Toronto, 3pm, April 12 2010
I’m back. Literally. I went to my native South Africa for three weeks to connect with close family, friends and trusted advisors. Sometimes, even the motivator needs to be motivated. It takes a village not just to raise a child, but to sustain an adult. We’re only as good as the relationships we build with the most valuable people in our lives. Sometimes we forget that truth. We can become so consumed by our own mission that we neglect to nurture the inner circle that supports us at our core.
That’s what I did. I went from country to country, company to company, person to person, declaring my mantra of possibility – until one morning in early March I woke up feeling weary and depleted. As one of the world’s most energized people, those feelings scare me because they are the opposite of who I am. I cannot give what I do not have. My audiences instantly sense my authentic excitement about being with them – or the lack of it.
It was a wake-up call. And I heard it. I took some time to breathe, laugh and love the people who love me. And that includes you.
In that spirit, I’ll share some fascinating insights with you. They are drawn from the Environics 2010 Social Values Monitor that was just completed in March of this year. Environics is one of Canada’s leading research houses and the Social Values Monitor is our flagship syndicated research study. It reveals that although Canadians may have fared better than many other countries over the past year, they have still been strongly impacted by the “Great Global Recession”. And even if you’re not Canadian, you’ll find these insights highly relevant. Canada is such a mosaic of diverse cultures that it is either a microcosm of the rest of the world or an advance indicator of it.
In the face of economic adversity, we discovered that Canadians are in a less curious and exploratory mood. A moderate “me-first” attitude has asserted itself, with Canadians less inclined to say that they feel responsible for others’ well being. They’re also likely to feel a little isolated from society at large.
Values associated with social tolerance and flexibility remain strong and the general attitude towards the future is caution not panic. But the key message of the 2010 survey is that Canadians are turning inwards: they have a desire to ride out the storm by minding their own business. They’re also seeking small personal pleasures and escapes along the way. So we’re seeing a stronger urge towards “experiential consumption” – spending on products and services that offer an emotional pick-me-up in gloomier times.
Surprisingly, we also seeing that Canadians’ faith in business does not appear to have diminished. The value “Confidence in Advertising” has actually spiked this year as Canadians look for advice and tips about the products and services that will give them what they need to ride out the recession.
Canadians are also feeling weary and anxious. We’re seeing a marked uptick in anxiety with less national commitment to lead healthful lives. Canadians report diminished feelings of vitality. Whether it is their own economic struggles that have sapped their energy, or simply the sense of discouragement they may be absorbing from the media, Canadians feel they are in a slump that extends beyond their wallets. In the face of seismic change, our natural impulse may be to feel powerless, or at least less-powerful.
Hmm, what are You experiencing as you review the data. A feeling of familiarity? You can see that you’re not alone. The most prevalent theme running through all the companies with whom I’m working is that life has become a lot harder. Success and growth are a lot more elusive. Executing the plan, making the connection or closing the sale have become ongoing exercises in endurance.
Cutting through the cynicism, both one’s own and others, may be the biggest challenge of all. Cynicism is when one’s negativity becomes ingrained. It’s when one’s default attitude is that the future may be too difficult, too painful or “just not worth the trouble”. In a perverse way, it’s a comforting attitude to have: it helps one believe that it’s not one’s fault. One is not responsible. It’s the “world out there”, rather than one’s ability to influence it, that is the reason for one’s lack of energy or drive.
As the self-professed motivator-in-chief-to-the-world, even I struggle with cynicism, especially when I’m tired. “Fatigue makes cowards of us all”, said Vince Lombardi. That’s why Vitality is the most precious resource in these cataclysmic times. I define Vitality as “Being in touch with one’s internal energy source; the sense that one has great energy and one is dedicated to multiplying it every day; being acutely committed to sharing one’s energy with others; becoming responsible for other’s health, happiness, success and well-being.”
Vitality is far more valuable in adversity than it is in prosperity. When things are hunky-dory, it’s easy to feel vital. External circumstances automatically excite you. It’s in times like right now, that you need to burn brightly without burning out.
So here are Lipkin’s “Ten Vital Principles” to help you sustain your Mojo in the days ahead:
1. Breathe deeply and deliberately. Focus on taking deep diaphragmatic breaths that begin at the base of your belly. Use your stomach as a set of bellows to blow oxygen throughout your body. My guide and mentor, Dr Bernard Levinson, taught me this basic technique during my recent time in South Africa. Practice it now: Sit straight. Place your left hand on your stomach and your right hand on your chest. Breathe slowly without moving your chest. Feel your stomach expand and contract as you inhale and exhale. Oxygen is our essential fuel. The more we have of it, the less anxiety we feel. Get into the ritual of practicing deep, deliberate breathing all the time.
2. Eat Right. Take a huge interest in what and how much you eat. It amazes me how few people are seriously committed to what they consume. All the information you need is directly accessible to you. Treat yourself like the athlete you really are. Eating right doesn’t mean denying yourself culinary pleasures, it may even enhance them.
3. Get Moving. Emotion comes from motion. Explore the right movement for you. Get good advice. Take personal responsibility for your own well-being. Then reach out to others. Be a model of what’s possible. Resist the lure of inertia. Create the natural endorphins that make you happy, keep you young and build your strength.
4. Be Still. Take time out. Find the quite within. Meditate. Practise your own communion with your higher self. Focus on feeling gratitude, humility, security, connection, love, possibility, growth, generosity, and, yes, Vitality.
5. Have a Why. Have a reason to get up every day that thrills and excites you. I am thrilled and excited to thrill and excite you. It’s that simple. What’s your Why? If you have a big enough Why, you’ll always find the How.
6. Make a Plan. Create your own strategy of personal effectiveness. Test it. Live it. Share it. Evolve it. These principles are my strategy. I’m sharing them with you because that’s how I evolve them. What are yours? Find the people who can help you create your plan. You’ll find you can help them even more.
7. Develop Your Preeminence. Whatever you do, consciously become the best you can be. Then build your reputation project by project, person by person, result by result. Communicate your achievements without being boastful or let your actions speak for themselves. The world is a small place. Preeminence shines. People talk.
8. Strengthen Your Inner Circle. Love the people who are closest to you, I mean really love them. I mean actively, consistently, dramatically, passionately and creatively demonstrating your caring. They may be your close relatives, friends, or colleagues. Communicate your commitment to them constantly. When the crisis comes, it’s your inner circle who will resolve it for you.
9. Widen your network by doing good. Your network are the hundreds of people beyond your inner circle. They are your scouts of opportunity. They should be drawn from diverse sources with diverse backgrounds. Seize every opportunity to make new connections – and I don’t just mean on Facebook or LinkedIn. I mean get out there. Attend the events. Visit the places. Strike up the conversations. Give way more than others expect. Be open to everyone and you’ll find everyone will open up to you.
10. Relish this moment. It doesn’t take more effort to enjoy yourself. I have discovered that whenever I focus on how bad my life is, it gets even worse. But when I celebrate my reality, it becomes worth celebrating. That’s Lipkin’s Ultimate Law: Life is a reflection of how much you relish it.
Thank you for reading. Please pay it forward. It’s vital.
