Your word.

I didn't understand the importance of this next sentence. A person needs to do what they say they will do. My parents, teachers, friends, family, tutors, role models, business idols and many others tried to point out just how important it was, but somehow (somehow!!) it never really sank in. Heck, it was even presented many different ways, different words, different forms...

'Do what you say, when you say you will do it!'

'Say only what you mean.'

'Be truthful in all things you do.'

and so on and so on....except it never sank in at the core. But I think I got it, I think I can sum it up in a way that will stick :D It came at a really insignificant moment (but this is important). A friend wanted to discuss renting out my apartment for a few months, I was busy and promised to call her back. I realized that the moment I said "OK" to calling her back, the commitment/promise was made. Before me was a fork in the road, two options:

1. Don't call. 

2. Call. 

The first means that I have lost so much. The respect of my friend, her trust in me, her faith in my word and her faith in my commitment to the relationship. Yes, yes, small promise and is an insignificant call-back that important? Well, yes. Why? Look at the second option. With a commitment to call-back being such a small thing yet when fulfilled my friend believes in my commitment to the friendship, my respect for her, my integrity with my word and finally, that I will do what I say I will do. Keep enough small promises (to others and yourself) and they (and you) will start believing when you make the big promises. Over the course of a lifetime, this can pay huge dividends.

Think to yourself, next time you say 'OK', are you going to follow through?

Nice quote....

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt

Learn one new thing everyday

I think if you learn one new thing everyday you are soon going to be obsolete (in the business-world sense at least). My personal goal is 10 new things everyday.

Time isn't your greatest resource, it's your energy...

I just read the following quote:

"Your greatest asset is your earning ability, your greatest resource is your time."

I dont think this is entirely true. Your greatest resource isn't your time, it's your energy. We are all working off the same base of time (24 hours in a day, 5-8 hours sleep, 1-2 hours eating). It's pretty hard to change this or even minimize the above (thats a slippery slope). The best method and the greatest resource we have is the energy we bring to those hours.

Its good to maximize time, if you can squeeze in extra time say from sleeping less over the next month, great! But think of the advantage you will have if you bring huge amounts of energy the time that you do have. You will go after your greatest challenges, tackle that problems that you have been putting off and most of all, accomplish more. So what if you take an extra hour or two!

Sucking most of the day

Failure is important...yes yes yes...heard it a million times! What isn't recognized so much is how discouraging it can be. Take for example, a small minor task I had today. I was formatting a final report and it took me 10 tries to get this small (relatively insignificant) graph just to fit on my page. It seemed unfair that I had to try 10 times before I got it right 1 time.

This applies to most things. In fact, most things take longer than 10 tries to get it right. If extrapolated to more of life, it implies that its possible to spend 90% of our time failing at one thing or another. That's discouraging!

Its amazing though, that the 1 right time made up for the 10 failed tries. Life isn't counted in one step forward, two steps back or whatever cliche is used. I think a better one is this:

Life is a pile of failures. The bigger your pile of failures the better. But only as long as you stay on top the pile, continuing to add to it, not letting yourself get sucked down into the pile.

Teaching Inspiration

I was feeling discouraged today. I doubt I am alone in the feeling. Some days are worse than others and for some reason we simply cant find inspiration. I tried many things, exercising, eating my fav food, I even went to a festival. Nothing worked. I reverted to some patterns (breathe, focus my thoughts, imagine) that help me get going. Kinda worked.

Inspiration is a funny thing. Its an energy that materializes out of nowhere. It can spawn world changing thoughts, amazing feats of physical ability or the desire to change one's life for the better. The power in inspiration is endless.

But yet, we think inspiration belongs only in the realm of the arts. We play it down in business. Although thinking of the big idea (inspiration) can be worth a lot of money. Its only in the day-to-day activity that true success is found. Finding inspiration each of these days can be difficult.

The Last Push

Its that extra rep you push out, in the last set of pushups, where you build a body to be proud of at the beach.

Its the work you do at 9pm on a friday, that gets you the promotion.

Its the last kilometre you run, when your legs are screaming in pain, that lets you finish the triathlon.

Its when your terrified and nervous, but you go those extra 10 inches to plant a kiss.

If its worth getting, its likely going to involve discomfort. Why? If it everyone could do it, it wouldnt be worthwhile but most people don't like being uncomfortable. Its like my buddy Tyson says, "Training for a triathlon involves a haneous amount of pain!" I think it applies to most everything worth getting.