Change the World

Admiral McRaven's top 10 tips for students to change the world. This is excellent and applies to all of us, at home, personally and in business. Watch his speech to see for yourself.

1. Make your bed every day - making your bed everyday into a profession. The wisdom of a a simple act.

2. Everyone must paddle. You can't change the world alone.

3. Measure a person by the size of their heart not the size of their flippers.

4. Get over being a sugar cookie and continue to pursue your goals with vigour.

5. Don't be afraid of the circuses, there's no such thing as failure only feedback. 

6. Sometimes you have to slide down the rope head first. Risk doing something different.

7. Don't back down from the sharks, confront your fears.

8. You must be your very best at the darkest moments under the keel.

9. Start singing when your up to your neck in mud, one person is all it takes to give hope.

10. Don't ever ring the bell.

So having listened to Admiral McRaven what little tasks to you need to complete daily to help along the way with the big tasks? How well does your team function, do they all have a paddle? How do you measure other people? How determined are you to pursue your goals? How do you react when the going gets tough? Have you the strength and courage to do something different? When the sharks are circling how do you control your fear? Where do you find your inner strength at the darkest moments? How do you get into a positive place when the negative wants to overwhelm you? Will you ever ring that bell? 

Get Moving, Even When Others Fall Behind

It’s often far easier to rest where you are than to push yourself to the next level.  But complacency leads to mediocrity…which almost always leads to disaster.  So, if this is true, how can you keep yourself responsive, resourceful, and recharged in this competitive business environment?

There are seven tactics that when implemented and sustained, will make a difference:

1.            Practice self-discipline versus self-indulgence.  Self-indulgence is thinking about how you feel at a given moment, then deciding what action, if any, to take and worrying about the consequences later.  Self-discipline is thinking first about the consequences, then taking appropriate action, and feeling great about your decision.

See it this way:

§  self-discipline = think consequences 

§  take action 

§  feel great 

§  self-indulgence = think feelings 

§  take action 

§  suffer consequences

2.            Remember the difference you make in people’s lives.  The real measure of your success is the difference that you’re making in the lives of others.  By positioning and promoting yourself as someone who can make a difference, you will reach more people.

3.            Avoid negative self-talk.  Resist the temptation to tell yourself all the things you’re doing wrong and all the things you need to improve on.  Remember Willie Nelson’s great tune, “Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative, and Don’t Mess with Mr. In Between.”

4.            Listen to one motivational or inspirational message each week.  Without recharging yourself, it’s impossible to charge others.  Whether this message comes from a religious affiliation or simply from motivational tapes or messages, (like Excellence magazine) it is vital to realize that by renewing yourself, only then can you renew others.

5.            Read books by and for successful people.  It is said that the average sales person reads only one book each year.  That’s why they’re average.  The importance of reading is that it not only develops your logic and understanding, but it also develops your verbal skills and gives you exposure to new ideas that you can use to build your business and your relationships.

6.            Focus on your long-term vision versus the short-term circumstances. Take the time to review your goals weekly so that you’re focused on the long-term.  Remember, if you’re focused on creating the future, you won’t spend time mourning the past.

7.            Manage yourself wisely.  Recharge and renew yourself and then put in enough effort to get where you want to be, not just enough to justify where you are now.