Margins

Margins! Most things we read, we read within margins. We write within margins. A margin is the space we could use if we want to, but choose not to. If we wrote without margins, we would be writing to the very edge of the page. It just wouldn't look right! So margins are good. We can even set the size of the margins.

So here's the question; should we live within margins?

Most of my life I would have said we should "live life on the edge". But the longer I live the more I realise that if we want to last the distance, it is wiser to live life within margins. What do I mean?

Here are some examples....

If we spend everything we earn, we are living life on the edge. What if we lived within a margin? What if we lived on less that we earn, and banked the margin? No doubt we would live with a little less stress. The margin would give us room to move when the unexpected happens.

What about time? How often do we rush out the door to get to an appointment "on time"? What happens when we notice we need to stop for gas or get stuck in traffic? What if we decided to live within a margin. What effect would it have on our stress levels if we left 15 minutes earlier than we need to? The margin would give room for the unexpected, and give s a less stressful life.

Or energy!!! Instead of working ten hour days, what if we created a greater margin? Working nine would give us an extra hour for the unexpected, or a margin to offer the family. And about holidays..... taking a proper holiday is simply putting a margin around our working life. The margin will make the work far more productive.

And how about relationships? We build relationships through giving love and time. Giving love and time to those we care about is like putting credits in the bank. Then in the difficult times we make a withdrawal. Living with a margin is simply making sure we put more into our relationships than we take out. We build a credit of trust. Then when the unexpected happens, we have the depth of trust in the bank to weather the storms. Could it be that we have made no room for margins in our relationships? Perhaps it is time to put more into those we love than we need to. To build a margin.

So my "live life on the edge" attitude is now making room for margins. Not so exiting you may suggest? Actually there is a key. Treat the "margin" as the new "edge".

Do all roads really lead to Rome?

There's an old saying that "all roads lead to Rome", an observation of the incredible engineering feat of the Roman empire in the building of a roading network that enhanced transport for military and trade activities. Of course the saying also suggests that all pathways will get us to our preferred destination. Common sense would tell us that such an assumption would be foolish in the least. The truth is, all roads don't lead to Rome.

At the risk of preaching to the choir, let me elaborate. The road of spending more than we earn will not lead to prosperity. The road of eating junk food and watching television all day will not lead to a state of health and fitness. No, no, no, all roads do not lead to Rome.

As a young man I once travelled as a passenger on a road trip between the cities of Perth and Adelaide in Australia. Having left Perth in the afternoon and being half way across this desert road, the driver became sleepy and decided to park on the side of the road for a rest. We slept for a few hours, then while still dark resumed our journey. After driving for another hour or two we came to a sign informing us we were heading back to Perth. Our driver had inadvertently lost his sense of direction and was taking us back the way we came.

Of course we quickly turned around and resumed our journey in the right direction. However, in real life the road signs may not be so clear. How do we know whether the road we are on is in fact taking us in the direction of our dreams and aspirations? Life is so short. How many of us spend years on the wrong road, only to find out too late that not only are we far from our desired expectations, but that it is now too late to change course?

The sobering truth is this; the road you are on may not be leading you to the place where you truly, at the very depths of your being want to go.

One of the keys to finding out if we are on the right road is to take a closer look at the journey so far.

For example, if we desire to find financial security and wealth, take a look at the road so far. Have we a savings plan? Have we undertaken any training that will increase our earning power? Have we learnt any new skills regarding investment or wealth creation? If so, have we put anything we have learnt into practice? Have we attempted anything and failed? If the answer to the above questions is no, it must also be clear that we are not on the road towards financial security and wealth. We are “not on the road to Rome”. In fact, the road we are on is heading in a different direction entirely!

So all roads do not lead to Rome. The question we need all ask is this; where is the road I am on headed? If I keep doing today what I have done yesterday, where will I be as I approach the end of my life journey?

It's been a while.

Since setting up the Achievement Agency almost nine months ago our world has been turned upside down. New home, new friends, new city, new country, basically new everything.
Sharon and I moved to Melbourne, Australia in March of this year.

There are times in our lives where to begin a new season of growth we need to change our "place". The people and the place that partnered with us over the last season may not be the people and the place who will partner with us for the future. It's not that the people and place are bad, or even inferior - just that the future needs new and different partnerships. Thankfully such drastic changes are not regular occurances, but when they happen, if we navigate carefully, we can position ourselves for a greater future.

The danger during such times is that we can sabotage our own future by wrong reactions. Change is never easy, and sometimes even the agent of change us unpleasant. Like Jonah of old, sometimes it takes a storm in order for us to change course! If not for the storm he would have continued on his own rebellious way. But the storms of life can often reposition us for greater achievements ahead.

My advice if you are in such a life changing storm is this; don't leave mad, but sometimes leave you must. The best is yet to come!

Finding aspiration

I was recently speaking at a leadership training course with the New Zealand Institute of Management. As part of the Achievement Quadrant teaching I spoke on the need for having "aspiration", the challenge of finding your life passion. Within the Achievement Quadrant training program we help people develop a life "motto" or "mantra" that will color everything they do. It is finding that thing that when we do it, we feel the smile of heaven.

Speaking at only one session during the day, an overview of the program was all we had time for. Since the session I have been asked by a number who attended, how do we find our passion, our life aspiration?

This is perhaps one of life's great questions. Too many live a life without any sense of mission or purpose. Many exist, but fail to really live. Too many rise each day without any sense of passion or urgency that they carry within themselves the answer to someone elses question. So, how do we find our aspiration? Here are a few of my thoughts.

A. Aspiration appears to be something we discover, more so than something we decide. It is something that comes more from the heart than from the mind. This being the case, we often discover our aspiration in the process of understanding ourselves. It is when observe our interests, what we find enjoyment from, those activities that when we do them time flies, that we begin to find clues to our true aspiration.

B. Aspiration tends to be like a magnet. It is simliar to true north on the compass of our lives. As we observe our history we can notice what we continually default to. Whether it be the love of research, empowering others, teaching and mentoring, making money and resourcing others, or any other thing - we will find ourselves defaulting to the dream.

C. Aspiration needs to be nurtured. Anything we starve will eventually die. It is the nature of any living thing. Like the embers of a fire, when we don't add fuel the flame will soon go out. Fuel to aspiration is often found in adding knowledge. Read of others doing those things that motivate you. Fuel is also found in activity. A person who loves climbing mountains can easily lose the motivation, but how quickly that fire can be rekindled on a mountain side.

D. Ask youself the question; What do you think you could regret most at the end of your life? Would you regret not spending more time at the office? Or would you regret not climbing that mountain, not serving your community, not volunteering abroad, not spending enough quality time with your children, not taking a risk? Figure out what you don't want to regret, and your on your way to understanding aspiration.

E. Ask those closest to you what they think your best gifts and talents are. You might be surprised. It is interesting that those closest to us can often read us better than we can read ourselves.

Most of all, take aspiration seriously. When we meet a person "living the dream", we also see them experiencing the "thrill of the ride". Finding aspiration will add to the joy of life - and we all need a bit more of that!

Let me leave you with an often repeated quote.....

"LIFE'S JOURNEY is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "Holy shit, what a ride!" - Mavis Leyrer age 83

Generational wealth.

I was staying in the home of a friend this week, and on a cushion were embroidered the words "I'm spending my children's inheritance".
Of course, this was only meant as a point of humour, but the thought got me thinking. A century ago many families would think in the context of generational wealth. One generation would leave an inheritance to the next generation. That generation would increase the inheritance, and hand it on to the next, and so on. Over three or four generations a family fortune was established. Consider the Rothchilds - or the Kennedy's.
Many third world countries are now thinking this way. One generation would break out of poverty - perhaps moving to America, or New Zealand and opening a fast food shop. They would know that it may be the next generation after them who would reap the benefits. Our recent Mayor, Peter Chin, is the son of parents who ran a fish and chip shop. But they paid for his education. They thought generationally.
So consider this; many westerners are now "spending their children's inheritance", thereby making them "start accumulating wealth over again". While many third world families are increasing wealth over generations. So in a generation or two's time, who will be rich, and who will be poor?

The value of people.

One of my favourite speakers was a man by the name of Jim Rohn. Jim Rohn passed away last year, however he was well known for his belief that we should work on ourselves far more than we work on our business. Imagine if we could establish that truth throughout organisations and companies. Imagine if we made our top priority that of adding value to our people! Great people build great companies. A popular television programme is called "the undercover boss". If you've seen it recently you will have noticed that almost every boss that goes under cover comes out of the experience with a renewed appreciation of the people within the organisation.
Let's not wait to go under cover. Let's value those around us, and make every effort to add value by training, empowering, and appreciating everyone within our sphere.

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