I have something a little different in this week's Sunday Supplement because I thought I'd share an article by Dinis Guarda that I came across this week, which has some really useful lessons for entrepreneurs.
It is a
bit longer than usual but worth reading to the end. Here it is:
"When you have stressful moments in your personal or professional life do you stop for a while to take a breath? Failure happens to the ones who do things. Sometimes there are very stressful moments, particularly when you are an hard worker, entrepreneur and specially if you are goal
oriented.
Any entrepreneur or innovator has to deal with challenges, problems, painful disruptions and so forth. It is in these moments that it is important to remember timeless life lessons. And the web is an exceptional space to research and look for other digital lessons and case studies, writings and list and data from peers that are going through similar challenges or get simple
inspiration in the keywords of the mathematical algorithms of Google and other publishing digital and social media self-development resources.
In life, I believe you and me usually get what we really wish, ask or think for, (always important to remember the power of internal language), but it rarely comes in the right package, or timing you think it’s supposed to come in.
So taking everything you’ve ever learned – all the crazy experiences, failures, people or experiences that hurt you, as well as successes and lessons – and place it all in a box labelled “I take responsibility for it!”, and somehow saying to yourself: “Thank you for everything!” it really helps. But furthermore it is important to look at the real life professors that taught us life
lessons.
I believe that each of us can only be successful in business if we manage our personal life properly. There are exceptions of course, everyone knows of some successful professionals with terrible personal lives, however in the end success is the sum and balance of personal and professional life. And I truly believe businesses can only go forth if they creates value and bring personal
satisfaction.
Looking at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs one understands and reminds the focus on self-fulfilment and, consequently, in creating happiness. This was a theory that resulted from Maslow’s research ‘Motivation and Personality’,1970, and ‘The Farther Reaches of Human Nature, 1971. To summarise these researches one can come to the following synthesis: self-actualisation is critical and the
innate human personal and professional motivation and satisfaction that each person has in order to achieve her or his potential. This achievement can be done by using and developing the personal skills, the talents and abilities that whereby makes each person experience a sense of fulfilment – Maslow called this ‘peak experience’ – when someone achieves self-actualisation.
So have you ever tried
to compile a list of your key timeless life lessons you have learned, or that create your right balance of self-actualisation over the years? Trust me it is worth the effort and can be an interesting exercise in self-discovery and open new success opportunities for your personal and professional life.
I recently came across some lists that were so practical, useful, and down to earth. I then
thought about adapting it and doing my own list. Here it is. Hope it helps you as much as it helped me.
- Life isn’t fair, or perfect, but is the only one you have so start living it 200% today.
- Always remember your life journey might stop in moments, or tomorrow!
- When in doubt, just take the next baby step in the journey of your adventure.
- Everything starts with baby steps even the biggest empires.
- Life is too short not to enjoy it fully. So what are you waiting for?
- Work hard but
remember your company, work or professional obsession won’t take care of you when you are down, sick or old.
- Your close friends and family are your best treasure; invest in them.
- Let it go, you don’t have to win every single argument as long as you stay true to yourself.
- Avoid burn out.
- You will need to go to the other side of the river some other day, so make sure you always create bridges, don’t burn it.
- Save and prepare yourself for things that really matter.
- Make sure you make or dedicate
your time and efforts to things you believe and are proud of!
- Make peace with your past so it won’t haunt your entire present.
- Don’t ever compare your life to one of others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Besides that it is not your life!
- Don’t judge, don’t judge, don’t judge!
- If some relationship has to be hidden or a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
- Everything can change in the blink of an eye… So be ready and prepared!
- Get rid of anything that you don’t
believe or isn’t useful.
- Remember that whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
- When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
- Over-prepare, do your homework, then go with the
flow.
- The most important sensual organ in your body is the brain exercise it.
- No one is in charge of your happiness but you. Please remember it everyday!
- Frame every so-called failure, disaster with these words, ‘In 10 years, will this
matter?’
- Always forgive but learn the lesson and don’t forget.
- What other external people think of you is none of your business.
- Give time to time. Time heals almost everything and what it does not, trust me it will go
anyway.
- However good or bad a situation is, or the failure, it will change, like everything in life changes.
- Never take yourself seriously. No one else does.
- Did you look at your Life Style for Indications of your Potential
Happiness?
- Take responsibility for everything in your life!
- Miracles are waiting everywhere if you are open to them.
- Accept everything what you already have, not what you think you need.
- Choose your language and each of your words carefully.
- Never make a decision when you’re angry or hurt.
- Be grateful for everything you have. Everything!
- The best is yet to come… So get ready!
- Life isn’t tied with a wrapping paper, but believe, it is a very special gift.
- It really helps: Take a deep, deep breath. And smile!
- Whatever happens, always remember the world will not end tomorrow!
To conclude, the most important timeless life lesson of all is somehow to never let one single bad day, or moment destroy a lot of your great achievements. Or worse make you feel like you have a bad life. Of all the things that can be taken away from you – material possessions, youth, health, words, rights – what no one can ever take from you, is the best of you, and specially the freedom to choose what you will believe in, and who and what you will truly follow.
So write your own timeless life lessons and remember always to be the best version of yourself!"
To your success
Noel Guilford