Fear never brings out the best in people.
If you imagine a continuum, where at one end is fear and the other is safety.
It’s worth watching where you are on that, and also where the people around you are.
A little fear in’t the worst thing, but if it’s at the far end of the continuum it will impair performance and results.
When fear has a hold on you, it’s impossible to live in alignment with your authentic self – to bring out your best.
“Your blindspots are the things that really hurt you.” I was sitting in a meeting with a client, someone I have huge respect for and we were discussing the concept of blind-spots. “I know what my blind-spots are”, they commented. “Tell me more”, I replied. They listed a few things that they considered areas to […]
A few years ago I was giving a talk in Dublin and afterwards I was approached by a very shy man.
He told me that he dreamed of being a successful speaker but didn’t know how to overcome his fear of public speaking.
Slight issue there indeed…. 🙂
The comedian Jerry Seinfeld once said that most people would rather be in the coffin than deliver the eulogy – this is because the majority of people fear public speaking more than death!
I shared with the man that I used to be terrified of public speaking.
“Dear Life, When I said “Can this day get any worse?”
It was a rhetorical question not a challenge!”
I think most people have experienced a version of that quote above.
I remember a big turning point in my life was when I realised the power of language. Not just in it’s impact on others but more so on my performance in any field.
I’m not referring just to the spoken word but to the power of the language of my thinking, because behind every action is a thought.
Last week I wrote about hopefulness. How it’s vital to progress, resilience and indeed high performance.
I remember back when I was going through a very dark time in my mid-20s, I had no hope whatsoever. I’m sure you’ve also had your moments.
But an important point in my journey of recovery was when I was introduced to a counsellor who seemed to have some answers.
My first question to him was this:
“Can you make the pain stop?”
He replied “No, but I’ll help you make the pain stop.”
That didn’t make complete sense at the time but all I heard was that it was possible to make the pain go away. And that brought hope back into my life. And that changed everything because then I was committed to putting the work in, and taking action.
It was with surprise and sadness that I learned yesterday of the passing of Tony Hsieh, the former CEO of Zappos, after a house fire in late November in Connecticut in the US. He was only 46.
Zappos revolutionised online shopping and was one of the pioneers in the model of allowing free returns for any shoes bought through their website. They were also revolutionary in the premium they placed on excellent customer service.
“The world is changed by your example,
not by your opinion.”
“Is it just me or did Mum seem just a little
too happy about the first day of school?”
Last week my family said goodbye to a special person.
“My life didn’t please me, so I created my life.”
– Coco Chanel
