Planting Seeds of Success
Success is not final, Failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts. - Winston Churchill
What is success to you? This is a big question. One that you may have been asked (or asked yourself), and the answer may have eluded you. And to complicate things even more, the answer will likely change.
So how do you approach a question like this?
This week on the Learning to Lead Live we started to discuss this very question in a series we are calling Planting Seeds of Success. In this week’s discussion, we began with the first step in defining success, understanding your values, or what really matters to you. A few takeaways from our discussion to consider for yourself:
Values are the things most important to you, beliefs, principles, and passions.
Values are different from priorities, responsibilities, and obligations. These can be the areas you first have to unpack in order to get clear on what matters most to you, versus what you may have been taught should be important to you.
Values drive you, put fire in your belly
Values change as we grow and experience life
If you sit with what pisses you off and breaks your heart, that will be a big red arrow pointing you towards your purpose. - Glennon Doyle
What if you don’t know what your values are? Here are a few things you can do:
Practice journaling and go back and look at what came up for you
Visualize what life you want to be living in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, or more. How do you want to feel? What do you want your days to be like? How do you want to spend your time?
Create a vision board of goals in all areas of your life, not just work
Audit your social circle. Are you spending time with people who are negative and complain all the time or people who lift you up and inspire you?
Map out how you spend your day breaking down one 24 hour day and ask yourself if you are spending your time on things you care about and enjoy doing
Experience life! Try new things, meet new people, try a new hobby, travel. You learn more about yourself and your values when you get out and experience life in big and small ways.
Success is personal. It’s not about anyone else but you. Success takes time and needs to be cultivated. Spend the time getting clear on who you really are, and what you really value. The world will always have an answer for you, telling you who you should be, what you should be doing, and what success is. But happiness, joy, and the fullness of life come from finding the answer for yourself. I’ll leave you with this reflective piece written by our co-host Tamara White:
Just like a seed that grows into a giant tree, flowers etc.,
It takes time to germinate and grow a seed.
Don't worry if you do not do it perfectly.
Taking small intentional steps each day, even if you change course will lead to success.
Start by focusing on what is inside vs. outside.A tiny seed miraculously germinates under the right conditions
Success like seeds is rare and precious.
There are few & precious conditions that can germinate & grow into a giant tree.Success is "emergent" and something that happens when several/different elements or conditions link together leading to success.
Instant results are rarely experienced
Committing to the investment, staying focused & taking powerful actions lead to great future success.
Success is tied to doing the right / best thing that is going to lead to the most success in the long term in advance.
Defining these areas in advance of execution is beneficial to watering the seeds of success.
We will be back live next Saturday, May 7 from 9:30-10:30 am PT on Clubhouse; join us for another lively discussion. The topic will be announced on Wednesday, May 4 right here!
The only lifetime that we have to live is in each passing moment. Once it’s gone, that moment is gone. - Jon Kabat-Zinn
Listen to the Full Replay
Resources
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs - Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs, often depicted as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.
What Should I Do with My Life?: The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question by Po Bronson - inspirational true stories of people who have found the most meaningful answers to that great question. With humor, empathy, and insight, Bronson writes of remarkable individuals—from young to old, from those just starting out to those in a second career—who have overcome fear and confusion to find a larger truth about their lives and, in doing so, have been transformed by the experience.
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker - A book that argues that the gatherings in our lives are lackluster and unproductive—which they don't have to be. We rely too much on routine and the conventions of gatherings when we should focus on distinctiveness and the people involved. At a time when coming together is more important than ever, Parker sets forth a human-centered approach to gathering that will help everyone create meaningful, memorable experiences, large and small, for work and for play.
InnerWill: Developing Better People, Braver Leaders, and a Wiser World through the Practice of Values Based Leadership by Dr. Thomas Epperson - InnerWill provides the keys to true resilience. Change is fundamental to growth, and new ventures won’t always go the way you planned. Learn how to motivate yourself and others to roll with the punches and keep moving forward, becoming the kind of effective leader who surpasses goals again and again.
Newsletters I read daily to stay informed and get inspired: The Hustle, Morning Brew Emerging Tech, Atlas Obscura, Oprah Daily
Events
How to find success through others - May 10, 2022: In this training, you will learn: How to identify when and who you need to hire, How to better your chances of hiring the right people, How to set yourself and new hires up for success.
FORTUNE Brainstorm Health 2022 - May 2022: Join the Brainstorm Health community-- a powerful gathering of leaders at the crossroads of business, health care, technology, and innovation.
Future of Work 24 Hours 2022 - May 2022: We want to move from a place of talking about the philosophical aspects of new ways of working to doing it. From theorizing about it to practicing it, to embracing it, experimenting, tweaking. We want the power of perspectives from around the world, from different industries, and different functions to learn and build shared ideas from and with one another. Let's gather to show the power, potential, and beauty of opening a space with very few restrictions to truly capture the wisdom of everyone present.
2022 Leading Entrepreneurs of the World Conference - June 2022: As one of the most comprehensive entrepreneurial events, the LEW Conference features 5 days of virtual business presentations, digital interviews, discussions, and roundtables with the world's leading entrepreneurs and business leaders.
Learning to Lead LIVE
The next Learning to Lead Live event will be on Saturday, May 7 @ 9:30 am PDT. The topic will be shared on Wednesday (May 4) so be sure to subscribe for updates and reminders!
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