IN THE KNOW —
Dream, plan, do, be – unicorns and tiaras I’ve often suffered from illusions of grandeur. You see, in my mind I’m terribly important. I spent a good while allowing myself to celebrate the ‘me’ that I am. Jokes aside, deep down I know that I’m special. We all are in our own way. (Sorry for the cliché. Had to.) Do you believe that about yourself? Do you share that with others? How do we articulate the ‘things’ that make us special? More often than not we don’t. We’re quite good at listening to the naysayers and erring on the side of caution, aren’t we? Note 1 – It starts with a dream – start high
I know that I have ideas that add value to people’s lives. Do you feel the same about your ideas... but…? There’s that but, right? That little, tiny piece of you that says ‘hey you, who do you think you are?’. It might have been something Mum or Dad said, maybe a teacher, perhaps even a partner; but the ‘but’ has lingered. I believe it’s in all of us, which is why sharing how we kicked our ‘buts’, is so vital for the young men and women whose journeys are just beginning, and for those of us, here, who have a Dream.
You may know the saying, that a dream without a plan is just a dream. Curiosity is something I’ve never been shy about. Leading in the armed services in operational environments triggered a deep interest in the neuroscience of controlling anxiety, fear and stress. Toned down somewhat into our ‘standard’ civilian world, the fascination of controlling the daily stresses of family, work, building a village and conquering that world became my field of passion and expertise. Task A – Articulate your dream, your passion Get a huge flip chart (ginormous piece of paper), grab some coloured pens and start smashing out every crazy idea that comes into your incredibly passionate head. All of it, no judgement. High Level.
Once I chose to put on my Tiara and chase down my Unicorns, the realisation that I was worthy, became abundantly clear. I’m quite old now, and don’t have time for too much in the way of niceties. Consequently, there are no longer any ‘buts’ in my vocabulary. Once I chose to put on my Tiara and chase down my Unicorns, the realisation that I was worthy, became abundantly clear. As an ex-military officer, owner of my consultancy, an outdoor centre, and having just built my own Village (Arete.nz) based in New Zealand; the notion that I’d achieved success, was clear. So, how did I kick my own ‘but’? If you’re wanting to take the next big step, lean into the pie in the sky project but there’s this little bit of doubt scratching at the back of your mind or your accountant is tut-tutting – don’t listen. No truly put your fingers in your ears, and don’t listen, accountants are often too darn dull to see the Unicorn in all its glory. Bless them. I don’t want to just tell my story. I want you to have a road map at the end of these few words. Your job in all of this is to get out your pencil and start writing as we walk together or pass this article onto the youngster in your team or family that has a dream.
Task B – Define your unicorn – go deep Gather a small tribe of other fabulous men and women whose role is to challenge your assumptions (get at least one nice bugger in there or you’ll feel a bit put on); they’ll ensure you really chew through the pros and cons of your idea; the costs, timeframes, who, how, when and your why. My advice is go deep and narrow. Choose one or two things that you could melt the ears off your friends with – when you’re speaking with fire in your belly – about ‘your Dream, your Unicorn’.
Note 2 – Learn to plan Planning is the absolute key to kicking your but. My IMPACT4Q Model, was the result of many years of thought leadership and deep thinking. Not only does planning control stress, but it reduces overwhelm, lines up all of your ducks into a gorgeous waggly row, and identifies where to start. Oh, and as an aside, increases billable hours by some staggering percentages. And start you must. My latest big hairy audacious Unicorn Dream was to build my own luxury off-grid retreat for my leadership clients. A space with no WIFI, no plugs to recharge devices, a place of extraordinary beauty, but one that was carbon neutral, elegant, a space to refocus, recharge and refresh. Of course, I didn’t have any money, well no spare few million. You too?
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