Three Minute Leadership: Life Is a Do-It-Yourself Campaign
To: The Great Leaders Who Have a Passion for Continuous Learning
In his recent article, The Key to Enlightened Selfishness, Phillip Humbert, leadership guru and motivator, writes: “In the end, life is a do-it-yourself, for yourself (and for your loved ones) campaign.” He speaks of the hardships each generation endured, and are enduring – from the so-called “Greatest Generation” to the Millennial generation. Each generation faced seemingly unconquerable hardships yet, in the end, there were people, great people and great leaders, who made it through. They did not live with hope of change, but with action to bring it about.
Humbert writes: “Generally, it is only with specific, focused, energized human effort that things change for the better. And when they do get better, they tend to get better in small, specific, individual ways for individual people. Rarely does life, in general, get better for millions of people all at once.” He offers the following advice to great leaders for their journey:
1. Waiting or hoping for large, general shifts in culture, the economy, the government or society to make things better is probably a foolish expectation.
2. Problems are normal and ordinary. Get used to them. In fact, solving problems is the road to wealth, joy and success. If you can solve a problem or provide a useful service, the world will first applaud, and then it will gladly throw money at you!
3. The key to solving your own problems is Enlightened Selfishness. Not petty, small-minded selfishness, but intelligent, thoughtful Selfishness that asks smart questions about what will make things better for you and others. Ask yourself, What can I do right now to make my life easier, healthier, happier and richer? Answer that and take action! Be smart, intentional and Selfish about this.
4. Start where you are, with what you have, to make things better. Think long and hard about the problems you face, and solve them! The problems you and I face are not unique- -millions of other people face them, too. How have other people solved them? What steps, solutions, or experiments have worked? Read, ask questions, beg, borrow or steal good ideas and put them to work!
His concluding words challenge the greatness and potential in each of us: “If they could do it, and then go to the moon as a bonus, imagine what we can do!” Great leaders’ answer his question with a unanimous: “We will take it to the stars.” This is not vague hope, but a passion and excitement for action… to dream dreams not yet dreamed and turn them into reality. They will imagine the unimaginable and change the world. That is the life they have chosen. This is their destiny.
Have a beautiful day and a magnificent week!!!
Mike