Be the change you want to see in the world. This sentence is running through my mind as I think about a topic for today’s inspiration letter. So many people wish for something to change: politics, the economy, their partner, their children, their neighbor. Ideally, everyone else should change … so I can stay just as I am.
“Flexibility” was the most important word I learned a few weeks ago in Hollywood. “If you’re not flexible here, you might as well fly straight back home,” said the producer. And he was right. Every day, something new and unexpected happened that altered the original plan. In the end, life is a kind of film, too, full of highs and lows. The only question is: Do you know the desired ending of your own movie?
When I write talks for entrepreneurs or help them design their existing presentations in a way that engages and inspires their employees instead of putting them to sleep, I always start with the same question: “What is your goal when people leave the room? What should they have or do then?” As long as you’re not clear about the end of the talk, the film, the meeting with a friend, or whatever it is, you’re very likely not going to achieve it. The goal defines the path you need to take. The whole journey leads you step by step precisely in that direction. And as you know, there are a thousand other paths to a thousand other destinations. The route from Stuttgart to Dortmund is different from the one to Berlin. And it’s different again from the route to Munich. Where do you want to arrive?
It happens time and again that people are fascinated by my profession and the life Anke and I lead. “You’re really lucky.” Well, that compliment falls a bit short. Because it has nothing to do with luck but rather with the fact that we designed our life exactly the way we want it. What I do, where I give talks, the traveling and encounters – all of that can be achieved by every single person on this planet. I wasn’t born with it, and until 2013, I didn’t even want to stand on a stage and give talks. What could I possibly have told people? Who am I anyway? Why me? Those were my questions at the time. But what if you have a message inside you that deserves to be brought into the world? It doesn’t matter whether you do it as a roofer, landscaper, zookeeper, cashier, or retiree. The question is: How do you make yourself, your environment, and maybe even the world a better place? What can you do every day to bring about change? Where do you invest your time and money? Instead of complaining, you can be brave and finally do something that brings you closer to your goal. Because as long as you keep doing the same thing, you’ll keep getting the same results. What do you want to look back on at the end of your life, your movie, your conversation? What do you want to have seen and experienced? Who do you want to be? What was your intention (goal) for every single day of your life on the way to the end?
Let me end this inspiration with a beautiful statement I heard from Brian Proctor, the son of my late mentor Bob Proctor. Brian told us many months ago what his father used to say to him as a child every night before bed. And with that, everything for this week is said:
“You are capable of being, doing, and having anything you want in this world. You are more powerful than you can imagine. You will sleep well tonight. And when you wake up tomorrow, you will have a big smile on your face.”
