivering great customer service and it’s working for them. They’re more successful than most of those businesses who spend hours pontificating about how others lose out by missing social media and the latest wave. And yet they’re doing business. Great business. Not writing about it. Doing it.

I’m continually amazed by the number of people on Twitter and on blogs, and the growth of people (and brands) on Facebook. But I’m also amazed by how so many of us are spending our time. The echo chamber we’re building is getting larger and louder. More megaphones don’t equal a better dialogue.

We’ve become slaves to our mobile devices and the glow of our screens. It used to be much more simple and, somewhere, simple turned into slow. We walk the streets with our heads down staring into 3-inch screens while the world whisks by doing the same. And yet, we’re convinced we are more connected to each other than ever before.

Multi-tasking has become a badge of honour.

I want to know why.

I don’t have all the answers to these questions but I find myself thinking about them more and more. In between tweets, blog posts and Facebook updates.

**

– Howard Mann – speaker, entrepreneur and author of Your Business Brickyard.

How to get ahead

You are a business. How can you cut your marketing budget?

You are a person. How can you get ahead.. get promoted.. get recognised.. grow in influence?

Short answer: Do insanely awesome work.

That kind of work markets itself and you.

– Adapted from a quote by author Rajesh Setty

Obstacle, or Opportunity?

Think you’ve got too much on your plate?

Struggling to cope?

“Why me”?

Change your perspective…

See this as an OPPORTUNITY… To inspire others and impress yourself with what you can accomplish and overcome… To send a message of HOPE to others that they too can surpass all expectations… To raise the bar and set a new standard of excellence and achievement… To DOMINATE your circumstances, not BE dominated by them… To create an enduring legacy that will inspire future generations… To give yourself a story to tell your grandchildren… To show that you can’t be beaten… To do something amazing… to put a dent in the universe.

What could you do in 10 minutes?

Yesterday I read this thought-provoking – and challenging – article on what we can do in ten minutes, from the famous “Time Management Ninja” productivity website.

Enjoy.

Quinton

**

Too many people say that they do not have enough time in their day to get their stuff done.  Yet, they let their time slip by bit-by-bit.  Minute-by-minute. Five minutes here.  Twenty minutes there.  Ten minutes before a meeting.

For many people, it is this “in-between” time that becomes a major source of lost productivity.

Let’s not underestimate what we can get done in just 10 minutes.  These little bursts of productivity can drive your whole day. So, here are 10 things you can do with those 10 minutes:

1. Respond to 10 emails – Keep it short, and remember that not all email messages deserve a response. 10?  Yes, and be ruthless with that inbox.
2. Respond to 3 phone calls – Return that call.  Reach out to that colleague that you need to meet up with.  And schedule that doctor’s appointment that you have been putting off for 6 months.
3. Pay some bills online – In just a few minutes, you can pay your bills with online billpay.  You’re not still dealing with paper bills, are you?
4. Catch up with a co-worker – 10 minutes early to that meeting?  This can be one of the best times to have a meaningful conversation with another colleague.  Re-connect with someone.  At a recent meeting I had the chance to reconnect with one of our executives.  Someone who I might not normally have a chance to chat with on a personal level.
5. Read 10 pages in a book – Whether it is in the doctor’s office or the car dealership, use that time to read a few pages.  Some people carry a book with them for these moments. 
6. Write – You will be surprised how much you can write in 10 minutes.  Write a memo.  Start a blog post. Whatever you need to get done.
7. Prepare – Get ready for a future appointment.  Look at tomorrow’s calendar.  Is there any prep work you need to do?  It could be as simple as getting some documents together or researching a topic.
8. Reflect – Spend the few moments, reflecting on your day.  What you have accomplished?  What has made you happy today?  What you still need to address?
9. Reach Out & Touch Someone – In these days of email, Twitter, text msgs, and more… it has become increasingly rare to actually communicate in person.  When I find I have a 10 minute block of time to spare, I will walk down the hall and speak to someone face-to-face that I normally would not see.
10. Do Nothing – Of course, you could just waste the 10 minutes surfing the net or checking the news.  Unfortunately, too many people choose this last option.

What do you do with your 10 minutes?  Or do you let them slip by?