I recently had the pleasure of addressing a group of young hospitality students. I wasn’t sure of my topic when a good friend suggested I talk about something close to my heart.
My older Brother was influential in who I became. He devoted his life to making mine better. How do you beat that kind of love?
These were my closing thoughts.
My Brothers life left me with enough lessons to draw on for the rest of my life — hopefully! How he lived his life and what he meant to me as a big brother, as my second dad, as my mentor and spiritual guide, my personal guru, my free prize inside! no one will ever know, or grasp.
1. Find a mentor.
Someone who cares about you and your future and whom you trust and look up to and admire. The value of someone on your side that is wiser and fully vested in your future success can never be oversold.
2. Everyone has a story worth telling.
If you don’t have one, it’s never too late to start. My life, like his, is one big lesson.
And so, yours is too.
3. Learn to listen.
Never stop being open to learning. You might have noticed I enjoy talking, but I often bite my lip to force myself to shut up and listen. You learn nothing while you’re talking…ask me, I haven’t learnt a thing in years!
Don’t listen to reply but listen to HEAR!
Great listeners are rare, and everyone loves them.
4. Learn to Love to Learn.
His whole life, my Brother never stopped learning. Even with 3 of the toughest degrees under his belt — Ancient Greek, Hebrew, and Theology — and 10 years of continuous studying at various institutions — he never stopped researching and learning, advancing his knowledge, and getting closer to the truth.
He taught me a love of learning.
When you learn to love to learn, you have discovered the secret to a fulfilling life.
5. Spend time with The Creator
As anyone who grew up in a God-fearing home knows, I knew God on a personal level and loved Him dearly.
But My Brother knew Him better.
He taught me in actions and words to love and cherish the relationship I have with God, to nurture and develop it as I mature. Whatever your stance on religion — The Bible, The Koran, The Torah, or your guide is Buddha, Angels, or other spiritual Deities, make time for your Creator.
Kneel at your bedside behind a closed door in contemplative prayer. Or take a walk — somewhere quiet and peaceful in nature. Allow yourself time to fill with humility and gratitude for His grace.
6. Leap First
Procrastination will stop you dead in your tracks 100% of the time.
If you allow the LIZARD BRAIN an opportunity to stall your progress, it will happily oblige! The amygdala is an almond-shaped part of the brain that is the original brain we came with. You’ve heard of the Fight or Flight reflex? That basic instinct comes from the amygdala. Our most basic instinct is to procrastinate. Everyone suffers from it at some stage of their life, others suffer from it for life and never get anywhere.
My motto and the name of my business came from a Seth Godin lecture called, Leap First — Creating Work That Matters. That lecture comes with a booklet called Ship it! Leaping first and shipping your work come down to the same thing. Stop being scared and waiting for “Perfect” — the world needs to see your art!
7. Have fun.
You have one shot at this life.
This is not a rehearsal; this is the real deal!
Life is a rainbow of colours to be lived. Why live it in Monochrome?
“Dancing in the rain” is a metaphor for having frivolous fun. Make more time for being silly and having a laugh. Laughter is proven to improve longevity and well-being. It has even been blamed for an improved sex life.
If both of you are laughing during sex, that’s a good sign.
If only ONE of you is laughing….
Have an awesome weekend and please be generous! 😄
As always, thanks for reading 🙏
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