Toronto, Sunday, May 31 2009, 8.30pm
I`m a little ashamed. Actually more than a little. It`s been four weeks since my last blog. I`m the champion of disciplined consistency, and I`m the one who falls off the wagon. Typical. How many people do you know who used to be disciplined, but they lost their passion? Or how many people do you know who used to be great, but they faded into mediocrity? Or how many people do you know who complain about how they could be great if only there weren’t so many people getting in their way? Too many, right?
I was on the verge of becoming one of those people. I could tell you that I’ve been too busy. I could tell you that I’ve had to put out too many fires. I could even tell you that I needed to take a break. But whatever excuse I gave you would be just that – an excuse. The truth is that I began to drift. I ran into roadblocks that frustrated me. I lost engagements I should have earned. I lost deals I should have won. I lost an edge I should have kept. I procrastinated on doing the important work because I told myself I had to do the urgent work. And I caught myself just in time.
When you don’t do what you know you must do, it prevents you from doing anything else well. Why is that? Because you’re constantly thinking about what you must do that you haven’t done. It interferes with every other activity. It’s the discordant thought that gets in the way of the masterpiece. You know it. Other people feel it. And the more you procrastinate, the more discordant the thought becomes. Sometimes it becomes so discordant, it’s painful. And that’s where the great decision must be made: take action and resolve it. Or do nothing and succumb to it.
I see it all the time: people who have resigned themselves to do less because they’ve lost the will to do more. How about you? What have you put off? Where have you drifted? How have you let yourself down? Think about it. This could be a defining moment for you. It’s the moment you choose effort and application over inertia and regret. It’s the moment you reclaim your self-purpose over self-pity. Maybe most importantly, it’s the moment you shine a light for others rather than disappear into the darkness. Pretty heavy, man. But that’s how I’m feeling.
The time is always right to do the right thing. So It’s 8.30pm on Sunday, May 31 and I’m setting myself free. I’m reclaiming my purpose. I’m taking action. I’m baring my soul as I scour my mind. I’m plunging back into what I love to do: communicating with you wherever you are. That’s the irony: I love to write. But it’s always hard. It always takes a few hours before the words begin to flow. It always involves a showdown with the white space of nothing before the words come out to play. I sort-of, kind-of, semi-know what I’m going to say before I say it. But the words always emerge differently. It’s an act of will, but it’s also an act of faith. I can push myself only so far, then I need the inspiration from a higher source to go further. If you invite it, it will come. The point is you have to be serious about your invitation. The muse only appears when she knows she’s deeply desired.
“To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day” said Shakespeare. A minute turns into an hour, turns into a day, turns into a week, turns into a month. That’s’ what happened to me. It seems like in the blink of an eye, I lost a month. I can’t change that. What I can do is renew my commitment to my self-purpose in June, beginning now. I will make the time to make the message to make the impact on the people who have made the time for me.
It’s a privilege to talk to you. It’s also a necessity. If I don’t talk to you, I don’t live my purpose: I don’t excite you into action. And if I’m not exciting you then I’m disappointing myself. But not tonight. Tonight, I’m stepping up. I’m recharging my mojo. I’m going from slumped to pumped. And I hope I’m doing the same for you.
Being Inspired is never a solo activity. It’s a dance between willing partners who trust each other to make the right moves. These words are mine. What are yours? Seriously, How are you going to reciprocate? For my sake and for yours. I crave your kudos. I love every call. I vicariously experience every breakthrough.
It’s one thing to feel pumped now, it’s another to sustain it later. So here are Lipkin’s five ways to be on-purpose through the clutter, the noise, the complexity and desire for distraction.
1. Beware by being-aware. Stand guard. Catch yourself drifting. Think about who you need to be and what you need to do. Keep it front and centre. Make it a priority before it becomes a penalty. Anticipate the ecstasy of action and the agony of remorse. Intensify both emotions. Dramatize the pleasure of fulfilment, magnify the pain of wimping out. Tell yourself whatever story motivates you into action. My story is that keeping you on-purpose is my reason for being. If I don’t do that, I have no reason to be there. And that’s about as painful as it gets for me. On the other hand, just one call from you makes it all worthwhile.
2. Don’t worry about the result. Fear of failing is one of the biggest causes of failure. Focus on the game. Trust in the outcome. It may be different to what you expected, but it’s always what it is meant to be. Failure is never failure unless you become the failure. What do I mean? Failure is always an event. It’s a result you didn’t want, but it may be exactly the result you need. My biggest successes have come from my biggest “failures”, including six months of clinical depression sixteen years ago that inspired me to become a Motivator. It’s only when you say the fatal words – “I am a failure” that your prediction will come true. Understand?
3. Act boldly. The best thing to do is the right thing to do. The next best thing is the wrong thing. The difference between right and wrong is often miniscule. Every action creates its own momentum. Be on-purpose. If you act with courage and conviction, the world will conspire with you to succeed. The mark of today’s winners is a personal confidence that is not grounded in the data. It can’t be. Too much is changing all the time for anyone to be fully backed by the facts. Big steps require huge leaps of faith. So act like you mean it. And if at first you don’t succeed, do it again. But incorporate your learning from the first time.
4. Collaborate with the Best. In the last week, I’ve had conversations that have stretched me to the max with leaders from Novartis, Pfizer, DHL, Canada-Goose, Dynamic Mutual Funds, Syntegrity, Bydolan, Environics, The BC Civil Service and Deloitte. Everyone of them contributed to these words. I’m coaching them, but they’re enabling me by bringing me into their world. I’m becoming part of them and they’re becoming part of me. Who are you becoming? What kind of company are you keeping? What kind of conversations are you having? Are you being exhausted, excited and unsettled by your conversations? How are you contributing? And what are you getting back? Remember: all wealth is a reciprocation of the contribution you make to others.
5. Condition yourself like an athlete. If you want to win, you have to prepare to win. So what is your training program? Mentally, Physically, Emotionally, Socially and Spiritually, how are you achieving your peak state? Being the best is never easy, but it can be enjoyable if being the best is what you enjoy being. I’m at my happiest when I’m playing at my best. I’m in Nirvana when I’m recognised as being the best. It’s also how I make a living. Anything but the recognized standard of motivational excellence doesn’t cut it for me. Seriously, if I’m not the best, why would anyone want to learn from me? That’s my standard. What’s yours? See yourself as the best. Train to be the best. Then trust in the plan coming together just the way it should. I’m living proof that it usually does.
That’s it. Thank you for your attention. Go be Great.
