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So far Jeremy Rolleston has created 130 blog entries.
208, 2011

Driven by the pot of gold !

By |August 2nd, 2011|A Life That Counts, Miscellaneous, Motivation|0 Comments

This is an extremely interesting video because it speaks of a couple of themes that I wrote about in my book ‘A life That Counts’.

  • Purpose Driven – each of us is unique. There is no one like us in the entire world. We have unique talents, characteristics, personality and make-up. And that is foundational for us to believe we have been designed for a purpose. Every one of us has an inkling that we were born for something bigger. And that drives us as much as chasing the pot of gold and being driven by money.
  • Deep Motivation – I have written before about how we are not driven solely by our words and thoughts. That emotions and feelings play a significant role. In fact, our emotions are our strongest, most powerful driver, and often drive us in unconscious ways, well before we are consciously aware of it. eg You don’t need to think about being hungry or tired or scared or embarrassed. These just happen unconsciously and it affects our emotions and our physiology. What this means is that our emotions (our heart) are our primary driver of motivation. This is reflected in deep passion as opposed to conscious motivation (trying to talk yourself into being motivated). That is where the expression comes from – ‘the heart is the strongest muscle in the body’. So never forget that we are driven more by our emotions than by anything conscious. (Knowing your ‘why’ and your purpose are reflections of this).  With that in mind, is it such a surprise what this video talks about ? is it such a surprise that the carrot (eg money) or the stick (eg sacking) that most employers try to drive us with are not as effective as they might otherwise think ?
  • Making a difference – we all have a deep seated desire to make a difference in this world. To leave a legacy. To help others.  To live a purposeful and significant life above our own. To live a life that counts ! This is not so surprising. So let’s embrace it and make a difference. For surely the world needs it. And after all – a waterfall starts with a raindrop. Every little bit helps. Be the difference you want to see in the world and let that reflect in your personal world as well as in how that translates into your business world with your staff / colleagues / how you do business.

Fire up and have a great week !

2607, 2011

The Peru Bull Fight

By |July 26th, 2011|Miscellaneous|0 Comments

Today’s blog is a little lighter. A bit of humour for you. Can you believe this. The things we do for fun hey !

Hope you’re smiling and have a great day.

1907, 2011

Pure Inspiration II

By |July 19th, 2011|Motivation, Overcoming Adversity|0 Comments

Kurt Fearley

Well what more do I need to say ?

1207, 2011

Here's to the crazy ones !

By |July 12th, 2011|Miscellaneous|0 Comments

apple ad think different 2

This video is interesting because it speaks of a number of things …

  • It speaks of knowing and finding the core, authentic you. That unique person that you were created to be, with your own interests, characteristics, talents, personality traits. After all, never forget, there is no one like you in the entire world. You are completely unique. Fashioned for a purpose. It is just up to you to find out what that is.
  • It speaks of never being afraid to be different. Of not being conformed and constrained by the limits that society places on us. The ‘should do’s’ and the ‘shouldn’t do’s’ that we’re bombarded with. The limiting mindsets and opinions that others like to place on us. The conventional thinking and the herd mentality that we so easily adopt.
  • It speaks of the process of initiating and inventing and creating. And it reminds me of the process of adopting change (Rogers model for the adoption of innovations) where at first people say that is crazy and ridiculous and then they sceptically try it out, before the majority finally adopt it and come to believe what the early adopters and investors said in the first place but were ridiculed for. Think about Bill Gates or ipads or iphones.
  • And it also speaks about how ‘Apple’ were positioning themselves in their advertising. They knew they were branding themselves as different thinkers. As being different. Speaking to early adopters. They knew their brand was about innovation and new and different. They knew ‘why’ they did what they did and ads like this merely brought this view to life. Very clever. Very effective.

Be inspired and be you ! The world needs it.

507, 2011

Failing towards Success II

By |July 5th, 2011|Perseverence|0 Comments

Do you remember the first video I put up of Michael Jordan speaking about failing to success. The greatest basketballer of all time who not only trained hard but was cut from his high school basketball team.

Well here’s another video that speaks of ‘Failing towards success’ and at the same time of ‘Saying ‘no’ to no !’.

That is don’t let others determine your future. Don’t let others determine what you can or can’t do. Consciously make a decision to not be limited by other people’s opinions or let others somehow try and define your future.

Remember those dreams you had as a kid and watching those heroes that inspired you and dreaming you could be them. Remember planning what you would do when you grew up. Remember holding that secret dream i your hear and stepping out and then someone telling you ‘you’ll never make it’, or ‘you can’t do it’, or ‘why try’ or ‘better to spend your time and energy on something else’ or ‘you can’t earn a living from that’ or ‘get your head out of the clouds’ .. and the list goes on. There’s plenty of people to tell you that you can’t do something.

Well let this video inspire you. And let the following quote that I had on the inside of my bobsleigh during the Olympics inspire you.

“Impossible is a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world that they were given than to explore the world that could be.

Impossible is not a fact, it is an opinion.

Impossible is not a declaration, it is a dare.

impossible is nothing”

2806, 2011

Leadership – why would anyone be led by you ?

By |June 28th, 2011|Leadership|0 Comments

My post last week on leadership got me thinking again.

You will remember that I told the story of the CEO in a US company who had a special elevator installed which went straight to his office so he didn’t have to talk to the staff.

The thing is – having worked for a global US Investment bank and dealt with some very rich and powerful Private Equity, CLO and Hedge Fund Managers … I can absolutely see this being the case. One might say, that it is a question of time and not spreading yourself too thin. Granted. But there is an attitude behind every action like this. And in this case I would argue it is ego. Thinking you’re better than the staff below you. If I asked the question ‘Why would anyone be led by you’ to that CEO, I wonder what his answer would be ?

You will also recall that I mentioned in my last post how leadership is about INFLUENCE. Plain and simple. Forget particular personality traits. Forget particular leadership styles. You can judge a leader by their INFLUENCE. After all, didn’t Mother Theresa or nelson Mandella have as much influence as Winston Churchill ?

Well let me build on that. You influence others based on:

  1. The past – your reputation
  2. The present – your personal example and demonstrated behaviour
  3. The future – the trust and confidence that those you are leading have in you / your leadership / your strategy

Some of these are personal leadership traits (character, consistency, integrity, belief in your own decisions, what you’re driven by – are you self-actualised or driven by something else like ego, fear, power etc).

Some of these are leadership characteristics (vision, communication, servant heart, teamwork etc)

But don’t get too hung up on the detail. Leadership is about influence. So ask yourself this one question and the rest will take care of itself …

Why would anyone be led by you ?

2106, 2011

Leadership – do you have your own elevator ?

By |June 21st, 2011|Leadership|0 Comments

I heard an interesting story the other day of a CEO in a US company who had a special elevator installed which went straight to his office so he didn’t have to talk to the staff.

And then I thought about the TV show sensation ‘Undercover Boss’ (which I love btw) which is all about company leaders/CEOs going undercover to get to know staff at lower levels of the business and find out what is really happening in their organisation at the grass roots.

So with those examples in mind, here’s a few thoughts on leadership …

  • Do we really need a camera crew and a disguise before we can find out what is happening in our organisation? Aren’t the best leaders all about theie people and realise that people are their greatest resource. Think about some of the best leaders in the world today.
  • When you ask people that love working for their company, invariably one of the reasons they’ll say is that the leadership and management is amazing. Perhaps that they provided direction, that they listened and understood, that they appreciated their staff and they had strong relationships with the rest of the company. And if I asked you the same – think about the best team environment you’ve ever worked in and tell me why it was so good – I bet you’d mention the people and the leadership amongst your reasons for why that was such a great team / company also.
  • It is funny isn’t it how some people see themselves above the rest of their organisation, whereas others are completely the opposite ? They mix and learn and have deep relationships with the people in the organisation. They are not ego driven, position driven or power driven. They are part of the team.
  • Which leader would you follow into battle or sacrifice for – the CEO who has his own lift or the opposite ?

It brings me to a key point about leadership.

Leadership is about INFLUENCING others attitudes and behavior. It doesn’t have to have a particular style and you don’t have to have a certain type of personality. Quiet people can influence just as well as extroverts. Hands off leaders can influence just as much as inspirational leaders as much as hands on, involved leaders. The key is INFLUENCE.

2405, 2011

Productivity – Parkinson & Pareto weigh in with some tips !

By |May 24th, 2011|Efficiency|0 Comments

Here are 5 quick and easy tips to help you with your time management / efficiency and productivity. Enjoy … and implement ! …

1. Low Information Diet
2. Law of Perceived Importance
3. Saying No
4. 10 minutes of Power
5. Pareto’s Rule – 80/20 Rule

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1. Low Information Diet
We live in a world full of information and the temptation exists to digest as much information as possible. Information is time consuming and most the information you consumer is either negative or irrelevant to your goals. (Think newspaper, TV, Magazines, Social Blogs.) Additionally, we’re finding it easy to get engaged with activities that feel like work, but aren’t. (Facebook or social networking is a good example vs actually doing productive work). One reason for this confusion is that we’re often using precisely the same device to do our work as we are to distract ourselves from our work.

Action => Time management is really about making better use of your time. Living on a low-information diet is one way to do this. For the next week try this:

  • No reading emails before 10:00am. You may quickly scan for urgent emails if required by your role. Use this time instead to achieve one of your most important goals for the day. Focus on the main to-do action first and then get to your emails before getting bogged down by them.
  • Try a two-device approach. Only use your computer for work. Real work. The work of making something. Have a second device, perhaps an iPad, and use it for games, web commenting, online shopping, networking… anything that doesn’t directly create valued output … draw a line, any line, and separate the two of them. (If you don’t like the results from that line, draw a new line). Now, when you pick up the iPad, you can say to yourself, “break time.” And if you find yourself taking a lot of that break time, you’ve just learned something important.
  • Limit your web surfing and avoid newspapers, magazines , blogs that suck your time
  • Limit your television viewing to one hour of relaxation viewing only
  • Before you digest any information, ask yourself – Will this information help me achieve one of my immediate and important goals?

2. Parkinson’s Law of Perceived Importance => Forced deadlines

If I gave you 24hrs to produce a report on the the impact of sleep on the ability to hop on one leg, the time constraints would force you to focus and take action. If I gave you a week, you would spend five days considering options and two days preparing the report. If I gave you a month it would sit on the ‘back-burner’ for two weeks, then you would call a meeting to discuss, send a series of back and forth emails and create the final report in the last two days, am I right? Parkinson’s Law states that “a tasks perceived importance and complexity will increase in relation to the time allotted for its completion.” In other words, the longer you allow for a task to be completed, the more complex and important that task is perceived.

Action => Shorten time frames to reduce the perception of complexity of tasks. Set yourself forced deadlines to get things done.

3. The Power of Saying No

Even more powerful than setting short time frames, is just saying no. It works like this:
Do you think you could put together a report on the impact of room temperature on staff productivity?”
Reply: “No.”
If you’re a bit of a ‘softy’, you could replace the ‘no’ with, ‘I would be happy to help you, but I need you to show me how this will help us achieve our goal of (Insert important agreed upon business goal for which this task is not).

Action => be really ruthless on keeping the main thing the main thing. Do this by saying no more or by ruthless expectations management around talks.

4. 10 minutes of Power

Abraham Lincoln famously said “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” To be efficient and prooductive you need to prepare and plan. Decide what actions you will achieve tomorrow to move you closer to your 90 day goals.

Action => spend 10 minutes before you go to bed or 10 minutes first thing in the morning setting your goals and actions and continue to refer to them during the day.

5. Pareto’s Rule – 80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule states that 80% of outputs are the result of 20% of inputs. For example, 80% of profit is the result of 20% of customers. This also means that the remaining 20% of outputs are the result of your other 80% of inputs. (i.e. the other 20% of profits is made up by 80% of customers). Or alternatively 20% of customers cause you 80% of your work and hassle. To take back your time you must identify the 20% of inputs that create the 80% of outputs. For example, cold calling 20 clients per day for two hours per day produces one new client per week, whereas one phone call to a local business partner asking to meet and discuss a joint venture takes two hours in total and leads to 10 new clients.

Action => Use pareto’s rule to critique your time management and efficiency. 80% of the results you have achieved this year are the result of 20% of your actions. Identify what’s creating the most output and scrap the rest.

Don’t worry – this is a challenge for me to. Good luck. I’ll be interested to hear your feedback.

1705, 2011

My bucket list – things to do before I die

By |May 17th, 2011|Dare to Dream|4 Comments

I love inspiring people and one of the reasons I love inspiring people is that it forces me (in a good way) to be living what I’m speaking. To follow my dreams too so it is never a case of ‘do as I say / write and not as I do’. To date I feel so grateful that I can say I really have followed my dreams and I don’t sit here with any regrets. I wish there were 36 hours in every day or that I could have my twenties again because I would happily have pursued some other paths I know I would have also enjoyed. But honestly – it has been a great, rewarding and satisfying journey TO DATE. I want to die in a huff. To be ashes rather than dust. To live an incredible life without regret, to make a difference and to live a life that inspires others.

So with that in mind, here’s an ever evolving list of things to do before I die … my bucket list …

  1. visit every continent
  2. write a book
  3. become a lifeguard
  4. speak in front of more than 10,000 people
  5. become an Olympian and compete at the Olympics
  6. learn to play guitar
  7. go sea-kayaking through some of the south pacific islands
  8. learn to fly a helicopter
  9. drive and navigate around non-english speaking countries. Arrive in a country without knowing where to stay and figure it out.
  10. own my own horse and totally bond with it in natural horsemanship ways
  11. get a tube whilst surfing
  12. put my feet in every ocean
  13. Meet the woman of my dreams. Exceedingly, abundantly, more than I can ever ask or imagine. My soul mate. My best friend.
  14. feel half confident in the kitchen and even enjoy cooking
  15. be as fit as someone ten years my junior. Continue to do so.
  16. live in another country where English isn’t the first language
  17. Speak another language fluently
  18. Travel to a 3rd world country and visit projects that I know I have instigated in my philanthropic/charity based executive role. Know that I am making a massive difference in their lives. Stop, enjoy and be satisfied and content.
  19. Do an annual holiday with friends
  20. spent more time with grandma
  21. host a dinner party with some amazing people invited eg the likes of Nelson Mandella, Anthony Robbins, people that absolutely inspire me.
  22. Live in a ski resort and do a ski-season
  23. Feel like I’m one of those few that is actually living my dream. Not conformed by what society tells you you should do. Construct my own life.
  24. be a professional sportsman
  25. say grace at the table with my own family
  26. take more photos
  27. institute the jeremy rolleston cocktail half hour / jeremy rolleston date night
  28. live such an amazing, inspiring and influential life that they make a ‘This is Your Life’ about me.
  29. See someone get a cataract operation that I have paid for and go in blind and come out seeing !
  30. Run a 1 day seminar that is packed out and people get a lot out of and is successful (as measured by their response)
  31. Do something that people thought was absolutely left field and impossible for me to do and do it successfully – The Propeller Fashion Show
  32. Do a dirtbike trip with mates.
  33. So a surfing trip with mates.
  34. Get an incredible mentor in my life
  35. Get a massage every week
  36. Have a very random conversation to an old person in a pub, hear their story and realise they are amazing and that it was my privilege to have that conversation

Stay tuned !

1005, 2011

Overcoming disappointment – stages of grief

By |May 10th, 2011|Overcoming Adversity|0 Comments

If there is one thing I know a bit about it is overcoming disappointment. And if sport is a microcosm of life then I’ve had it in spades.

First there was snapping my posterior Cruciate Ligament whilst playing for the Australian legends (Australia B) rugby sevens side in Fiji. This was two weeks before the Hong Kong World Cup sevens tournament. It was my dream to play for Australia in the World Cup. So to get the call a few days after my return saying I had been picked, only to have to pull out with injury, was devastating. IMy dream was shattered. I never got my Wallaby jersey and I never got a look in again.

Then there was the Vancouver Olympics – my 2nd Winter Olympic Games. I was in the best shape of my life, driving the notorious and controversial track well, and ready to have the race of my life. And then I crashed in bizarre circumstances in front of the world. If only the ground could have swallowed me up. And then to have to pull out of the 4m and forgo the chance of redemption (sport i made for overcoming stories like that) was devastating. Was I really going to retire after that ?

So in light of that, one of the useful things to understand is the actual and natural stages of grief that you will go through. Here’s a video to help you smile at the same time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1spa_ASeHc0

So to recap, here’s the stages with some explanation:

  1. Comprehension – when what you thought was going to happen and what actually happens don’t line up,  your brain tries to cope with this by reacting in a number of ways. These include shock, going into your shell, denial or a sense of numbness like you are in an unreal dream. There is little you can do at this point whilst your brain adjusts.
  2. Emotion – the powerful emotions of sadness, anger, loss and grief will then take over. You can’t ignore these emotions. Just ride them out and look for comfort and support.
  3. Reason / Bargaining – to move on you need to break the endless repetitive cycle of thoughts and bargaining and emotions that will drag you down and keep your initial emotional response going long after it should have stopped. You need to resolve and come to a conclusion on what happened. Perhaps the conclusion is that ‘you just don’t know, crap happens, and you will never know the reason why’. Or perhaps there will be a more constructive conclusion that you can reach around your disappointment. Either way, this will allow you to move on.
  4. Progression (depression and acceptance) – At this point you need to realise and accept that life isn’t always fair and refuse to be the victim. I know this was the case for me. You have to stop concentrating on the setback and disappointment (which will continue to make you depressed) and choose to get on with the next goal or with living your life. (Acceptance is easier said than done I know !)

There are some other tips I have for helping you overcome disappointment as best you can, but let’s leave this post with an understanding of the natural stages of grief you will go through regardless. For more information buy my book A Life That Counts.