Extraordinary People Participate 100%
Saturday August 17, 2013
Number Six of The Eight Power Principles for Extraordinary Success
My former wife and I moved in 1971 from relatively conservative Wiscons into “crazy California”. We learned about Buddhist teacher Ram Dass’ teaching to “be here now”. We weren’t sure what it meant but it seemed a good idea!
When I teach participation as a key to successful living, I mean more than having your consciousness present. The approach developed over time with myDenver executive coaching work in Lifespring, ARC International and now Extraordinary People is an extension of “be here now” that includes personal action – in fact, total involvement. When your level of engagement with projects and people goes up, the level of productivity soars and whatever you’re doing becomes incredibly enjoyable.
Behaviors like sitting back, judging and analyzing have their own place at the right time. They can also result in a lack of creativity, reduced energy (for you and those around you) and “no fun.” Think back to when you were totally involved in something important to you – participating 100%. What happened? Probably others listened and spoke from their passions, problems were solved and decisions got made. Just one person choosing to...
participate 100%
...can make an incredible difference and you can choose to be that person.
We live in a culture increasingly drawn to spectator sports and other passive activities. When we slip into them as a metaphor for the way we show up in life, there’s a strong tendency to become spectators when the need is for 100% participation. There’s a world of difference between watching things happen and making things happen.
I love the energy and idea expressed in the African fable:
“Every morning, a gazelle wakes up and knows that it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up and knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle: When the sun comes up, you’d better be running!”
There’s only one you, only one person with your unique set of skills, awareness and passions. Bring that person into your every interaction and you’ll see, sense and feel the positive difference in your accomplishments.
Extraordinary Living Action Steps
1. There’s only one you, only one person with your unique set of skills, awareness and passions. Bring that person into your every interaction and you’ll see, sense and feel the positive difference in your accomplishments.
2. Identify the people and circumstances where you naturally participate 100%. Get a clear sense, a feeling for that experience, and have it be your model for all of your interactions.
3. Also identify the people and circumstances that trigger you not being at 100%. Resolve to “act as if” you were participating 100%. Resolve also to clear up any issues with that person or circumstance that get in the way of your being at 100%.
4. Make a commitment to yourself: you and the others in your life deserve and want you to be fully present, to participate 100%. Just do it!
If you're interested in learning all 8 of my power principles, I encourage you to download my FREE copy of Extraordinary People's Extraordinary Leadership: 8 Power Principles. It's an incredibly powerful eBook with numerous lessons that can be immediately applied to both personal and professional situations. I have all of my Denver executive coaching clients read it because I believe in the teachings it provides.
Robert White
Robert White is a Speaker, Author, Leadership Trainer and Executive Mentor who teaches the art and science of mastering executive challenges. He specializes in integrating a heart centered, result-oriented and transformational leadership approach to being effective. His experience includes founding and leading companies doing high-impact experiential learning events with over one million graduates.
Robert’s culture change work has been praised by corporations like JPMorganChase, Progressive Insurance, Duke Energy and The American Cancer Society.
Additionally top business experts and authors Ken Blanchard, Jimmy Calano, Kathy Gardarian, and Robert Wright, plus thousands of training and mentoring clients, have endorsed his professional knowledge and skills.
Robert authored the best-seller “Living an Extraordinary Life” available in English and Mandarin. He is a contributing author to “Being Fuller” a compilation from students of Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller and “One World, One People,” a photo journal of mankind’s journey to oneness.
Today you’ll find him speaking at conferences, hosting masterminds, mentoring today’s emerging business leaders and teaching everything he knows about fostering entrepreneurial success and building an entrepreneurial mindset in established, growth-oriented companies.
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