Be vulnerable and brave

When we live in our dream, not dream our dream, we experience ups and downs in life.

We may be failed. We may hit to a wall. We may get hurt.

However, these are all part of the plan for you to grow stronger, get better, and bigger.

Theodore Roosevelt said, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again… who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

Make assertions

When you want to make a change, to influence someone, or to make a difference, you get to make an assertion.

An assertion is something that you believe is true. But you need to test it to confirm it.

You assertion may be like this – ” No matter how educated, talent, rich, or cool you believe you are, how you treat people ultimately tells all. Integrity is everything.”

With this assertion, you may need to test:

What is the definition of integrity?

What would happen for the highly educated, rich or cool people who don’t have integrity?

What does a person having integrity behave?

Why integrity is everything?

If someone is challenging your assertion, what would be your alternative answer? How will you test it?

You see, through this thinking and testing process, you can get clarity, make progress, and get better on going everything!

Make assertions for your work, for your life, for everything you do, and test them. This is how we make small changes. Little by little, you can make a difference.

Fact and truth

We hear people making a firm statement based on facts – what they saw, what has happened. And they claim the statement is the truth, because it’s based on facts.

However, fact is not equal truth.

As a leader, you can’t make a decision just based on fact. You need to know the truth.

Finding the truth takes effort, needs empathy, needs to create a safe zone to earn other’s trust.

Finding truth calls for wisdom, leadership and courage.

Start, whether you are ready or not…

Start to do something new is a scary thing, especially when you feel you are not ready yet.

You may feel that you are not ready, because you haven’t done all your research, or you haven’t practice enough, or you haven’t gotten all the advice, or… therefore, you postpone and wait for your readiness.

Waiting until you’re ready is an excuse.

You are hiding.

You choose to stay in your comfort zone to avoid daring into the unknown. And because the unknown could bring failure, mistakes, you are afraid.

However, when you start your initiative whether you are ready or not, you may find a new world, grow new muscles, make new friends.

Our society progresses by millions of millions of people venturing into unknown to bring innovation, create new roads.

Whether you are ready or not, take a leap forward. If you fall, you still fall forward.

Pick up your battle

There are many battles you have to face every day.

You need to fight your own shortcomings, laziness, illness, ego, vanity, mistakes etc. and also external battles.

Some of the battles you will never win.

“You will never reach your destination, if you stop and throw your stones at every dog barks on the way.” Winston Churchill

You can’t control many external factors. However, you can control yourself if you want and are determined to do so.

Therefore, control your ego, don’t let insignificant unrest takes control over you. Clarify your priorities and focus points and throw your energy to fight these “battles”. Then, you will have a better chance to win.

Pick up your battle.

Do right things vs do things right

What is the difference to do right things and do things right?

Do right things needs you to exercise your abilities to judge, to make decision, to be brave and fearlessly execute, to be a leader.

Do right things also calls for your character, your integrity, your ethics.

When you do right things, you will prepare to accept what follows after. Good and bad, Beautiful and ugly, love and hate, etc.

Do things right calls for accurate execution. It does not require your decision, but your capability.

You need to do right things, and sometimes to do things right.

Why do you go to work?

Kids ask parents innocently why do you go to work? What would be your answer to the question?

I go to work to make money, it’s true.

What else?

I go to work to have a social life. It’s true.

What else?

I go to work to make myself useful. It is true.

What else?

I go to work to have a good time.

What else?

I go to work with a sense of pride.

What else?

I go to work to make a difference.

What else?

I go to work to…

The problem with being nice

In a corporate setting, you may hear saying like, “He is a nice guy”, “That is nice”, “This is nicely done”…

What is it exactly nice referring here? There is a problem with being nice.

Being nice is a default mode. It is not the same as being kind and sweet and good.

Being nice is hiding – hiding your true comment, your true self, your true intention in a corporate setting.

The opposite of being nice is being mean. We are not talking being mean here. We are talking that you need to be who you are with your character.

We like you even though you may be stubborn, we like you even though you may be very direct, we like you even though you may be aggressive… you see the pattern here: we like you as a person being who you are.

A company’s development and suitability need all kinds of people, from various disciplines, different backgrounds… the diversity and character make a difference.

Being nice is not a mode where any company or person wants to hang on.

Being yourself, with your unique character, live truly.

Positive thinking… and?

You know positive thinking is crucial and important for your success.

Is positive thinking sufficient for your success? Do you need anything else?

Positive thinking is the first crucial step for your success. And you need more steps to be successful.

With the positive thinking, you will need be prepared for the bumpy roads ahead physically and emotionally.

You will need to have healthy body and mind to carry your positive thinking and energy through the journey.

Your journey can be an upward spiral, it has ups and downs with many turns. It calls for positive altitude, grit and stoic for your success.

What would you do if you have the permission?

One question is being asked:

“If you have the permission to create, to speak up, to be generous, to fail… what would you do? ”

What comes to your mind when you see the question?

Just pause for a moment and reflect: how many things you do that you are waiting or seeking for permission… check how many of them limits your creativity, how many of them do not reflect your personal identification, how many of them limit your kind initiatives, internal desire and your freedoms…

Image – tomorrow morning you get up. You are entitled the permission to do anything under the law.

What would be one thing you can do at this moment that you will not need permission any more for once?

Then do it.

If you can do something ONCE without permission, you can do this twice, three times, and more times…

Break a routine needs break that routine thinking. It needs awareness, courage, and execution to get new experience, momentum, and transformation.

Go to do ONE thing today that you no longer need the permission.