talk

Find Your Why (part I) – Meet Simon:

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I’d like to introduce Simon Sinek. In two parts, this post being the first. For those of you who don’t know Simon, he’s a visionary, speaker and consultant. His main topics are leadership and ‘start with why’. Both these topics are (mostly) job-related, what kind of work you do, how you do it but mostly, why you do it. This lands on common ground with an earlier post regarding Live Your Legend. That it is important to realise what you do and why you do it. This leads to one of Simon’s strongest quotes:

“People don’t care what you do they care why you do it.
And what you do it simply proves what you believe.”

In one of the most interesting talks I have ever seen/heard, he explains this quote and the meaning behind it. He explains it using his “Golden Circle”, seen here:

golden-circle
It’s based on this: Most people and organisations know what they do and how they do it, but only a few truly know why they do what they do. Sinek uses Apple, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Wright Brothers in his talk as successful examples of people who follow their why, and inspire others to do the same.

Point is: find your why. If you know why you do what you do and you are happy doing it, congratuwelldone! If you dig deep and realise you have no idea why you do what you do – the opposite end of the spectrum – it might be time to rethink some stuff. Everyone is at some point of this ‘line’. You might do what you do for the money, for self-actualization (Maslow’s pyramid: hierarchy of needs), simply to have something to do or maybe you do what you do for the well-being of others. There is no right or wrong, as long as you stand behind your reason for doing it. Currently in a shitty job but you need the money? Fair enough, if you are happy with that situation. In a great job but the pay is shitty? Fair enough, if you are happy with that situation.

Simon goes a little deeper and mentions the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Wright Brothers. They all did what they believed to be right, they had their why and followed it ardently. Their belief inspired others, not what they did, but why they did it.

“By the way,
Dr. King held his ‘I have a dream’ speech,
not his ‘I have a plan speech’.”

Like with all sources, it is not what is said or stated that contributes to growth, it is what you – the recipient – do with the information that matters. People followed Dr. King because of their own idea of what had to change in America, says Sinek.

There are leaders and then there are those who lead. People like Dr. King are leaders not because they have authority but because they lead. They inspire us. It is the same in our jobs and work places, we follow those who inspire us because we want to, and only follow the authoritative leader because we have to.

“If you hire people just because they can do a job they’ll work for your pay check but if you hire people who believe what you believe they’ll work with blood, sweat and tears.”

The Wright Brothers are the perfect example of this. They knew and followed their why and it inspired others to follow them and do the same.

I recently held a speech at a (my) graduation ceremony about this.  About finding your why, and it was mostly inspired by this talk. I still find it incredibly interesting (I think I mentioned that before) and Simon has many more like it, some of which I’ll add later on. For now, I recommend watching this one and marvel at its truths!

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Power of the Peergroup

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Last Saturday I attended the ‘Power of the Peergroup’ seminar in The Hague, Netherlands. It spanned the full day and featured six enthusiastic speakers, seven including the equally energetic host, who happens to be one of my closest friends :-).

The ’Power of the Peergroup’ (PotP) is a personal development group led by a handful of young fellas excited and ready to happily share their knowledge on what they have learned over the years. They all have different backgrounds and stories, what they have in common is that they all began a journey a few years ago. A journey to find themselves, to truly make something of their lives and to become better people. A valuable process for each of them and they are now working hard to show people their own potential and the possibilities.

I won’t tell you about the day in full detail, the sincerity and enthusiasm of their words would lose value in text. Nevertheless, I’d like to share some of the lessons. The first coming from one of the most naturally excited people I have ever met. He has three rules he lives by:

  1. Do exactly what you feel like doing.
  2. Be honest.
  3. Be relaxed.

“The world is your playground! Go out, do things and talk to everyone. As long as you stay within reason, these rules will take you places.”

He spoke for around 40 minutes, after which I – the whole atrium – felt an enormous buzz of excitement. You can tell the rules work for him, they describe him and his talk perfectly. An excellent way to start the day!

The day was filled with inspiring talks such as these. Topics were, among others:

  • Feeling more awesome about yourself.
  • Learning to talk more (to the opposite sex).
  • Masculine and Feminine energies
  • Finding what’s important to you.
  • What truths and values you hold dear and ways to find them.

I just want to land on the last one and put it in a bit more detail. The theory states that we are like an iceberg, with our surroundings and behaviour being the tip (above sea level, thus visible). This is what everyone knows and sees, the rest lies under water and is not yet visible. These are our skills, convictions, values, identity and mission. The point is: that part of us is so much bigger and more important than we realise, and through discovering them you will be more true to yourself and able to present this to others.

Obviously these theories and talks stem from somewhere. The speakers get their inspiration from own experiences and many different sources, an important of which is the book by David Deida, also featured in a previous post ‘the way of the superior –‘. Perhaps the most important source however, is the inspiration they give each other, pushing each other to new limits. This is the power of the peergroup. Wherever you get your inspiration from, know that sharing it with your peers and with people who are equally excited helps more than anything. Just think of anything you like, isn’t it more fun when you share that with someone else? A new movie, result of your favourite sports team or even a new crush. Now, personal development is a lot bigger than a mere hobby or interest, but the shared excitement is far greater.

“There is no bigger life hack in the history of the world from getting where you are today to where you want to be, than the people you choose to put in your corner” -Scott Dinsmore.

So many people, including the men from the PotP, have found out just how important it is to surround yourself with the right [passionate] people. To push you – and you them – towards greater heights, to accomplish things you thought were impossible or simply for tips and tricks of the trade. For instance, a friend of mine (the host) wanted to write a book on personal development but wasn’t sure how to do it and if it would work at all. He started working on the project together with a friend and now they’ve landed a book deal!

Surround yourself with passionate people that inspire you and reap the benefits. Just from going to this seminar (filled with passionate people), I’ve thought of new ways to deal with things in life. It has had a positive influence and brings positive change. Thanks guys!

Live Your Legend

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I want to introduce the Live Your Legend movement and Scott Dinsmore. I found his TED talk a while back already but had lost track of it while speeding along the clutter of the information superhighway. Luckily I have rediscovered it and with it, its greatness and importance.

First things first: here’s the TED talk of Scott Dinsmore, the founder of Live Your Legend. I should note that Scott unfortunately passed away in September 2015 while climbing the Kilimanjaro in Kenya. (While doing what he loved).

What he founded lives on and many people are joining the so-called revolution. Currently Live Your Legend (LYL) is joined by 200.000 people from 186 countries who are on their journey to finding fulfilling work. ‘Change the world by finding work you love!’ An amazing feat and creed which I fully support. By signing up with your email address you’ll receive regular tips and tricks on how to do this. Don’t underestimate the usefulness of these tips, they benefit anyone who is open to them! Continue reading →