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Don’t let anyone define who you are.
People almost always draw rapid judgements on you from their first impression. And sometimes these impressions tend to be negative. So have the strength to realize what’s really happening around you so only you can define yourself.
Always have a plan.
The value is not in the plan. No matter how well you plan, your plan will not always go down as you thought it would. So why plan? The value is in the planning. By planning, you uncover real problems and dynamics, not just surface ones. And always build a dynamic plan. Don’t beat your head against a stone wall. Plans need to adapt as circumstances change.
Fear of taking action roots from fear of the unknown.
Uncertainty is the illusion. We can start our cars, never to get back to our homes. The point is life isn’t certain. We feel most comfortable when things are certain but we feel most alive when things are not.
Make your enemy your energy.
When you stand up for something in life, it’s inevitable that enemies will show up. You have a choice. You can either allow that negativity drive you and eventually poison you or you can use your enemies as a gift – a battery that never runs out.
There are lessons everyday and these lessons never stop.
When you pay attention to detail, you’ll realize how much life teaches you often without you even knowing. We all have a moment of learning every day. Every day, make a habit to turn your lights out and work out the lessons you learnt.
There are routes around your weaknesses.
For there to be strength, there has to be weakness. Truly exceptional leaders double down on their strengths and manage around their weaknesses.
Stand apart from the crowd.
You’re a leader, not a follower. When you’re new to a group, chances are you tend to ‘join in’ and become one of another followers. But if you completely detach yourself, you won’t win their trust. So, you need to hit the balance.
Arrogance breeds complacency.
Most groups are egotistical. They think they’re the best. Sure, as a leader your job is to cultivate the best but you must never lose your grip on reality. You’ll become complacent once you let your fantasies, instead of your reality, define you.
Humility means being open to inspiration and ideas.
Keep yourself humble. You can’t be the best in every single area of the life. Every day we meet exceptional people who are better models of what we might be one day. It’s your humility that help you identify and learn from them.
Befriend your demons.
Accepting your dark forces and making friends with them simply means you’re a human. Make them work for you not against you.
Life is the long way.
Life isn’t something we see in the moves where people go through hell and come out of the other side a perfect hero. In real life, we go through hell, learn our lessons, go through again, learn and repeat.
Look for help in unlikely places.
Before dismissing people, remember every single person you’ll ever meet knows something you don’t. And you never know who you meet today will turn out to be the greatest ally in your life or business.
Don’t be intimidated by the crowd.
When you walk into a room and see the amount of people in the room, take it as a prompt that only a handful would pass and that you’re the one of the handful.
Don’t listen to know-it-alls.
Smartest people don’t always speak the loudest. They’re the ones who are taking it all in while the rest are giving it out.
The war has started since you’re born.
It’s the war in your head. When you feel like giving in, it’s your mind telling you to quit when your body still have enough to run ten more miles. The greatest battle you’ll ever win is in your own mind.
Bad decisions often show up as temptations.
If it feels like a temptation, it’s likely a bad decision. If you’re tempted, try to resist. You’ll rarely regret it.
Waiting is a weapon.
It takes courage to wait while our human instincts always try to drive us towards instant gratification. Realize that everything great you ever want in life takes much, much longer time than you think it would.
Shame hurts.
Under no circumstances, try to shame people especially in the public. They may not have done the best job but that doesn’t mean you have to destroy their reputation. If you have to let people go, let them go with their dignity intact.
Give people a chance.
Avoid writing people off too quickly. Give them another opportunity and another and another. But if they still refuse to learn, it seems most likely they don’t belong to you.
Realize people won’t always respect you straight away.
It’s not personal. It’s human nature. Your job is to keep trying while maintaining your trust and integrity. And one day when opportunity shows up, you’re ready to prove that you have what it takes to lead.
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