“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.” Anais Nin.
Are you seeking new heights of personal and professional achievement? Do you feel that you are becoming stale, bored with your current position and looking (again) for something challenging?
You are not alone. There is a growing number of people, usually in their mid years, who are still growing, learning, needing to be challenged and satisfied.
With an eye to the horizon and a way to stay relevant in this brave new world in which we find ourselves, their focus is always on the future and what’s new.
To a man or woman, they are open, courageous and curious – on the move, looking for that elusive ‘break through’ idea to take them to what’s next.
Does this sound like you? Are you searching for a break through idea?
If it is, you are invited! Head on over to the THE IDEA MILL page for all the details. It’s a great way to start off the new year and jump into the game.
invite you to join me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn or email your thoughts and comments to drew@drewsimmie.com
“In matters of style, swim with the current, in matters of principle, stand like a rock.”
Thomas Jefferson. (attributed)
We hear so much nowadays about leadership. Most people tend to think of leadership as leading a company or department or a project but the more I work with clients the more I am convinced that leadership works at an individual level as well.
In fact, as we continue to grapple with the many changes and challenges facing us in business and in our personal lives, personal leadership is more important than ever. Buffeted by fear, cynicism and insecurity the solutions we seek lie within us.
Personal leadership and self esteem come from a way of thinking and living. It’s about being truly connected to whatever you are doing. It’s a life style, placing emphasis on people, not just on the bottom line. It’s about working with your head and leading your heart, looking for the win-win and sharing rather than going only for win-lose.
People who live a personal leadership style are open to change and collaboration. They thrive on synergism. They believe things can get better, even in uncertain times and easily adapt to diversity. They are confidant and have high energy levels that come from positive thoughts and feelings rather than negative thoughts and cynicism.
Personal leadership is about respecting and valuing yourself – and others, constantly striving to reduce fear, increase hope and creating results with integrity.
First and foremost, though, personal leadership is about finding your own vision, defining your purpose and putting it into action – singing your own song, not humming along to someone else’s.
It is never easy… but, hey, who said life was easy?
I invite you to join me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn or email your thoughts and comments to drew@drewsimmie.com
“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.”
Robert Louis Stevenson.
A couple of days ago, when I casually inquired of a friend of mine what she did for New Year’s Eve, I was expecting the usual, familiar replies.
What I wasn’t expecting was her answer. Cheerfully she said, “I checked the messages in my Happy Drawer.”
“Your Happy Drawer?” I asked, “What is that?”
She laughed and explained that at the beginning of last year, she resolved to keep a record for the entire year of all the things that made her happy – and the things that didn’t.
In preparation, she emptied out two drawers in her dresser and labelled them, ‘Happy’ and ‘Unhappy.’
Then, each day, when ever something happened or someone said or did something that pleased or displeased her, she recorded how she felt – and put the note in the appropriate drawer.
You get the idea. Faithfully, as the year progressed, she kept writing the notes. The days sped by, turning into into weeks; the weeks into months and before she knew it, it was New Year’s Eve all over again.
On the 31st. day of 2013, she opened the drawers and counted the notes in each drawer. To her amazement, she found that the number of notes in the Happy Drawer were twice the number in the Unhappy Drawer.
“Honestly,” she said, “I was surprised. I thought that the Unhappy Drawer would contain more notes than the Happy one. Seems the year was better than I remember it being.”
Hmmm…
I invite you to join me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn or email your thoughts and comments to drew@drewsimmie.com
“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go. They merely determine where you start.” Nido Qubein.
As you head into 2014, contemplating another New Year, the question, is this: Are you heading back into the the daily grind? Is it to be a rerun of the same old picture or would you like to refresh or, perhaps, change it?
Whether we realize it or not, all of us create the life we lead by the thoughts we think, the stories we are told and what we have learned and experienced along the way. From all of this, as we walk our path, we make choices.
Taken together, as a whole, consciously or unconsciously, the choices we make form the main structure of our daily lives and determine our life situation – where we live, our occupations, with whom we partner, the things and events we experience, how we view others, the brands we buy, where we holiday…the list is endless… you get the idea.
If you look around, the life reflected back to you is a direct result of the stories you have come to believe – and the resulting actions you have taken.
While most are quite content with their circumstances and wouldn’t change their stories for a moment – there are some, albeit only a few, who are not.
Often, they find their circumstance wanting. Unhappy, unfulfilled, wanting to do or be more, they park their dreams for another time… thinking it is too late; but it is never too late – not if you want to do it badly enough.
Being willing to take a step back, to rethink and perhaps, re-imagine your life will take courage, but, then, you have lots of that. You have just parked it for awhile.
Today’s challenges are daunting but the opportunities are many. It won’t always be easy. Nothing of any value comes easy; but if you are up for it, if you are willing to expect the unexpected, have the capacity to love and believe in yourself, there isn’t a more exciting time than now to start something new.
I invite you to join me on Facebook, connect with me on LinkedIn or email your thoughts and comments to drew@drewsimmie.com
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.
