Success Doesn’t Come From Self-Discipline
| 12 February 2010
I was recently emailed a copy of a segment from Brian Tracy’s book The Power of Discipline. As the title of his book suggests, he believes that the most important success principle is self-discipline. He went on to define self discipline by quoting Thomas Huxley, who said, “Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.” I am a big fan of Brian Tracy and was fortunate enough to meet him at a National Speakers Association get together in Brisbane a few months ago. I normally agree with most of his points but on this occasion I don’t.
The Key to Effective Decision Making In Business and In Life
| 21 November 2009
For most of her pregnancy my wife, Angela felt glowing and radiant. When I met her after work one day she was not her assured self. In fact she was a bit upset. She had just got some blood test results back from her doctor and there was some concerning news.
"They have picked the presence of a certain bacteria which, if passed on to the baby during the birth process can be fatal for our baby," she explained. There is something about hearing the word 'fatal' in the same sentence as "our baby" that hits you hard in the stomach.
"What do they say to do?" I asked.
"They say that both myself and the baby have to be on IV antibiotics for the following three days and we probably won't be able to have a natural birth," she explained getting more and more upset.
We could have just accepted the doctor's decision as final but both of us had a nagging feeling that something wasn't quite right about this situation.
"Let's not make a decision when we're feeling upset." I suggested." Let's calm down, collect some facts and then make a decision. Okay?" Angela nodded her head in approval and sighed with relief that this decision didn't have to be made immediately.
Letting Angela rest, I went for a walk to clear my head. With a calm head on my shoulders I returned to my office and made a few phone calls, sent a few emails and spent a couple of hours online researching the topic. What we discovered was that there was a simple test that could be conducted immediately after the birth that could determine if the baby was infected with the bacteria. So rather than pumping drugs into my wife and newborn baby as a precaution it made better sense for us to first test to see if it was needed. We felt happy with this approach.
When we suggested this to the specialist he agreed that this would be a satisfactory way to address these concerns although it departed from the routine hospital protocol. As it turned out, all tests conducted on our newborn son Daniel came back completely clear so no medication was required.
You may be wondering what my wife's pregnancy has to do with making business decisions?
How To Attract Miracles Into Your Personal and Business Life
| 21 November 2009
It was one of those days that occasionally happens when I am sure that I had a sign stapled to my back saying, ‘If you want a safe place to release your emotions, please come and see me now.’ I don’t know if it is because I had experienced a near nervous breakdown that people feel that I can relate to their emotional upheavals more than the average health professional.
Whatever the reason, June was the third person this morning who felt the urge to release the stress and angst that had been building up in their lives. However for June it was becoming a regular pattern to come in and tell me about everything that had been going wrong in her life. While June was composing herself I said, “Watch out for the miracle that will happen to you later this week.”
Goal setting with work life balance and purpose
| 08 September 2009
When you have been stressed, tired and overworked for so long, it is easy to rationalize that you have lost the ability to become inspired and you give up on the possibility of having any semblance of work life balance. It is also easy to start to give up doing the things that you used to like to do that put some spark back into your life just to prevent disappointment in case you don´t achieve your work and life goals. However, giving up on striving for things that bring you happiness in your life is a sure-fire way to diminish your spark.
People with ambition and purpose in their life have so much more energy because their purpose gives them a big enough reason to keep them motivated during times when they feel down. You have all heard stories of amazing acts of strength by ordinary people that have happened in emergency situations. This is because; in that emergency situation they created a big enough reason for their brain to instantly unlock energy reserves previously unavailable to them.
When you have some ambition or reason to get up each morning you brain will instantly unlock extra energy reserves that were previously unavailable to the uninspired you. The bigger the reason, the more energy will be available to you.
The key to kicking unhealthy habits
| 17 August 2009
Con, a young property developer and his beautiful partner Simone recently came in for a routine check up. “Is there any areas of your lifestyle that you need help with?” I asked.
Con immediately turned to his partner. She strongly glared back at him. “Well?" Simone beckoned “Are you going to ask him or do I have to?” For a moment, there was a brief and awkward silence but Simone was determined to bring the issue up.
“Con needs help with giving up smoking,” she continued.
I looked at the somewhat reluctant-looking Con.
“I see that Simone wants you to quit smoking but the real question is: Do you want to give up smoking?” I asked.
“Well yeah,” he replied tentatively.
“Con, your mouth said yes but your body language suggested that you’re not yet convinced,” I pointed out.
“Look I used to enjoy a cigarette after my meal and when I have a drink but I know that it is not good for you and I should stop,” confessed Con as he finally began to open up.
“But do you want to stop smoking now?” I asked as I began looking at him intently for any body language signs that weren’t congruent with his words.
Adult Onset ADD - the new silent culprit claiming many burnt out Workers
| 01 July 2009
As most people were leaving for home, two people were hunched over in earnest conversation in a corner office. Therese had her head in her hands sobbing hysterically. Her work colleague helplessly draped her arm over her friend, occasionally rubbing her back in the hope that it would make a difference but Therese was at her wits end.
"I've had enough," confessed Therese as she sat up, wiped her eyes and blew her nose. "I can't handle this pressure and this pace anymore. I can't continue like this. I have no time for me to do what I want."
"Well what exactly do you want?" asked her friend.
"Oh, I don't know what I want, but I know that it's not this," Therese exclaimed.
This phrase, so eloquently captured in the title of Julie Jansen's best selling book also sums up a growing trend among workers that often culminates in burnout. A recent survey of 7600 American workers by Career Builders found that 78 % reported feeling burnt out.
Most people think that burnout is only a condition for the over ambitious, type A personalities who go at such a tremendous pace that their body and mind just can't keep up. I also think that there is a different type of burnout that is quickly becoming a lot more common. Feeling burnout can also occur when you don't have any ambition. I call it Adult Onset ADD or Ambition Deficit Disorder.