At midnight tonight, you’ll get a most amazing gift: a fresh set of 24 hours. These hours are pure and flawless and limitless. They offer you the opportunity to show courage, behave brilliantly, connect compassionately, and forge those new habits of mastery that will get you to a better place of being. And they offer you a space to laugh. To create value. And to do your dreams. Whether you’ll admit it or not, tomorrow is incredible. Not everyone gets one.
I just got home from Kazakhstan. Loved my time there. Almaty is such a beautiful city, surrounded by those mountains, and those apple trees. Filled with truly delightful people and rich with unforgettable culture. The leadership seminar I delivered was such a joy for me. On the long flight back, I read Peter Mayle’s book A Good Year. I had enjoyed A Year in Provence, so I thought I’d find this one relaxing—and I did. It’s a perfect vacation-reading book. One line in the work struck me: “It’s better to die standing than live your whole life on your knees.” Unbelievably powerful phrase. Thanks, Peter Mayle. For waking me up. To what’s most important.
So make tomorrow special. No, make it outrageously great. Wildly wonderful. A piece of art—one that you can tell your grandkids about. Just amazing what one can do in a single day. Each one is a chance to be more of what we are all designed to be.
“It’s better to die standing than live your whole life on your knees.”
A while ago on CNN’s Larry King Live, King interviewed Carolyn Thomas, who lost most of her face when her ex-boyfriend shot it off. There she sat, with bandages, one eye and more courage than I’ve seen in a long time.
This got me thinking about gratitude. Powerful idea: What you value in your life increases in value. What you think about and focus on grows. What you appreciate begins to appreciate. Appreciate your good health. Appreciate your family. Appreciate your gifts, your friends, your work and your life, and your perception will begin to shift. You’ll see the blessings of your life (versus the broken parts).
I’m big on lists. My suggestion for you: List 50 things you are grateful for (yes, 50). The first 10 are easy: loved ones, job, home, etc. But go down to the roots. Dig (the pearls always require deep diving). Be grateful for the fact that you can speak English (or Japanese, Spanish, Hebrew or Hindi). Be grateful you have two eyes or a healthy heart or for the fact that you don’t live in a war zone. And be grateful to others. Bless the farmer whose effort brought the fruit that’s on your breakfast table. Bless the factory workers who put together the car you drive. Bless the cashier at the store where you buy your toothpaste. And bless the person who serves your food in the next restaurant you visit (this is life-changing stuff, even though it doesn’t seem like it).
The attitude of gratitude. Counting your blessings. Not taking things for granted. I’ll bet you have a lot more to be thankful for than you currently see. Just think about it. Just get grateful. Then fasten your seat belt. And watch what comes.
What you value in your life increases in value.
Real leadership truly is about assuming personal responsibility. It’s about creating rich results. It’s about taking charge to get things done—whether you are on the front line or in the C-Suite. Here’s what I mean.
Was buying groceries yesterday. Standing in line. Nothing moved. I looked ahead and saw a flustered woman—seemed her debit card didn’t work. The cashier looked like a deer caught in headlights. He just froze. Didn’t explain what was going on (I later learned the system went down). Didn’t apologize to his customers for the delay. Didn’t do anything to try to move things along. Just gave us a little fear-grin and started to whistle a nervous little whistle. Sounds so obvious, but it’s true that leadership occurs in moments of challenge, not during moments of ease.
Leadership shows up when things at work—and in life—test us. Each of us, as a Leader Without Title, must rise to that challenge. We need to shine when things don’t go as planned. And we have to take charge. Fast. Eventually, the system got back up, the debit card was put through and I moved through the line. But next time I’m at that grocery store and I have a choice, I’ll find a cashier who gets it. Who thinks quickly. Who gets things done, when others just freeze.
Sounds so obvious, but it’s true that leadership occurs in moments of challenge, not during moments of ease.
Controversial chapter title? Perhaps. But I think it’s true. I’ve heard so many gurus say that ideas are the currency of success and thinking drives business and we become what we consider all day long. But, to me, ideation without execution is mere delusion (I dare you to share that line at your next team meeting). In other words, an idea, no matter how big, only assumes value when it’s acted upon and brought to life.
This world of ours is full of great thinkers who never realized their greatness. They were strong on the thinking side but weak on the execution side. And they suffered as a result of that constraint. (German poet Johann von Goethe said, “Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic.”) World-class people get both right. They are superb strategically and brilliant tactically. Really creative and really good at getting things done.
So jump-start your commitment around execution. Yes, capture your ideas and bask in the glow of a remarkably imaginative thought that has the power to improve how you work or the way you live. And then reach deep into yourself and have the discipline to do whatever it takes to make that idea a reality. Because nothing happens until you move.
This world of ours is full of great thinkers who never realized their greatness.
