Hindsight Is A Wonderful Thing!

Like many business people I often reflect on my life and find myself wondering what if I had my time over again would I do differently, for example what would I tell my younger self if I could impart the knowledge gained through my experiences? Well here’s what I’d say…

• Don’t be so intense, remember that business is part of life and enjoy every part of the journey.
• If you don’t win every time, it’s not a sign of failure but an opportunity to learn from so that next time you are better prepared for the race.
• Plan more effectively, apply the 80/20 rule in all that you do and very early on in the process as a more focussed approach produces a much improved outcome most of the time.
• Love what you do, embrace all that it is and if it’s not making you happy instigate the necessary change to make you fall in love with it all over again.
• Don’t let others intimidate you, words can only ever effect you if YOU allow them to. We control our thoughts and so we decide how others impact us.
• Be kind to others, patience is a virtue, if they don’t understand your vision or where you want to take the business, it’s because we are all different, we think differently and at different speeds. Use this as an opportunity to improve your own short comings.
• Embrace your inner self and learn to love you, not in a materialistic sense but spiritually. You get one life, allow yourself the opportunity of understanding who you really are and be true to YOU. If your kind to yourself it follows that being kinder to others will be an easy next step.
• Knowledge IS Power, none of us no matter how much experience we have, know everything. Start young and read more. The more you know the more you are interesting to others and the more confident you will become when engaging in the art of conversation with others.
• Try not to criticise, it very demoralising for the recipient and most of the time represents your narrow or uneducated view on the subject or topic in question.
• If you have strong beliefs learn to express them with humility, everyone is entitled to their own opinion (even when it differs to yours).
• Stay fit and healthy. Start young and make your health your number one priority, understand the gift that is good health and NEVER take it for granted.
• Trust your instincts, often now referred to as ’emotional intelligence’. If something feels wrong then it most probably is. The same applies when meeting new people if you are wary of them for no apparent reason, trust your instincts – there is a reason your wary!