Every year in America, millions of families sit down together to talk about and share what they are thankful for. However, one thing we don’t talk about is… what are we NOT thankful for?
In this week’s notes I challenge us to think about what we are NOT thankful for and why. Here is the video:
What are you not thankful for and what can you do about it or how can you change your perspective around the thing you are not thankful for?
In this week’s video, I share with you the difference between the definition of entertain vs exercise when it comes to our ideas and why it matters to us as being THE leader! Here is the video:
What can we do this week to exercise on one of our ideas that we have been entertaining for too long?
Keep being THE!
I am reading Ryan Holiday’s The Obstacle is The Way (highly recommend) this week and one thing that stood out to me is this excerpt from Andy Grove:
“Andy Grove, a former CEO of Intel, outlined when he described what happens to businesses in tumultuous times: “Bad companies are destroyed by crisis. Good companies survive them. Great companies are improved by them.” Great individuals, like great companies, find a way to transform weakness into strength.”
What is ONE way we can transform ONE of our weaknesses this week into strength?
Ready… set… be THE!
This week I had to be creative while being on the road and in a hotel room to deliver one of my virtual presentations. Here is the set up!
My challenge for us this week is to get creative the next time something comes our way that we are not used to or puts us in a different environment.
Where can we get creative this week? Ready… set… go!
Why should we have a routine?
This week I looked into what differentiates A leader vs THE leader when it comes to routine and why routines matter so much to us!
This week’s notes come from taking a look at Ryan Holiday’s Ego is The Enemy, research from various publications and listening to friends who cheer us along the way!
Action Items of the week: #1 Think about who you want to be vs what you want to do and #2 Come up your routine around the PPP.
For the past year I have been working to get my P2 Pilots license for paragliding. There are so many parallels between paragliding and leadership and one hit me hard this week when my coach says, “When you jump off this cliff, if you don’t give 100% you will hurt yourself!”
Running full speed ahead off a mountain when your entire body is screaming NO but your mind is saying YES is a wild thing! We have taken all the precautions, steps and have we have our contingency plan in place. But why can it be so hard to jump, when we know it is safe?
What really happens if we don’t give 100% when we are going for our goals? Where are we not giving 100% and is it hurting us? Where is one place we can step up to give 100% this week? Watch how you start to fly when you give 100%!
I recently had the opportunity to go scuba diving at Ocean Park in Hong Kong. When you visit, I highly recommend you go and be prepared to spend the entire day there because it has a lot to offer!
I was giving a couple speeches in Hong Kong and instead of hopping from hotel to hotel I thought I would be adventurous in-between speeches.
You are 2 feet away from hammer head sharks and hundreds of other fish!
I knew Ocean Park was one of the top rated tourist attractions in the world, so I reached out to the theme park’s PR department to ask if I could scuba dive with the hammerhead sharks, manta rays and more than 5,000 other fish they have in their 2.5 million gallon grand aquarium.
A week later, they said yes and granted me access to a behind-the-scene tour of how the aquarium works and an up close and personal experience with the animals.
Just in case you want to know what a manta ray eats.
Wherever I go, I enjoy doing adventurous things (skydiving, white water rafting or rock climbing) for a variety of reasons. When we as leaders and speakers become adventure seekers it allows us to:
Meet New People: As leaders, the more people we know, the more people we can help. Being a good leader means you are good at building relationships. I think if more people traveled, the world would be a better place because you learn that your way is not the right way or the only way, rather it is the way that works for you. As leaders we need to meet more people so we can make better decisions, expand our thinking and continue to learn.
Create New Stories: There are people who think that your life is what it is and you can’t do much to change it; you have to play the cards that you are dealt. Well I say, if you don’t like your cards, play a different card game. A card game that allows you to have the winning hand! We can create our own stories, we don’t have to wait for them to come to us! What story have you been waiting to create? Go out there and make it happen!
Enjoy New Experiences: Sometimes we get stuck in routine. That is where boredom can sink in. We as leaders need to be trying, exploring and having new experiences on a regular basis to keep our minds fresh, our perspective open and to see all the world has to offer outside of our own little bubble. What is one experience you can create for yourself this week that will let you grow as a leader?
My friends at D89 joined us on the adventure and they were so amazing. They showed Chelsea and I around the entire city after we got done. They hosted one of our events, took us to a party and were so gracious to host us while we were in Hong Kong (Thank you Derek)! All of D89 is amazing and I learned a lot from them.
So the next time you are feeling less than motivated or you feel like you are searching for something to do in life, instead of drowning in self doubt, build up the courage to ask, do and try! Who knows where it will take you?
Thank you to the team at Ocean Park for the awesome experience and to Donna for making it happen! I can’t wait to come back and visit and to see what my next adventure will be.
Remember it’s the dreamers who take action that change our world. Take advantage of today, plan for tomorrow and always…
Dream BIG,
Ryan
Because you enjoyed last week’s infographic and because my high school reunion is a week away, I thought I would share another infographic today by MBC! This time, it helps us identify what type of leadership style we are drawn too more! Which one are you?
What makes a great story? If you are not familiar with the Hero’s Journey I would recommend you familiarizing yourself with it. Once you learn how to tell a great story, you can inspire, influence, and motivate people to take action.
As we know, people buy stories, share stories, like stories, and remember stories. So as a leader, why wouldn’t you want to be a good storyteller? Here are three things that make a great story:
A challenge: The harder you have to work to obtain your goal, the better the story you will have.
A fight: The stronger the contrast you can create between the person, idea or thing your “hero” is up against, the better story you will have.
A feeling: The more opportunities you give your audience to feel happy, sad, fearful, disgusted, surprised and angry, the more connected your audience will be to your story.
Think about all the great stories you have ever heard, watched, or read. All incorporate these three things. Start looking for them. Consider the world’s great stories and how those stories made you feel, what fight the heroes were up against, and what they tried to accomplish!
So the next time you are faced with an everyday challenge, fight or experience major feelings, know you are creating a solid life story for yourself! As always…
Dream BIG,
Ryan
I had the chance to hang out with a few of my entrepreneur friends this weekend who happen to have the cutest babies I know! After spending the day with them, I realized we, as leaders, can learn a lot from these miniature humans!
1) Cry and get over it: Babies fall, they fail, and they make mistakes. They cry for a minute, and then they move on to the next thing. They don’t look back.
2) Be happy with the simple things: Babies have fancy toys, nice clothes, and fancy food! What do they play with that makes them the happiest? The boxes the toys came in. They have no care for fancy clothes other than what feels good to wear. They are happy, too, with a simple diet of milk and mushy food high in nutrients! Now, I am one who likes to wear nice clothes, and I prefer tasteful food; but, I can do a better job being happier with the simple things in life!
3) Tell people how you really feel: Babies don’t keep their emotions inside. When they are angry, they let you know. When you are happy, they let you know. When they like someone or don’t like them, they let the person know. They don’t care what people think of them. They care about letting others know what they think!
4) Be curious and try new things: Babies are constantly crawling to explore new territory and scanning for new things to touch! They are alive and happy to be alive, because there is so much out there to explore, see, taste, and touch!
5) Always be learning: Babies are digesting new things everyday! They are thirsty for knowledge.
6) Laugh often: No matter how much they cry, babies always laugh. They smile, they enjoy, and they experience happiness. They want to be happy and do what it takes. They say what they need to say in order to find that happiness.
Sure, babies scream on planes, make a mess, and deprive their parents of sleep; but, we as leaders can do many things to be more like tiny little babies! Move on! Be happy with the simple things, tell people how you feel, try new things, learn something new, and laugh often! Enjoy the day, and as always…
Dream BIG,
Ryan
P.s. Thank you Jessica and Devin for letting me use your little one for this post! Y’all are awesome!
