It doesn't matter what other people think of you. All that matters is what you think of you. We lose so much energy worrying about the opinions of others, wanting to be liked. Leadership and personal mastery is about rising above social approval - to self approval. Respect you. So long as you are living by your values, being authentic, running your own race and doing your dreams, who cares what anyone else thinks/feels/says about you? As I wrote in The Greatness Guide: "Leadership isn't a popularity contest." It's about doing what's right.

Small steps are big steps. Little decisions can, over time, cause stunningly wonderful results. Tiny changes lead to real and sustained transformation. It's all about evolution rather than revolution. I know you know that.

It's so exciting to me to think that-this very day-can serve as a springboard to an extraordinary professional and personal life. One decision you make over the coming hours could be the giant leap that launches a tidal wave of greatness that leads you to a place well above your boldest dreams. Remarkable isn't it, this thing called choice? And everyone of us can exercise it. Yes, every single one of us.

No decision is unimportant. Every action leads to a reaction. Each move we make creates a consequence and ripples across our destiny. Getting up earlier when you feel like sleeping is the giant leap that begins a new habit called early rising. Coming up with a better way to think/feel/behave at work is the giant leap that creates a new inner pathway called excellence and mastery. Treating people with more respect/kindness and understanding is the giant leap that will soon install a routine called humanity. That little first step sends a clear signal to life that you want to change and have the courage to make the first move.

The first move is always the hardest. Everything's easier after that. Step by step, changing and elevating your game gets easier. You become more confident. The new habits and internal pathways become more familiar. And you-almost invisibly-become greater. And more brilliant. And more of the person you were born to be. Told you it's exciting.

(Crossposted from Robin's Blog)

It's stunningly interesting to me how we have the power to - over the hours of this very day - make a decision/choice/commitment that can transform our professional as well as our personal lives forever. This day can be the first day of your new life. The day that changes everything. The day you stopped playing small and stood up for the poetic possibilities your life was meant to be. I get excited just thinking about that. Seriously.

So my question to you is a simple one: what one leap could you make today - that if you made it - would change the game? What one Bold Step could you take that would radically alter the way you think/feel/behave? What New Move could you step into that would lift you into the realm of extraordinary/remarkable/world-class?

Now, today, why not take that step? There will never be a perfect time to be the greatest you. Actually, there will never be a better time than today to make the improvements you need to make to be the leader/human being that you've always dreamed of being. So, why wait? Do It Now.

(Crossposted from Robin's Blog)

Flying to New York with my son for a special weekend together. We'll do the galleries, see a play and eat good food. NYC is one of my favorite places on the planet. Aching to get there.

As Cole reads "The Hardy Boys", I rifle through the newspapers. Just saw an article about Tristan Unsworth, an 11 year old boy who is now the hero of his small hometown in Canada. The other day, his snowboarding buddy was sitting next to him in class, sucking on a candy. Someone said something funny and the kids started to laugh, sending the candy down his windpipe. Everyone in the classroom was too stunned to do much. The boy's face started turning purple as he choked. He said he thought it was his day to die.

Tristan's grandmother had taught him the Heimlich maneuver a few years earlier. He rushed into action. Saved his friend's life. The school's principal said yesterday: "He's the most humble boy I've ever met in my entire life. He's the most wonderful boy."

A gentle reminder for you today: greatness inhabits each one of us - whether you are an entrepreneur in Moscow or a teacher in Tel Aviv or a student in Bogota or a manager in Dubai. Let's not forget that. Let's not cover up our brilliance. Let's not bury it so deep that we neglect the essence of who we are. Let's model Tristan. A Leader Without Title. At 11 years of age.

(Crossposted from Robin's Blog)

Watched the powerful Hilary Swank movie "Freedom Writers" again with the kids. In one scene, her on-screen father - proud of her dazzling work with inner-city kids-says "you've been 'Blessed with a Burden.'" Same is true for all of us.

(Crossposted from Robin's Blog)

It's 4 am. Drinking coffee. The kids are sleeping. I'm writing in my journal. Reflecting. And listening to Mana's cd "Amar Es Combatir". Gorgeous music. Moves me deeply.