If we aren’t growing and changing then we cannot possibly thrive in this magnificent and mysterious experience we call life. If you do a quick audit of your life right now (your work, relationships, well-being, finances, home life, social life & daily joy), any...
Do you need to ask for more help, more often? Last week I received an email from a woman I know professionally, asking if I would do her a favor. Her son moved from Australia to New York a year ago to pursue his ambition of working in media, but has had a hard time...
There are many ways we’re called to be courageous in our lives, but often the most difficult is in our relationships. Our deep desire to belong and feel loved coupled with our fear of rejection and confrontation can trigger our vulnerability and override our better...
Last Friday my eleven-year-old son Matthew had a spill off his bike, broke his arm and needed surgery to realign the bend in his arm! He’s now in a full arm cast for the next six weeks and then has to wait another six weeks before he can get back to his...
Layne Beachley is a household name for most Aussies and a woman highly admired by athletes around the globe for her back-to-back world champion surfing titles. Recently honored with an Order of Australia, Layne has accrued a wealth of wisdom when it comes to...
Nearly two years ago I took the plunge toward a long held aspiration: producing my own online TV channel focused on supporting people (particularly women) to be more courageous in their work, relationships and life. I had no idea how to go about it (Actually, I’m...
Sometimes you’ve just got to say YES! and then figure out how to make it work! I was recently invited to spend five days with Sir Richard Branson and 25 women leaders on Necker Island, his private island in the Caribbean engaging in big conversations about how we can...
“I don’t do resolutions,” my friend Jane told me recently. “What’s the point? I never keep them.” You probably know a few people like Jane yourself. Perhaps you're one of them! Given that fewer less than 50% people who make resolutions ever keep them until Valentines...
It's Christmas time again. As my years on earth grow, so too do they seem to pass faster. As a child, it seemed to be an eternity between each birthday or Christmas and yet now, they roll around with a swiftness that makes me realize how quickly life is passing....
Growing up my dad would often jokingly call me ‘bumble foot.’ By high school I had labeled myself as a bona-fide “non-athlete” and during school athletic carnivals, would only enter the walking race, too intimidated by the ‘real’ athletes to line up against them in...
It’s Thanksgiving week, at least for all US readers, so I thought I’d pen a few thoughts on gratitude to mark this special holiday. My dad often says he feels like the richest man in the world. It always makes me smile because, having been a dairy farmer his entire...
Nothing stifles our success more than the pressure we put on ourselves to do things perfectly, and to avoid the possibility of falling short in the attempt. I've spent the last few months immersed in words while writing my next book Train the Brave (due out next...
There’s no doubt that the Ebola virus is deadly. It has buried thousands of helpless victims in the western region of Africa and challenged the world’s best health specialists in how best to contain its spread. News of the tragic death of the first US Ebola victim,...
When I asked my son Ben what he wanted for his 13th birthday in August he pondered the question for about ten seconds before replying, “To go sky diving.” While I was a bit taken aback I knew that given both Andrew and I had both been parachuting I’d be a hypocrite...
So early this morning I kissed my sixteen-year-old son Lachlan goodbye. He has left our nest; he has spread his wings. Despite steeling myself for months for this moment, it didn’t lessen the wrench on my heart as I waved him goodbye. I am not worried about Lachlan...
Saying yes is easier (at least in the short term) than saying no. It gives us an immediate hit of people-pleasing gratification. If it were easy to say no when we need to, everyone would be doing it. If it were easy to say no, there wouldn’t be so many busy people so dissatisfied with their lives. But whether in our work, relationships or how we manage our daily lives, sometimes we are called to make a change, to let go the familiar, and say no to something that is “good” to open up the possibility for something better.
The World Cup holds many lessons on creating a game-winning strategy beyond the soccer field. One of the most important is the difference between playing to win, versus playing to not lose. When you are playing to win your energy is channeled into creating new opportunities, breaking new ground, and going after what you want to happen versus protecting what you don’t want to lose. Playing to lose, on the other hand, is about shoring up what you already have. While it may feel like the safer path, it often leaves people and organisations being left behind in a world marching steadily forward.
What you focus sets off a ripple effect that filters into every corner of your life. It’s not about white-washing those things which need your attention. It’s about not wasting your precious energy focused on things that amplify negative emotions, smother positive ones and fuel your misery.
Over the last two days I’ve had the opportunity to speak at two leadership conferences. After each event I had the chance to speak with attendees who shared their challenges, their aspirations and anxieties. One of the common threads that wove through our conversations was about their self-confidence. One particular person asked me how I’d become such a confident presenter and if I had any tips. As I shared with her…
I don’t know what it is you’d really love to create or achieve or change or pursue. However I do know this – waiting until you have everything figured out before you start out is a recipe for missed opportunity, frustration, resentment and regret.
