Why Do You Go To Work?

Do you go to work:

• because you have to earn a living?
• so that you don’t get fired?
• because you don’t know any different?
• just to get away from the kids?
• to pay off your massive debts?
• out of a sense of duty?
• because you’re counting down the days to retirement?

Or do you go to work:

Coming Attractions, Don’t Miss Them

Logan, Madison and Hayden with their 3D glasses on ready for a movie

I love going to the movies (although that’s limited to kid’s movies at the moment with an 8-year-old and 5-year-old twins) and enjoy getting to the cinema in plenty of time to buy popcorn, find our seats, get comfortable and watch the coming attractions.

Of course, in the promotional ads they show the funniest and most action-packed bits of the next wave of movies.

They all look so good and I can’t wait to see them for myself.

Potentially, there are coming attractions in your life too.

There are things that you can do now that will give you something to look forward to in your own life.

If you are willing to dream big enough, think positively enough and work hard enough you could have an exciting future to anticipate.

What Trail Are You Leaving Behind?

Just as a boat leaves a wake behind it, we all leave a trail.

As you look back over your life, what do you see?

Is there a trail of risks taken or regrets for opportunities missed?

Is there a trail of people who have benefited from your skills or did no-one notice you passing by?

Is there a trail of learning and growing or are you just repeating the same mistakes?

Stop Retweeting and Start Creating

It’s always flattering when someone retweets one of my posts.

And I’m certainly one of those people who happily shares someone else’s great quotes or posts.

But here’s my challenge to you.  Become a creator of content not just a retweeter of it.

We live in a time that has made it easier than ever to create ideas and share them with the world.

And I suspect that you have ideas that are worthy of an audience.

There are people who need your help and if you are willing to spend the time, build your expertise and be generous with your thoughts, you can make a difference.

The Dead Fish – A Story About the Reality of Change

Tom was on his weekly walk with his mentor, Dwyer, when he made the comment that he didn’t want to work on developing himself anymore.

They were walking past a river, when Tom said, “Every week you tell me to learn something or grow in a particular area.  To be frank, I’m a bit sick of it and don’t want to change any more.  Why can’t I just stay the way I am?  Isn’t that good enough?”

Dwyer looked in the river and pointed out a dead fish.

“Tell me Tom, what is that over there?”

“It’s a dead fish, but what has that got to do with me?”

Brilliant Quotes – Passion

As someone who believes in the importance of passion when pursuing goals, I was very excited when I was recently asked to speak about the subject by an old friend for his leadership team.

In my mind, being passionate about your work is crucial to delivering great outcomes and your success in any area is often commensurate to how enthusiastic you are.

As a part of my preparation, I found some great quotes and I wanted to share my 9 favourites here.  I hope that they help you to get excited about life and encourage you to live a life of passion:

The Vegetarian Lion

Lion (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If a lion is vegetarian, is he still a lion?

If he doesn’t use the long claws, razor sharp teeth, athletic ability and hunting skills that he’s been equipped with to catch and eat prey, is he really being all that he can be?

If he starts consuming grass instead of zebras, is he just another member of the herd?

What about you?

What Do You Do When You Get to the End of Your Rope?

When you get to the end of your rope… hang on.

When you’re completely exhausted and can’t go one step further… find a way to lift one leg after another and keep going.

When you feel like giving up… don’t.

When you’ve run out of possible solutions to your problems… there are still options.

When you’re terrified about what the future holds… imagine the best that could happen and move towards that.

When you feel as though you can’t handle another problem, issue or drama… you probably can.

You Were Wild Once. Don’t Let Them Tame You

Isadora Duncan in Athens

In my daughter, Madison’s dance studio, there is a poster with a quote from American dancer, Isadora Duncan, who says, “You were wild once. Don’t let them tame you.”

What about you?

Were you wild once?

Did you have grand plans for your life?

Were your dreams and options unlimited?

Were you planning to make a difference to change the world?

Were you going to be an artist, a leader, a marine biologist or anything other than what you are now?

When There Is No Path – A Story About the Action We Need To Take

There was a young man named Tom who didn’t know what his future held.

He felt lost and had no idea what to do next.

When he spoke with his mentor, Dwyer about this dilemma, the mentor took him to a nearby field.

“To get to the other side,” Dwyer said, “What do you need to do?”

“Find the path?” Tom replied.

“Correct,” said Dwyer.

Tom looked up and down the paddock.

“I can’t see a path,” he said.