Some life lessons

I don’t use Tick-Tock but my children do, so sometimes I am confronted with some things to ponder, for example…

• "Life is 100% better when no one knows anything about you."
  Privacy can bring clarity and peace of mind. Guard it as you guard your ambition.

• "You shouldn’t take advice from people who are not where you want to be in life."
  Only follow the footsteps of those who have walked the path you aim to conquer.

• "Everyone will show you who they are; just give them time."
  Patience reveals truth. Be observant, and let time expose true intentions and character.

• You must be smart enough to create your own opportunities. Why wait for someone else to offer you what you desire when you have the ability to create it yourself?

• “The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage.”
  To achieve freedom, be courageous enough to act, to fail, to rise, and try again.

• "You will always have problems."
  Life will throw challenges, but you have the power to adjust your perception. Will you cry in the storm or dance in the rain?

““Lessons in life will be repeated until they are learned.””

— Unknown

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Persist until you succeed

Persistence is self-discipline in action and is the true measure of individual human character. Every great success in your life will represent a triumph of persistence. Your ability to decide what you want to begin and then to persist through all the obstacles and difficulties until you achieve your goals is the critical determinate of your success. And the flip side of persistence is courage. I think the greatest challenge you will ever face in life is the conquest of fear and the development of the habit of courage.

““Courage is the greatest virtue because it guarantees all the rest.” ”

— Winston Churchill

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Yes you can

The first and most important thing is the courage to begin and step out in faith. You develop courage by acting courageously wherever courage is called for. The courage to start something new and move out of your comfort zone with no guarantee of success is extremely important, as the future belongs to the risk takers not the security seekers. I think life is perverse in the sense that the more you seek security the less of it you will have, but the more you seek opportunity, the more likely it is you will achieve the security you desire.

““I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.””

— Nelson Mandela

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A leap of faith

The mastery of fear and the development of courage are essential prerequisites for a happy and successful life. Create a clear mental picture of the person you would like to become performing the way you would like to perform. Remember that there is nothing wrong with having thoughts of fear if you temper them with thoughts of courage and self-reliance. With the commitment to acquire courage, you’ll reach the point where your fears no longer play a major role in your decision-making process. And you’ll be able to face every situation with calmness and reassurance, and these are the keys to courage.

““You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.””

— Christopher Columbus

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Let's talk about it again

Rest and relaxation build courage and confidence as much as any other factors. All intelligent people are afraid of something, it is normal and natural to be concerned about your physical, emotional, and financial survival. A courageous person is not a person who is unafraid, the question is how you deal with fear. The courageous person is just the person who goes forward despite of fear. Contact me via e-mail to book coaching, mentoring or 1:1 sparring sessions.

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Everyone has a story

As humans we have been raised to keep a tough appearance, not to share information, be guarded and scrutinise everybody who’s in our life. My education at home revolved around, “the more you know the further you will go” philosophy.
Someone said, “I don’t know how you do it.”
I said, “I wasn’t given a choice.”
I think even if the hero has no choice, it’s still taking courage to be courageous, and we all need role models who model these heroic traits for us.

“If you really think the economy is more important than the environment, try holding your breath while counting your money.”

— Dr. Guy McPherson

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Courage comes in many forms

Some have argued that courage should include overcoming a fear, while others have suggested that fear may or may not be present in the courageous act. Daniel Putnam in his book, “Psychological Courage” from 2004 stated that "courage involves deliberate choice in the face of painful or fearful circumstances for the sake of a worthy goal."

The 6 types of courage

1. Physical Courage
   To keep going with balance, resilience, and awareness.

2. Social Courage
   To be yourself unapologetically.

3. Moral Courage
   Doing the right thing even when it’s uncomfortable or unpopular.

4. Emotional Courage
   Feeling all your emotions both positive and negative without guilt or attachment.

5. Intellectual Courage
   To learn, unlearn and relearn with an open and flexible mind.

6. Spiritual Courage
   Living with purpose and meaning through a heart centered approach towards all life and oneself.

Throughout my life people with guts have been solving problems, so I think courage is the choice and willingness to confront uncertainty, intimidation, danger, and pain.

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Courage is a choice

No matter the risk or failures, keep going and never give up, if you never give you must succeed. I think the first part of courage is the courage to start, to face failure and rejection with the great possibility that it will not work out and you will feel embarrassed and upset. And the second part of courage is persistence, it’s the power to keep going, to keep pushing and driving yourself.

Don’t be afraid to disrupt the status quo, and to me, status quo means mediocrity and lack of ingenuity. We are all one action or one decision away from creating a better future and changing an outcome for ourselves. Contact me via e-mail when you’ve muscled up the courage to stand for something bigger than yourself and mean it.

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Courage is a choice

Courage is the willingness to act in the face of fear, doubt or uncertainty. It’s a choice to move forward, knowing that come what may, you will do whatever it takes to deal with it. Alternatively, you can retreat and do what has always been done, what you know and keep receiving what you’ve always gotten. Remember courage will bring us to new places, into new relationships and help generate new results.


Here’s a few action points that will allow you to connect with anyone immediately:
·      Smile
·      Make eye contact
·      Use their name
·      Ask questions
·      Listen with interest
·      Pay attention
·      Be present

Trusting your gut means having the courage to not simply go with the majority. A study group asked a group of Californian entrepreneurs, “How do you make your decisions?” These are entrepreneurs who have built businesses from nothing to over $100 million, and they more or less said the same thing - “I am a voracious gatherer of information, I want to see the numbers but if it doesn’t feel right I won’t go ahead with the deal.” The part of the brain that thinks in words has a very rich connection to the gastrointestinal tract to the gut, so this is why we get a gut feeling.
When you are making decisions, do you trust your gut feeling?

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The keys to power

There are times when we should be competitive and there are other times when we should share. According to my Oxford English Dictionary, the word, “courage” means the ability to do something dangerous, or to face pain or opposition, without showing fear. I think we need courage to brings us to new places, to new relationships and new results. What is your typical reaction when you are experiencing change?

·      Do you get defensive and retreat? 

·      Do you know what causes either of these reactions?

·      Do you engage in self-talk that may impact your courage to embark on change?

·      Do you fear losing something by being courageous?

Have you thought about what you could gain by being courageous?

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Keep your eye on the target

The first part of courage is the courage to start with a high possibility that you will face failure and rejection. The second part of courage is persistence - the power to keep going - to keep pushing and driving yourself. Passion and persistence are what matter. Dreams are achievable and you can make your fantasy come true, but there are no shortcuts. Nothing happens without hard work. Courage will you to look at the world in a new way, with both optimism and clarity.

“Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.”

— Bill Bradley

I think success in life depends on our willingness to never give up, even when the reward is delayed and perseverance is what separates the winners from the losers. Perseverance has other names - persistence, determination, a can-do attitude. Those who persevere understand that luck is something only failures believe in. Well the Roman philosopher Seneca said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” What do you think?

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Sales tips on Sunday

Sales persons need to always show up in the moment and when I say moment, I mean showing up in a positive and curious state of mind for the sales performance. Sales is the transference of emotion that the solutions you are selling makes sense for the buyer and in order to do this, you must arrive with clarity, confidence and courage. Here are a few sales tips below, please contact me via e-mail for real world strategies, sales training and workshops opportunities.

1. Learn how to sell yourself

2. Know your products and services

3. Show empathy for your customers situation

4. Believe what you are saying

5. Be open to feedback

6. Learn from master sales persons

7. Learn the psychology of sales

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I care enough to see you

People are always drawn to those who are genuine, willing to show who they truly are and who make it safe for others to be fully themselves. I have always taken the risk of leading from my heart, knowing the reward was greater than any inadequacy I felt. I think being vulnerable is always the pathway to making meaningful connections, and being authentic and vulnerable is also the secret to becoming charismatic.
Ken Blanchard said, “If you don’t know who you are - or what your strengths and weaknesses are - and you are unwilling to be vulnerable, you will never develop a trusting relationship.” 

In my humble opinion, authenticity means taking a risk to show others our true selves. It’s uncomfortable and vulnerable, and always carries with it the very human fear of not fitting in. I think that if we want to see others then we must first allow them to truly see us. It takes courage to be authentic and aligned with our values, especially in these turbulent times. Right now we are all using FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, Teams, etc., to stay in touch with our colleagues, family and friends, but we are still in our own spaces. I think that it’s really hard to transcend that separateness, no matter how good the camera lens is, technology has made the connection possible, but seeing authentic emotion makes it tolerable. 

Do you agree that in our heads and hands we have the specialist skills that will get us hired? I think that what really separates us is our ability to connect with, motivate and inspire others, what do you think? 

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