Live your life, live your life, live your life

We all get to live our lives as long as we are alive.

Live your life seems obviously, naturally, and no one needs to debate or argue about it. It is a matter of fact.

If you think a little bit more, absorb the meaning of live your life, and what does it look like from now onward to really Live Your Life? To live a life worthy of living? To feel the joy, the tear, the happiness, the pain, the connection with others, the love…

Whatever happens in your life is your life, you have full permission – your birth right, to do things.

You have permission to be fearful to give a public speech;
You have permission to make mistakes and try again;
You have permission to fail and learn from it;
You have permission to write and publish them;
You have permission to love yourself first;
You have permission…

The list can go on and on.

Only when you break free from self limitation, you gain your permission to do more, to be more, to live your life fully.

Live your life whole heartily.

The most precious gift

What would be the most precious gift in the world one can give to each other?

What would you give to your significant other? to your children? to your parents? to your best friends?

I ask people about this question and I pay attention to the answers from some of the most successful people in the world. They say the most precious gift they receive or give is time – the time being with others, and the time you give each other.

The time being with others means you are there for real, not for a show.

We live in a hectic world with disruptions all the time. It is a challenge for anyone to be present without distraction.

Being there for someone is precious.

When the people you care need your being there, you are there for them, 100% being there, no divided attention. You are present for them: may be to help them physically, may be to give advice, may be simply being a listener, may be just there to share sometime together, may be there just giving them a big hug…

The time giving each other means you have empathy for others, you have respect for others, you have trust for others.

You give others time to think over about things on their own terms, you give others time to do things on their own pace and journey, because you trust them strong and brave enough to learn and do a good job. This is where tough love comes in.

Children learn how to walk, how to talk with different paces. You can’t walk or talk for them and trust them being able to do these themselves after all.

Time is precious. Give this precious gift wisely.

Self development

Self development is a life long process.

When talking to a 30 year old, she says she and her friends in the same age feel really grown up. They feel they are more confident than the time when they were 20 year old. And they can make money and live independently. They think they are in a very good place.

When talking to a 40 year old, she says she feels she becomes more clear about who she is now, and she is confident and has no fear to do anything. She feels she can conquer the world.

When talking to a 50 year old, she says that now she knows what is more important for her in life. She has courage to say Nos to things do not bringing much value. She has a free soul, does things efficiently and yet considerate. She is energetic, full of life.

One of my best friends in her 60s, she had her biggest promotion at the age of 60 years old. Now she grows her coaching business and running the company in full speed at her age of 66. She is one of the most generous people in my life. She says she does not feel retire any time soon…

people always grow, no matter how old you are.

Self development is a marathon.

When you grow your self, remember:

Stope focusing on gaining the approval of others and starting to improve and develop yourself.

Character is fate

Character is who you are. Your character is your fate.

Many people get lucky, and have success or are rich, because of great parents, certain environment, or by chances.

However, for those are not so rich, not born with glory or favorite surroundings, character decides her fate,

Your success from character is from long term. You will not see immediate result in a short period.

Therefore, you will need stoic, be determined, be persistent. Grit is called on when you face challenges, setbacks. Even when you do not see any light at the end of the tunnel, you need just focus the one small step in front of you – one step at a time.

If it is gold, it will shine after all.

Character is your fate.

Yesterday

Yesterday was the best day in your life.

Yesterday was the most successful day in your life.

What you have from yesterday can bring you sweet memory, can expend your experience, can give you strength to be successful again in future.

But,

Yesterday’s greatness will not guarantee tomorrow’s glory. What got you here will not bring there.

Just like yesterday’s sunshine will not dry today’s wet cloth. Yesterday is gone forever.

You have to get up and step forward continuously, no matter what happens. You have to restart your new day, every day, with a sunshine mindset.

Treasure yesterday, Embrace today, walk strongly towards to tomorrow.

A leader with curiosity

One of the attributes a leader should have is curiosity.

What does it mean for a leader to have curiosity?

It means that a leader should have consultative skills when she leads. She learns about her teams by asking good questions to clarify situations, provoke thoughts, engage with employees, and show empathy…

In addition, a leader with curiosity is a leadership with growth mind. A growth mindset is the essential attribute to be a good leader, an effective leader and successful leader.

Change others, Serve others

We want to have influence, to be impactful.

What is the key element to do so?

It’s not power, not authority, not loud voice, not force…

It’s your ability to serve others.

Only when you are able to serve others, you can connect with them and get trust from them.

Serve others mean you know what they need, what they want, and you are capable to provide these to them. Therefore, they listen to you.

Sometimes they don’t know what they want. It’s your responsibility to let them realize or see what they want and provide these to them.

These places are where your leadership shows. Where you serve others that you make your impact.

Success is a kind of feeling…

We all want to have success.

Success is mistakenly labeled as the end of the journey, the destination, the place you can happily live after…

But,

Success is a kind of feeling. Success is a moving target. Success is a sense of achievement at one stage of your life. Your life moves on, so you always can reach your next success down the road.

When you are success, it’s great that you have embodied your capability and skills now for certain things you’ve done. However, what got you here, may not get you there. This success can’t guarantee your next success.

The good news is that you were successful once, you have better chance to do it again. You can copy what you’ve succeeded for other things you want to do.

The key is to keep your momentum of success. Make it sustainable. Make it a habit.

A sense of success is a wonderful feeling after all.

Dreams, Goals, Tasks…

You hear these three words very often: dreams, goals and tasks. What are in common among them?

May be not much. However, they are closely and intricately connected.

We all have dreams. They keep us alive.

Sometimes, we share our dreams with others and we get a sense of accomplishment.

Sometimes, we also share our goals with others and this also provide us a sense of achievement.

But, if you stop or hang over at these stages, it’s not a surprise. Because your psychological mind has played a game with you, ie. it makes you feel you’ve got there after you tell others about your dreams and goals. Therefore, you don’t feel and have the urgency to do anything about them.

The real thing that leads you to realize your dreams and goals is the task.

You need to do your tasks to make your dreams and goals come true.

“I long to accomplish a noble and great task; but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they are noble and great ones.” Hellen Keller.

Find your daily tasks. Every tiny, small tasks will get you closer to your dreams and goals.

Leadership is a hard work

You want to be in a leadership. Do you know it requires hard work, very hard work to be in a leadership position?

You would be creative and strong to face uncertainty. You would be emotionally intelligent enough to deal with tough challenges with business acumen. You would be empathetic to your employees. You would be accountable and consistent for whom you are. You would be making tough calls…

Therefore, showing your leadership means you are permanent student to learn about your team and industry; permanent parent to take care your employees and business; permanent linchpin to hold your organization together and strong.

This is hard work.

Successful leaders always do the hard work. One thing is worthy of mentioning, they enjoy what they do, even though they do these full of sweets and are covered with mud.