The Onsen and the importance of living your passion…

Two years ago I went skiing in Japan, Niseko to be exact, and experienced an Onsen for the first time. Now, those of you not familiar with the concept, an Onsen is a term for hot springs in Japanese though the term is often used to describe bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs.  


Apart from the amazing skiing in Japan and the awesome food and the wonderfully friendly people the Onsen is a real treat, especially after a hard days skiing the powder, as these monkey's will attest to.

Unfortunately I was not skiing in Japan over the weekend but I did spend it in Sorrento for some well-deserved R & R. 

So Friday night we headed off to Sorrento primarily to rest and rejuvenate but also so that Stephanie could introduce me to the soothing treat she had found a few weeks earlier. Believe it or not right here in Victoria on the peninsula are some of our very own hot springs. These hot springs are amazing with pools ranging from 37 degrees up 43 degrees and the water is amazingly good for the health.

Ok so maybe you don’t want to hear about my wonderful weekend bathing in the hot springs, I feel fantastic by the way and my skin, smooooooth. What was impressive is what the owners have built there. As an excerpt from their web site describes how it all happened…

‘Peninsula Hot Springs was founded by brothers Charles & Richard Davidson and Norm Cleland’.

‘The inspiration for the project began when Charles visited several hot springs while living in Japan in 1992. This sparked off several years of touring and studying hot springs around the world’.

‘In 1996 Charles heard a rumor that hot geothermal water had been discovered on the Mornington Peninsula in 1979, and a search of Department of Minerals and Energy records substantiated it’.

‘In 1997 the two brothers formed a partnership and they bought the 42 acre site on which the hot springs now stand. It took several more years of hard work to design the facility, secure the water license, obtain a planning permit, and drill a bore some 637 meter deep to a plentiful aquifer of 54 degree C natural hot minerals waters. The Davidson brothers then found an investor, in the form of Norm Cleland and his family, and together proceeded to build the Stage one Spa Dreaming Centre facility, which opened in June 2005. In December 2009 the second stage Bath House centre penned vastly increasing the number of bathing experiences and providing a area for children and families. Future plans include an increase in bathing experiences, accommodation, a restaurant and more wellness focused facilities’.

For me, both as a business mentor and personal development coach, it is amazing to see what they have built. The passion that has gone into the project is obvious and truly inspirational. No expense has been spared and the experience for the patrons is top notch. It is fascinating to see that it has taken them since 1997 to build what we see today. In a world of fast food and instant gratification it is important to remember that sometimes dreams take time, especially big dreams. To see the persistence, dedication and commitment that must have gone into the making of the bathes is worth writing about and also worth the drive to experience.

Noting that it took several years just to secure licenses to design and build the premises and drill the bore. I know for me I sometimes expect that things will be perfect right now and that success should happen yesterday. But in truth it takes persistence, determination and a real commitment to see the project through. This is where passion comes in, for without it, chances are you will quit before it has even got off the ground.

Passion is the driving force behind many of the world’s great projects, companies and individuals. Many things have gone by the wayside just because the passion was not there. The world would be a colder place without the passion that has driven these amazing things. Therefore it is important that we follow are passion. When we do we are twice as likely to have the success that we have dreamt of, experience twice the fun and realize twice the joy. At the end of the day that’s what life is about…Joy!

So what are you passionate about? What is it going to take for you to go and make it happen? When do you get the courage to seek help, to find mentors in those that have been there and are now living their passion fully?

If you can’t connect with your passion or the fear is too deep, just for a moment entertain the possibility that your passion could be made known to you. What if it was possible to know your passion? What if it was possible to live that passion fully?

Passion is the hot spring of life, it gives meaning, it gives energy and it heals the lost soul. So go out into your world and be passionate about what ever you do, even if for the moment it is not your true passion. Living passionately will bring you more joy, success and the possibility that you too can live an abundant and full life.

Have a great week and may the passion be with you…Oh and don’t forget to visit the hot springs next time you are on the peninsula it is well worth it. Check out the web site: 

http://www.peninsulahotsprings.com

Regards Marcus

Letting Go! What's that got to do with communication?

So it’s the end of one busy week and the start of another. Sometimes the weeks just seem to blend into each other in a never-ending blur of meetings, phone calls, training and coaching. Now its great being busy and I love what I do so it’s easy to keep going. However sometimes the internal dialogue gets the better of me and I begin to second-guess myself. In the world of communication the inner dialogue can be our best friend and our worst enemy.

Today the internal dialogue is having a field day about expectations of what I should be doing. After having a restless night and waking feeling less than well I just want to have a moment off. Just a few moments to give back to myself and allow sometime to recover and rejuvenate, but alas the inner dialogue is pushing me to do more…

This is were our inner communication can be a killer, the stern master that wants to take control by forcing you to fulfil an expectation that has been set by the unknown. It is very tricky and will use any means to have you go against the more intuitive side that tells you to stop! The fear of not keeping up with expectations, of not doing what you should or have to do. So what has letting go got to do with communication? Everything!

Sometimes we need to let go of the inner dialogue that desperately wants to control us and force us to do more, to live up to more expectations and to not let the world down. Often we don’t let go of this inner dialogue until we are too sick to keep going or we face a life changing experience. These experiences can be paradigm shifting for the brain and resets the expectation level of the inner dialogue, but can hurt.

With this in mind it is also interesting to look at the outer dialogue and how hooked we get on trying to share our opinion about anything. I am often amused when I get the opportunity to listen to a group of people talking to each other as more often than not each member of the communication desperately wants to share there opinion and ends up not listening to the other preferring to communicate at each other not to each other. Our inner dialogue is a little like this and will tend to talk at us not to us.

So letting go is one of the most important things we can do when we are communicating. Letting go of our need to speak at the other in a desperate effort to prove that we are worth it. The more we can let go the more chance we have of hearing the other and participating in the conversation not trying to hijack the conversation because we need our opinion validated.

Letting go of the inner dialogue and listening to what we truly need will help us to remain balanced, healthy and on track to manifest the things that we truly want or desire.

So letting go is easier said than done. It is a process that takes some practice and as I write this I am battling the letting go to allow me to recover, rest and respect myself. So maybe the first step is being kind to yourself, respecting the beautiful fragile self so that you can honour what you really do need, above and beyond the expectations.  In my case I follow a process that helps me to let go;

Step 1: Be kind to yourself and ask the question what is the kindest thing I can do right now?

Step 2: If you hear yourself saying ‘I should’ or ‘I have to’ or ‘I must’ beware as this is the inner dialogue trying to take control. Do what you truly want to do and if you must do something, as we all do from time to time, rephrase the inner dialogue to choose to do it.

Step 3: Listen, turn your ears and awareness on and listen to what your inner dialogue or the other person is saying. When you have heard what is being said ask a question about that communication that you just heard. This helps you to confirm what you have heard and it shows respect and interest in the conversation. Consciousness gives us the opportunity to participate and from an inner dialogue point of view, change our reaction to what is being said.

Step 4: Let go of what you don’t agree on both internally and externally, try and keep your opinion to a minimum and frame it around constructive communication rather than aggressive opinionated communication.

Step 5: Communicate with people not at people, this goes for the inner dialogue as much as the outer communication.

Communication is probably the most important thing we can do in business and in life. The more effectively we communicate the better chance we have of getting what we want. We learnt from a very early age that if we wanted anything we needed to communicate in one fashion or another.  Often the louder we communicated the faster we grabbed the attention of our parents and the faster we received what we were after.

Now as we grew we realised that there were better ways of getting things than just yelling and so our communication style grew. We refined things to the point that we generally got a lot of what we asked for. Then we were set free out into the big world were we had to restructure our communication style to once again get what we wanted.

Now even though we have all been on a process of learning how to communicate, to the most part it has been unconscious and situational, directed by the people we associate with. Because of this most people don’t really know how to communicate effectively. So this is the start, learn to let go and start to communicate more softly with yourself. Learn to let go of desperately trying to talk at people and start to communicate with people.

Have a great week and be kind to yourself and the world and watch the rewards come back to you.

More on communication next week until then have fun talking with yourself and others.

Regards Marcus

Play from the front foot!

So here I am sitting on top of Mt Buller, the wind howling, the rain bucketing down and the temperature at near winter ranges and you ask why? As a volunteer of the Mt Buller Ski Patrol every now and then we are asked to assist at the National Mountain Bike Championships, and this is the weekend. These bike riders are some of the most committed, courageous and fearless individuals I have met. There is pretty much nothing that will stop them except for the loss of a limb or a comma in the case of the last event in Hobart.

These unique individuals spend most of their life on a bike, some 300km plus a week riding, $8,000 plus for a bike and that's just the start. Here is a great example of engagement in what you are doing, without this level of commitment and engagement in what they are doing there is no chance of success.

When I started Intrinsic Success I was enthusiastic, excited and passionate, then life happened. A few stormy days, a bit of heavy rain and a cold winter chill, which lead to a few knock backs, not reaching the success I had hoped for as soon as I had hoped, and then there were the family issues that are all a part of being a Dad. At some point during the middle of last year I had became complacent, lost and a little disheartened resigning myself to be comfortable but not abundant. The business had been flying but now it was doing just ok by all outside measures it was returning what most might call a good living. However complacency had set in which lasted until the realisation that I could not grow a truly abundant lifestyle spurred on by the fact that we had to move our son into private school so I now had the responsibility for his wellbeing.

It was actually here at Mt Buller where I turned things back around. I was riding a ski lift with a vey good friend of mine who is the owner of companies such as Car Sales .com and I was discussing my troubles and how hard it was finding work and getting myself going again. He gave me some wise advice, "it sounds like you need to stop bitching and start pitching". Interesting, stop bitching and start pitching, I thought to myself I don't bitch or complain I've been working hard, putting in the hours what did he mean? After taking a good hard look at myself I realised that I was doing a lot of peddling but not going anywhere. I realised that I had disengaged from my business no longer doing those things that needed to be done to get the work and do the stuff I love to do, coaching people and business to be, do and have more success. I realised that I needed to find the courage to put myself back on the line, to make the calls, spread the word and get out of my comfort zone and make it happen.

That was eight months ago and since then I have tripled my clients plus, had two amazing individuals sign on board to become Intrinsic Success coaches and help me to build the business and now for the first time I can see the true potential of my business. One might say that I have now opened up to the horizon of possibilities and wow what possibilities.

So have you become complacent, are you peddling but not going anywhere fast, are you not putting it on the line, putting you on the line? Where are you hesitating to make the calls, go to the meetings, take up the speaking opportunities? As I put it with one client last week, where are you not dancing on the tips of your toes, playing from the front foot?

As a tennis player and having played pennant competition tennis for Kooyong Tennis Club, I was taught that you need to play from the front foot on the tips of your toes. If you watched the Australian Open you may have seen players dancing on the tips of their toes waiting to receive a serve. Flat-footed players are slower, not as prepared and not ready for whatever opportunity may come to win the point. In a business it is no different, playing on the front foot on the tips of your toes allows you to be ready to take advantage of the opportunities. There are an abundance of opportunities out there if you are willing to put it on the line and truly see them. Playing on the front foot allows you to make it happen and be prepared to take advantage of those golden opportunities that will come your way. Be fully engaged in your business and in your life. Be prepared to do whatever it takes to make it a success, and most importantly keep peddling even when it seems all up hill as this is all part of running your own business, all part of life.

So the message here is to play from the front foot, be dynamic, ready and excited to hit the next ball. Get into action and be prepared at the start of each week to go out and create the opportunities and be ready to take advantage of them. Reconnect with the reason that you started the business in the first place; realize the importance of your work for you, your family and the planet. Dig deep and find the courage to put yourself on the line and do those things that need to be done and most of all keep peddling. I am always amazed at how fast things can turn around when you get your heart, heart and soul aligned and in action to manifest abundance.

So are you ready to make it happen?

Overcoming the Sole Trader Blues!

Now every once and a while most solo entrepreneurs or sole traders, you know people like us with a staff of one, ourselves, or a small team, goes through the ‘Sole Trader Blues’.  Those times where you feel unmotivated procrastinate and feel less than inspired. Where you sit at your desk looking endlessly into the computer hoping something exciting will jump out at you and fire up that passion you had yesterday. Well believe it or not I had the sole trader blues last Thursday.

There I was sitting at my desk looking into the abyss feeling flat and low trying to find something to inspire me back into action. I know I had a lot of things to do as the day before I was flat out, but do you think I could think of any of them in this moment! Even though I had my action plan list, my sales funnel and my priority matrix I just sat there. In that moment of the blues I could not think of anything inspiring to do. As I scanned my list nothing seemed any fun, actually quite the opposite, everything seemed a chore. ‘Ring up some sales leads’ I thought but no I can’t call anyone when I feel like this and they will probably say no anyway…. ‘Write some more of the coaching program manual’ I mussed, oh God I cant be bothered…. So I just sat there! Maybe I’ll look at Facebook or Linkedin maybe that will inspire me…to no avail. Maybe if I play a computer game that might get me out of this rut….no that just made me feel guilty that I had lots to do and here I was procrastinating. So what to do?

In speaking to a few small business owners last week a number of them talked about being in this rut, maybe it was the full moon, or just a strange coincidence or maybe it was there so that I could write about it in my blog and pass on some handy tips to get you out of the Sole Trader Blues. 

Now the blues can be triggered by many things, a few negative sales calls, the moon cycle, your cycle, a brief moment where you loose hope or loose sight of the bigger picture of your vision or just because. So what did I do?

When I find myself in times of trouble Mother Mary comes to me... opps that's a beatles number no help here or is it? Now seriously when I find myself in this situation and I have the means to be conscious enough to realize the rut that I’m in, here are my top tips to beat the blues, and yes playing some beatles on my guitar is one of them:

1.   Get moving – when you feel flat, down or like you are in the blues the first thing to do is to get moving. Get up from your desk change the scenery and go for a walk, even if it is only down to the back of the garden. Pick up a musical instrument and play it outside. Go for a walk along a river or the beach or somewhere that makes you feel good. One of the causes of the blues can be the lack of movement. If you have been moving forward in your business and suddenly there is a hiccup, lick a few negative sales calls, then you can be placed in a space of non movement or procrastination. The best way to get moving again is to get moving, anywhere.

2.     Take an action – Once you have had a walk or moved from your desk the next step is to take an action. Any action no matter how small and preferably small, will have you moving once again. Get up and do the filling, clean your desk, go to Officeworks and buy that stationary you need or write a blog.

3.     Review hope – Often the place that we go to when we have the blues is that place of no hope, even if it is not conscious, a lack of hope will have us stop and loose sight of what we are trying to achieve. So write a list of all the positive things that are, will, or you want to have happen in your business. More often than not there are some great opportunities opening up and reminding yourself of them is a sure fire way of finding some inspiration to get moving.

4.     Call someone – Now call someone, make a business call that you need to make and talk to another human being. Sometimes as a sole trader, of just you or a few, you can get lost in your own mind. The best way out of this trap is to call someone. It is best to call someone who is going to give you a positive response, so not a sales call as yet, but rather someone you are doing business with who is a supporter of your work.

5.     Go do something - Now at worst if none of the above works go do something you love to do, kayaking on the river, playing tennis, reading a good book, gardening, riding a bike, going to the gym or visiting a friend. It does not matter what you do as long as the doing is something you love to do. This will often kick in the inspiration gene and have us get back on track.

6.     

      Positive affirmations – As you begin to move it is important that you tend to your mind and the thoughts you are having. Regardless of whether or not they started this whole blues thing you mind is a powerful tool, use it wisely. Begin to repeat positive affirmations over and over like a broken record. Some of my favorite affirmations are:

“I think positively only”

“I am totally self confidant”

“I am passionate, inspired and in action”

“I have an abundance of new customers/clients”

“I am totally self worthy”

7.     

      Communicate – At the end of the day the best thing you can do is communicate with someone you trust, love or look up to and ask for help. There is nothing like a comforting word or a strong kick up the backside to get you moving. Because the blues is just that, a lack of movement. This lack of movement could be due to any number of feelings from, its too hard, to I can’t be bothered and any number of negative untrue thoughts.

In my case it was the support of my love one, Stephanie, and a good dose of kick myself up the backside to get out into the world and get on with the job that got me moving again but not after spending most of Thursday morning mopping about. So get into action, get moving and know that what you are doing is important, real and of great value to all of those you touch. Oh and if you get stuck CALL ME!

These ‘Sole Trader Blues’ usually only last for a few hours or a day, however in some cases they can go on for days. If they happen to go on longer than a few hours or at most a day or two then call someone, me, a friend, a colleague, someone that can help inspire you out of the blues. If you feel that your blues are more than just blues and maybe depression please seek the advise of a qualified health care practitioner. The sooner you get onto it the sooner you will be back on top.

Engagement Part 1: What has WELLBEING got to do with business?

It would seem like everything according to the Gallup organization, who have been tracking wellbeing from around the world since the mid 20^th century. In fact they track the wellbeing of the US on a daily basis. So what’s all the fuss about and how can it help us in business and career?

Wellbeing is not just about being happy but rather having a full life: according to Gallup ‘wellbeing is a combination of our love for what we do each day, the quality of our relationships, the security of our finances, the vibrancy of our physical health, and the pride we take in what we have contributed to our communities’. According to dictionary.com wellbeing is: a good condition of existence; a state characterized by health, happiness and prosperity.

So how is your health, happiness and prosperity?

Gallup found that the number one contributing factor to overall wellbeing is career wellbeing. Whether you are an employee or you own your own business the amount of enjoyment we get from our work has an enormous effect on the wellbeing of all other areas of our life. In fact people with high career wellbeing are twice as likely to be thriving in their lives overall. Not only does high career wellbeing help us to have ‘thriving lives’ it may also help us to live longer. The Gallup study also shows that high career wellbeing reduces blood pressure and the potential of head disease and also reduces anxiety and the likely hood of depression.

Now this is all well and good but how is this going to help us in business? Besides the obvious health and overall life enjoyment benefits it may also be good for our businesses health. There is a direct correlation between wellbeing and engagement. If you have employees you, as the business owner, can have an impact not only on their health but also the way that they engage with the business. I have a saying and that is ‘the more engaged we are with anything the more likely we are to be successful at that thing’. We tend to put more effort in into that thing and want to spend time and energy on that thing. We have a desire to become better at that thing and therefore are more conscientious. The more engaged we are with our career the more successful we are likely to be. This is why the most successful business people seem also to be the most passionate and engaged in what they are doing. In turn the more that you are engaged with your work the greater your wellbeing will be.

It is also true that those with careers where they get to use their strengths and do what they love are six times more likely to be engaged in their jobs and three times more likely to have a great quality of life. Therefore what you do, and the love you have for what you do, will help you to be more successful and could help you to live longer. Gallup conducted an ‘old age study’ and found that those who enjoyed what they did so much and did not retire until they where eighty lived until at least 95 years of age.

So loving what you do has a great impact on your health and overall wellbeing. It also has a direct correlation to your level of engagement with what you do. Therefore the more we can help ourselves and employees to engage with our business the more successful we are likely to be.

Maybe we need to have some focus on our wellbeing? Our life might just depend on it!

In part two, next week, I will discuss how we can assist the engagement process both providing practical steps to increase the wellbeing of ourselves and our organisation.

If you would like to increase the success of you or your organisation call me to discuss engagement and wellbeing in business.

Sometimes letting go helps…

Sometimes it is just about letting go… The problem with our modern busy world, if there is a problem at all, is that we spend so much time in our heads. Constantly thinking, over analyzing, and trying to work out the next thing to do or to write. As has been the case this morning, yesterday I thought of so many things to write about yet when I got up at 5:30am on this Monday morning do you think I could reach in and located any of those great thoughts from yesterday. Then it hit me maybe I should stop thinking and just start writing so here we are…

Through my experience of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome I came to realize just how full the mind can get and the consequence of that fullness. In my case it lead to a foggy mind, an inability to think clearly, irritability and anxiety and often dizzy spells. To this day if I fill my mind up enough these symptoms come back. The mind is an interesting instrument constantly analyzing, assessing and contemplating the for’s and against’s for any particular situation, decision or thought. It rarely gives you a definitive answer on any matter but rather the thought or decision with the least likely hood of failure. It then spends its time often over analyzing the decision that it has just made. Now in and of itself it is a great instrument and has helped to get us this far. However it is “the emptiness of the vase that is the most valuable part”, in that without the space in-between the ceramic vessel there would be no vase. In some respects it is the same with the brain with out the ability to empty the mind from time to time we reduce our ability to utilize it’s power of thought.

I often see business owners and executives who have become anxious, stressed and confused finding it difficult to make a decision or think straight and immediately I know that the mind has become full. It is amazing what insights, clarity and freedom comes from emptying the mind from time to time. It is a bit like freeing up some space on your hard drive. I know when my computer runs out of space I get a warning that the computer is about to have a nervous breakdown and loose data or worse totally break. (As you can tell I am such a computer expert…not!) I am sure it wont break if I run out of space but I know its not good because it tells me. Now the brain is a bit like this if you don’t clear it out every now and then it does get overloaded and when this happens there is a fear that it will break down. When I guide these executives to clear the mind and free up some disk space it is amazing to watch the clarity come back, the anxiety go and a wave of relaxation appears.

So if you begin to feel anxious, confused, unclear or full take a moment to let go. Go for a walk, change the scenery, stop thinking about the issue or any issue for that matter and clear your mind. Think of nothing if you can, meditation is a great way to do this or failing that think of a time when you where in nature, on holidays where you were away from work. Think of how that place made you feel, what were the noises that you herd, the smells that you smelt and the sights that you saw. Immerse yourself it that experience for just a moment. If you have an abstract painting in your home or office, focus on that for a while or look at the plant in the corner of your office (if you don’t have a plant in your office get one, natural objects like plants can assist you to feel more relaxed and provide fresh oxygen). Then go back to what you were doing, a moment out of time can help you to become clear again, less anxious and more relaxed. 

Please note that short term anxiety or stress can be relieved through the clearing of the mind however long term anxiety related disorders may need greater help and support. If you are suffering from anxiety please see a health care professional.

Intuitive Intelligence (SQ)

Intuitive Intelligence is the ability for one to consciously connect with and translate gut feel into practical and effective actions. Intuition is something that most of us have used at one point or another throughout our lives. It is often so subtle that we connect with it on an unconscious basis. It is a guiding and ruling emotional connection that can direct us away from danger when there is no conscious reasoning to be alarmed.

Having recently had a beautiful baby girl, Lucy now 2, I saw first hand the instinctive intuitive response that we are all born with. A child instinctively knows whom they feel comfortable approaching in a room full of strangers. This instinctive connection is the gateway to a deeper intuitive response that is constantly active in small children and in all of us. Some may say it is just a survival mechanism however, when nurtured and encouraged, becomes an essential life skill.

This instinctive response is often mystified throughout our early years to the point that as we grow older we believe that its access is reserved for the gifted few. This could not be further from the truth however, it does take some amount of retraining to reconnect and understand its truth.

So what has intuition got to do with business? In an article from Harvard Review that I read a few years ago a group of graduates went to find out how the US top CEO’s made decisions. What they found lead to a paper called ‘When to trust your gut’ published in 2001. This paper goes on to explain that although these top CEO’s, from the top fortune 500 companies, assessed all the analytical information at the end of the day there most difficult decisions where made using ‘gut feel’ or intuitive intelligence.

So how could accessing Intuitive Intelligence help you and your business, well I’m glad you asked. Let me share how I use it in my business and in my work…

I utilise Intuitive Intelligence in a number of way. Just this morning I utilised this soft skill to organise my day and allow me to stay calm relaxed and focussed. Running late for a meeting I sensed that my appointment was also running late so I let go and relaxed. One minute later my appointment rang to say he was running late.

In maximising my time in calls to potential clients I utilise this skill to make the most appropriate calls first.

In business decisions I utilise Intuitive intelligence to sense what the right course of action maybe. This comes at times when the analysis of a situation is not clear-cut. SQ helps me to know what the most appropriate course of action is.

In all my years of using SQ it has rarely let me down. As we continue to experience ever more competitive environments, finding an effective point of difference and a ‘market edge’ is imperative if we are to continue to grow and prosper. Having our leaders gifted in their ability to access state of the art soft skills will allow them to be able to guide employees and the business in the most appropriate way, is essential. It is often the fine edge that makes the difference between success and extraordinary success as the Harvard report documented.

‘The higher up the corporate ladder people climb, the more they need well-honed business instincts. In other words, intuition is one of the X factors separating the men from the boys’. Harvard Business Review ‘When To Trust Your Gut’ Feb 2001 p.3

These soft skills, of emotional and intuitive intelligence, should not be ignored as your competition might well be accessing their immense benefit right now. If you want to learn more about Intuitive Intelligence call me to discuss how of and your team can take advantage of SQ.


marcus@intrinsicsuccess.com

Doing what you LOVE!

I used to work for a company, actually I was a partner in the company, called Love Your Business which was started by an amazing guy called Peter Cook (check them out www.loveyourbusiness.com.au). His blogs are well worth reading and put mine to shame, love what you do Pete.

Now what I really leant from my time with Peter was that if you do what you love you have more energy. Having had Chronic Fatigue I know all about energy, what gives me more and what takes it away. When you have energy, and not just the physical type, you come alive. This aliveness leads to the expression of passion, enthusiasm, inspiration and a sense of excitement. These emotions are contagious and infectious and lead others to feel more energised.

Now the result of having more energy or being more energised is that you have more success...how you ask? Well people love to be around people who are inspiring, passionate and enthusiastic...don't we???? Well I know I do! These people seem to be magnetic, attracting all sorts of good fortune to themselves. So what does it take to be this type of leader...Loving what you do!

So how can you do more of the things you love? We all know that the accounts need to be paid, the reports need to be written, the trash needs to be taken out and the office needs to be cleaned. Now unless these are the things you love to do...STOP! The sooner you move into the things that you are passionate about, which are often the things you are good at, the sooner you will have more energy, become magnetic and attract all manor of good fortune to yourself. I see too many business owners who are tired, disillusioned and trapped in the thoughts of how do I get out of this mess. When we start our own businesses there is usually only us so we end up doing everything, marketing, accounts, sales, reception, PA, product development etc... But at some point if our business is to grow we need to make changes. These changes need to happen slowly and gently so begin with one small step. Where can you delegate something you don't love to do to someone who does. The bookkeeping is the first and obvious area that comes up. Bookkeeper don't cost much but you doing the books does. So begin to delegate to external providers first then eventually when the cash flow is right bring them back in-house.

I think the moral to this story is the faster you can do the things you love the faster you will have intrinsic success.

What is Intrinsic Success

If you look at the definition of intrinsic you will find the following: 'relating to the essential nature of a thing, inherent' (world english dictionary online). Intrinsic success is therefore the essential nature of success, a form of 'true' success in every aspect of life. I have meet some very financially successful people in my life only to find that their family is breaking down, to hear from their children the truth of there lives. What is the point of life if we are only successful in one aspect of our lives only to be Hippocratical in all others? Therefore intrinsic success is the ability to manifest success in all aspects of life, career, family, friendships, intimate relationships etc... It is a holistic view of our lives that leads us to living and expressing a full and complete life. This expressing inevitably leads to a deeper happiness and feeling of contentment that we are being the best version of ourselves that we can be, and why wouldn't you want to live this way?
There is a movement of inner connection and reflections that is happening on the planet that cannot be ignored. The more people I talk to the more I see this truth manifesting. In fact you may have started to explore this reality and experienced it's mutterings from deep within. The questioning of: what is it really all about? and; am I fulfilled in my life right now? Maybe these questions are spontaneously appearing, unanswered, opening up the preverbal can of worms.
My journey has been one of asking and answering just such questions. The finding of same opens up a new way of being that does lead to a life of happiness and fulfilment.