The Greatness Guide, Book 2: 101 More Insights to Get You to World Class (18 page)

Personal planning and goal-setting are not sexy topics. But they are incredibly important and central to an extraordinary experience of life. I see it time and time again among the clients who I coach: lots of time spent articulating a clear and detailed vision for what the key areas of their lives will look like, then a written plan with the vision broken down into sequenced goals so that the vision isn’t so overwhelming and the big picture can be seen as manageable steps to drive daily action.

One of the best effects of planning that I’ve discovered personally is what it does to my mind. Let me put it this way: Few things focus the mind as well as setting plans on paper and then sequencing them into goals. The very act of doing it heightens your awareness as to what’s most important. And with better awareness, you will make better choices. And as you make better choices, you are certain to experience better results.

So give yourself a gift: Take out a nice, crisp white sheet of paper. Sharpen a pencil. And then start writing about the work and home you desire to create. It’s a lot easier than you may think. And the results will stun you.

You’ll never know if you don’t even try. There is enormous power in asking for what you want. All too often, our internal chatter prevents us from taking the steps needed to get us to our own unique form of greatness. We are kept small from our inner imaginings—so many of which are lies.

The most brilliant of the best, those who live glorious lives that matter, ask like crazy. They understand that it’s a habit that must be polished for it to shine. And the more you do it, the easier it gets (like any skill). So they ask. For the support and help they need at work. For the understanding they may seek at home. For a win they need for their business. For a better table at their favorite restaurant. For a better seat at a sold-out concert. And because they ask more, they get more (success always has been a numbers game).

Nothing happens until you ask. People are not mind readers. They need to know what’s meaningful to you. And if you ask nicely, they just might say yes.

Human beings crave control—that’s just the way we are. It’s a survival mechanism that goes right back to the days when we lived in caves. We need certainty, and anything less makes us uncomfortable. But leadership is all about getting good at being
uncomfortable.
It’s about running toward, not away from, the things that intimidate and frighten you. And leadership is about trying new things.

It’s so easy to eat the same food each day. But if you don’t try new foods, you just might miss out on the opportunity to discover your new favorite meal. It’s easy to associate with the same people and have the same conversations each day. But if you don’t expand your community, you just might miss out on meeting your new best friend. It’s so easy to do the same things at work each day—to get stuck in a rut. And if you don’t stretch, you’ll miss an achievement that could flood you with a sense of confidence and fulfillment that will be the start of a whole new world of work.

So I invite you to use each day as a platform for filling your life with more adventure, passion and energy by injecting into it more new things. Listen to Boozoo Bajou if you usually listen to
Bach. Eat Malaysian food if you usually do meat and potatoes. Read
Dwell
magazine if you subscribe to
Fortune.
It’s a big, interesting world out there. And it’s yours for the taking.

Two beautiful words:
personal mastery.
They have an inspirational vibe to them. They offer hope. They challenge. They provoke. They affirm—and remind us of our highest possibilities.

To be given the gift of life is to be given an awesome responsibility. Each of us must go out into the world each day and live our best. Yes, life doesn’t always seem fair. We’ll encounter difficult customers and low-performing suppliers and angry commuters. We’ll face hard and confusing times. We’ll feel alone, or like giving up on standing for our highest and best. That’s just life happening. But, at the same time, life offers you daily opportunities to shine. To polish your gifts. To release your chains. To achieve personal mastery.

Make a commitment today that will alter the course of your life. Forever. Dedicate yourself to personal
mastery.
Think about your thinking. Detect your authentic values and what you aim to stand for. (How can you be who you are if you don’t know who you are?) Get to know your fears. Reflect on your personal genius and human potential. Learn to let go of the emotional baggage from you past. Refuse to tolerate negativity. (Kahlil Gibran once
wrote that “Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother”; every one of us has so many more choices than we can currently see, and as we dare, doors we didn’t even know existed begin to open up.) Read more. Learn more. Get fit—no, get
ultra
fit (sad that—too often—good health only matters to those who have lost it). Become remarkable at what you do for work. Become so good at your craft that your organization cannot run without you. Become the friendliest person you know. Work on compassion and understanding. Be nice. Be good.