Be yourself, everyone else is taken
As I write this post, I am in a delightful little B&B in a small seaside town on the south coast of New South Wales. In my new role, I travel here once a month to visit the staff that I manage and it’s always a nice place to visit.
To get home usually requires a 2 hour drive to Canberra to catch a flight to Melbourne and then another long drive of almost 2 hours home to Bendigo. It’s a long day!
But alas, tomorrow’s journey will be longer than usual.
To maximise your potential and reach all of your goals, it’s gonna be hard.
I wish that I could tell you otherwise, but I have to be honest.
There will be days when you will feel like giving up.
Days when you will wish you had chosen an easier path.
Days when you will wonder if it is all worth the effort.
It’s not about making yourself look better, it’s about elevating others.
It’s not about having all of the answers, it’s about asking the right questions.
It’s not about getting recognition, it’s about generously distributing praise.
It’s not about who puts the ball in the back of the net, it’s about who contributed to the goal being achieved.
It’s not about getting all you can get, it’s about giving all you can give.
As an avid sports fan, I love it when I hear about a young athlete who suddenly believes that they belong at the top level.
Everything changes for them.
Their body language changes.
Their response to their coaches and team-mates changes.
The game suddenly looks easier.
James Clear, author of the book, “Atomic Habits” recently tweeted,
“We want solutions, but what we really need are attitudes.
You don’t need abs, but rather an attitude of training.
You don’t need the answer, but rather an attitude of curiosity.
You don’t need an easier life, but rather an attitude of perseverance.
Attitude precedes outcome.”
You know he’s right.
When you enter a room, what changes?
Does it become more energised?
More optimistic?
Calmer?
Do people smile more?
There’s an old Swedish proverb that says,
“Those who wish to sing always find a song.”
God bless those Swedes.
What a wonderful reminder that we focus on is so often what we end up getting.
If you want to complain, you will always find things to complain about.
Do you care?
About your work?
About the people around you?
About how you present yourself?
About your reputation?
Most people would say a resounding yes to most, if not all, of the above scenarios.
Whatever you think you should be doing with your life…
Whatever your goals are…
Whatever the next obvious step is with your career…
Whatever aspect of life you are struggling with…
Whatever habits you know you should be developing…
There will either be a thousand opportunities, or a thousand excuses.
It’s a perfect day to get things done.
To write that proposal.
To enroll in that course.
To act on that idea.
To buy those flowers.
