A few weeks ago, my ten year old was lying in bed with me and Marcia and out of the blue, he said, “I’m grateful I have a wonderful life.”

I’m sure you can imagine the surprise and delight I felt hearing my child express such gratitude.  It made me think, “Hey we’re pretty decent parents after all.”  But seriously, this says a lot about Ian’s attitude.

If you are worried about the unknown, you will always live in fear.

You will not venture into uncharted territory.

Your rewards in life will be minimal.

People who are very successful in life and business are willing to take risks.

Ambiguity makes you creative and innovative, and it helps you tap into your potential.

The Sufis say that you can plan for a 100 years, but you do not know what will happen the next second.

So ambiguity and the unknown are part of our life anyway.

There is power in a team approach to life.  Everything we do, it is done with others.  With trust and good relationships, great success can be achieved with teams.

The interdependence that we have with others is sometimes overlooked by the A-type individuals who think they can run the world on their own.  The reality is without others' support you cannot go too far.

Investing in giving to the team creates a great foundation.  We are blessed with a wonderful Power of Giving team who gives of themselves so willingly and freely.

How about you?

Being trustworthy is a great gift to give.  It is also a great asset for a business, family or friendship.

Expediency may seem easy in the short term but it is not a habit that creates credibility.

People sometimes take shortcuts for personal gain but lose out in the long term.

When you are a person of character, you hold strong to your principles and values.  When you do that, you invite in your life like-minded people.

How about you?
 

I was angry about a misunderstanding with a colleague last night.  I almost called him to give him a piece of my mind.  However, I choose to 'sleep on it'.  Even though I had a kind of sleepless night, a creative solution emerged in the morning, especially after I reviewed my goals.

If you are angry about something 'sleep on it' before you confront it.

If you confront the issue in anger, you will say things that you will regret. A lso, you will lose sight of your objective.

My Dad turned 81 the other day. This is a note I sent him:

Dearest Dad,

You have been a great father, grandfather and role model;
You have spent your life serving the family and mankind;
Your life is not only a successful life, but also a significant one;
Every time I meet people who know you, they have nothing but great admiration for your character and dedication;
You have trusted your children unconditionally, giving them a sound foundation;
I am very fortunate and grateful for having you as my dad;
Thank you and I love you;

The word Namaste, which comes from Sanskrit means: "I respect that divinity within you that is also within me" or "The light within me honors the light within you."

It confirms that we all have the divine in us and that we are from the same source which is 'light' itself!

Can you imagine what the world would be if everyone practiced this philosophy of treating others with such reverence?

Last week I went to a wonderful lecture by Michael Pollan, author of at least two New York Times number-one bestsellers: The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food.

If you haven't read his books, I urge you to do so.  They are extremely well-written and witty.  Most importantly, they are eye-opening.

If you are overwhelmed about the number of things that are on your 'plate' that you feel compelled to accomplish, then start by reviewing your goals.

If you start your day by reviewing your goals, it will create clarity and focus in your mind.  It will help you to eliminate things that are not aligned to what you really want.

Whilst reviewing your goals, ensure that you have allocated some energy towards giving --  to your family, to a cause and to yourself.

Anticipating and preparing for your important work is a great habit.  It gives you lots of time to think through things and delegate effectively.

If you leave things to the very end, you will find you will spend more time, energy and frustration in completing your tasks.  It is difficult to delegate at the very last moment.

In planning and anticipating, you want to schedule adequate time for important activities.  There is a tendency in many to focus energy on the urgent and immediate, irrespective of how important the activity is.