I hear a lot of talk about life/work balance and I think most of it is nonsense.

The word balance for me implies equal. I prefer the word harmony, therefore life/work harmony.

My personal and business life are not equal or in balance and are never likely to be.

They are in harmony with one another, that is, they work together like a symphony, two sides of the same coin

Here are my 11 laws of life/work harmony. I trust they will help you live a more harmonious life.

1. The Law of Harmony

Opposites attract. There are always at least two sides to every story.

Possible Action/Results: Always think both / and, rather than either / or; accept the good with the bad; appreciate pleasure, gain from pain; focus on the positive, learn from the negative; and you will soon begin to find harmony in your life.

2. The Law of Possibility

The opportunities life offers us are endless. There are no limits, except those we place on ourselves. There is nothing we cannot achieve.

3. The Law of Personal Responsibility

No one else can make us feel or think glad, sad, bad or mad. How we feel and think are choices we make.

Possible Action/Results: We must own our feelings and thoughts and not get tangled in other people’s feelings and thoughts. We must let go of attachment to what other people feel and think. Soon we eliminate guilt and worry; two of life’s most useless and most debilitating emotions.

4. The Law of Attraction

Success is not something we attain, rather something we attract.

Possible Action/Results: Commit to life-long learning; focus on insight more than information and wisdom more than knowledge. The more we become who we are capable of becoming the more we attract success.

5. The Law of the Farm

You find fertile ground, plough it, seed it, and nurture it, and more often than not you reap a harvest. We get what we give. What goes around comes around. These are modern ways of describing an old adage; we reap what we sow.

Possible Action/Results: The message of this law is that we must focus on proven processes and detach from outcomes. If we are taking the right action, results take care of themselves.

6. The Law of Relationships

We gravitate to those we like, know and trust.

Possible Action/Results: Establish shared values with family, friends and work colleagues, and agree on how they will be lived; have shared goals and agree on the key strategies to achieve them; practice non-judgment; give genuine attention to others. Before you know it your relationships will be stronger and the great door of opportunity will open more often.

7. The Law of Service

Giving without attachment to getting back creates one of life’s great paradoxes; we get more back.

Possible Action/Results: Fully understand what others need and provide it; go the extra mile

By adding value to every transaction and interaction; co-create wow experiences at work, home and play. Before long others will be serving you in ways beyond your wildest expectations.

8. The Law of Confidence

Confidence is to maintain a positive inner and outer image and display them. The problem can be that confidence is often perceived as arrogance.

Possible Action/Results: Demonstrate openness to learning and not asserting your way is the only way while at the same time believe in yourself; believe in others; speak and communicate from your heart; and confidence will rarely get mistaken for arrogance.

9. The Law of Actual Communication

Not all talk is communication. We often talk just for the joy of it. To actually communicate is to agree on some course of action even if it is to agree to disagree.

Possible Action/Results: To communicate better speak with a specific goal in mind and listen simply to understand, and when speaking and listening ask for feedback to ensure message effectiveness. You will most likely find you will speak less and listen more. The result however is to eventually eliminate misunderstanding, one of the great negative stress causes in life.

10. The Law of Adaptability

I heard a great saying one time “better to adapt than be a sitting duck and get run over”

Possible Action/Results: Our willingness to adapt, be flexible, and go with the flow are keys to a negative stress free life. A key seems to be to realize it is not what happens to us that is important rather our response to what happens. Take responsibility for your responses to life and life will respond to you.

11. The Law of Synchronicity/Interconnectedness

Everything is connected in some way to everything else.

Possible Action/Results: Seek coincidence, follow your heart, “do what you love” says Steven Farber “in the service of people who love what you do”; and your life will soon change for the better.

Have a personal sustainability plan (thank you Adam Werbach for the idea from his book Strategies for Sustainability) i.e. do what you can personally for the good of people and our planet. Imagine if everyone did this. We would have universal harmony.

Be remarkable
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Partnering passionate people to change what’s normal for the good of people, our planet, and for profit.

Labels: Ian, self-leadership, sustainability

2010 will be my 19th year in business. I know it will be my best year yet because like every other year I have plans to execute that will change what's normal.

What are your plans?

If you feel, think, and do like you did in 2009 the most likely scenario is that 2010 will be a shocker (that's Aussie for bad).

To help you avoid this scenario I have prepared an exercise for you in the ebook Expect More From 2010.

My thanks to Gihan Perera of First Step for making this ebook happen for the 4th consecutive year. There are many great ideas from 43 different authors you might consider in this ebook, all designed to help you make 2010 your best year ever.

Please download the ebook here. My exercise is on page 8.

Be remarkable
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Partnering passionate people to change what’s normal for the good of people, our planet, and for profit.

Labels: Ian, Innovation, making a difference, self-leadership

On the 12th November The Charter for Compassion was offically launched. I encourage you to join me and thousands of people (hopefully millions) in affirming the charter and living its words. It’s just one page. Please read and affirm here.

Be remarkable
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Partnering passionate people to change what’s normal for the good of people, our planet, and for profit.

Labels: compassion, Ian, self-leadership, service

I came across the following at Persistence Unlimited.com

"80 percent of success is just showing up" —Woody Allen

"I often think about that quotation. It may sound easy to shrug off, but not if you look a little deeper. It doesn't just mean show up for job interviews or to work for an 80% increase in success. Showing up also means ... starting.

"For instance, did you show up at the gym today? Just showing up means you're 80% of the way to a good workout. The hard part of fighting yourself to get dressed in workout gear, dealing with traffic and the worry about pain you might experience is over. Now all that is left is to just do the workout. Pretty simple, huh? Even a child could do it.

"Same thing with opportunity. It's easier to make significant progress on a project if you simply show up to do it. Candidly, one of my hardest tasks of the day is 'showing up' for development Visual Studio. It seems simple enough ... just double click on an icon. But if I think too much about the seemingly 10,000 things I have to do once I launch it, I am much more likely to 'accidentally' launch my web browser or fiddle with e-mail.

"But once I'm in there, the work is typically easy and fun. Some days I can knock out more tasks than I planned. And I feel like a success at the end of the day.

"You can be or do whatever you want just by showing up. If you want to be an author, show up to write your manuscript every day, show up to writing classes, show up to phone calls to editors. Doesn't it make sense that someone who arrives at the door of opportunity has more success than someone just sitting at home?

"So increase your chances by 80%. Show Up!"

I have reflected on this a lot in the past few weeks where I have really been focusing on how I show up and my mantra has been to show up joyful. This has made an incredible difference to my life and work. I agree showing up is a key to being successful. I am firm however that the attitude we bring to our showing up is the real key.

How are you showing up?

Be remarkable
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Partnering passionate people to change what’s normal for the good of people, our planet, and for profit.

Labels: Ian, making a difference, self-leadership

US President Barack Obama's 2009 Nobel Peace Prize is an award for the future yet to be created.

Obama himself says he's "surprised, humbled" and doesn't yet deserve it -- but he's accepted the Prize as a call to action, "to confront the common challenges of the 21st century".

Please send President Obama an encouragement message through the Avaaz organisation here.

“Avaaz” means “Voice” in many Asian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European languages.

Be remarkable
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Writer and International Business Speaker on how doing good is great for business

Labels: Ian, leadership, making a difference, self-leadership

One of the most interesting bloggers and builders of our new world is Chris Guillebeau.
Check out his ‘The Art of Non-Conformity’ site for many great and unconventional strategies for life, work and travel. If you have a special interest in conducting business from home and on the internet I also highly recommend you download Chris’ 279 days manifesto.

Be remarkable
Ian
Founder Differencemakers Community
Writer and International Business Speaker on how doing good is great for busines

Labels: Ian, leadership, self-leadership

Everyday I meet people waiting: business waiting for government; government waiting for business; folk waiting for the economy to improve; people waiting to see whether President Obama can bring about change (he can’t on his own) People waiting ...

I also meet the “pessimistic optimists”, now that is a paradox.

The good news is I am also meeting people not waiting, rather they are getting on with with the job of building a new world.

Are you waiting or creating?

Be remarkable
Ian
International business speaker on why doing good is great for business
Founder The Difference Makers Community™

“I thought someone should do something. And then I realized I was someone.”
President John F. Kennedy

Labels: Ian, leadership, self-leadership

I have no resolutions for 2009 except a resolve to make changes in my life as soon as I become aware of the need to change. Lately as I have been working on some changes I have become aware I need to make, I have resurrected an exercise I used some time ago that had fallen of my radar.

You may find it valuable.

On the left side of a sheet of paper write the heading 'Everything I am I wish I wasn't' and make a list underneath. On the right hand side write the heading 'Everything I am that I'm glad I am' and make a list underneath. You may find as I have that the list on the right is often opposite to the list on the left.

I am carrying my list with me. I have already made some changes and when I have made all the changes I am aware I need to make, it will be time for a new list!

Happy New Year and may 2009 be your best year yet.
Ian

Labels: Ian, self-leadership

The following was written recently by David McNally CPAE, a speaking colleague and a builder of our new world:

“I took up the challenge of discovering what it means to be a ‘thriver.’ Here are the results of a survey sent to over six hundred organizations asking them to identify the thrivers in their midst and to describe those people in terms of attitudes and behaviors. Here are the key themes that define how ‘thrivers’ think and act:

Survivors Focus On The Future As Uncertain

Thrivers Focus On The Future As Unlimited

1. Thrivers have a global perspective – The competition created by a global economy has become so rigorous that we are participating in what might be described as an Olympics of Business. Thrivers meet these demands by doing whatever it takes to be ready mentally, physically, and emotionally to compete at the highest level.

2. Thrivers take personal responsibility for their own careers and happiness – George Washington’s comment, “If the citizens of the United States should not be free and happy, the fault will be entirely their own,” summarizes the thriver’s philosophy of life. Rather than make excuses, thrivers make commitments.

3. Thrivers seek to maximize their contribution –Thrivers have a strong need to contribute, to feel that their work is important. Professionally, they are continually creating opportunities to add value, whilst simultaneously ensuring their work is rewarding and fulfilling.

4. Thrivers appreciate their uniqueness - Thrivers understand that while there is always someone who can do something better than they can, there is always something they can do better than anyone else. Rather than being satisfied just to meet standards, thrivers leverage their gifts, talents, skills and abilities to set the standards.

5. Thrivers work in harmony with others – A powerful lesson of the global economy is this: whereas technology is an incredible tool, people are still the artisans. Thrivers understand that to succeed in multi-cultural environments requires the ability to collaborate with a complex mixture of people whose differences deserve to be honored. Rather than wish for conformity, thrivers value diversity.

6. Thrivers know what matters - Thriving is not an appearance but an experience. With all of its absurdities and challenges thrivers have learned that life is the only game in town and they are determined to wholeheartedly participate. Thrivers flourish because they are continually learning, contributing, laughing and loving. Whilst the future may be uncertain, thrivers see the future as unlimited.”

There is no doubt in my mind that ‘thrivers’ are new world builders.

Find out more about David McNally here

Be remarkable
Ian
strategic advisor to difference makers

Labels: Ian, leadership, self-leadership

Lindsay Adams and myself have bought and given away a lot of copies of the book ‘The Go-Giver’ by Bob Burg and John David Mann and published by Penguin 2007. The key lessons of the book

"The law of value: your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment.
The law of compensation: your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.
The law of influence: your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people's interest first.
The law of authenticity: the most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.
The law of receptivity: the key to effective giving is to stay open to receiving."

These are all key laws that underpin the building of our new world.

Be remarkable.
Ian
strategic advisor to difference makers

Labels: Ian, leadership, role model, self-leadership

Labels: Ian, self-leadership

I spent much of the last part of January resting and playing and reminded myself that I do my best work when I rest properly before work and play after work. I also reminded myself that too much work does indeed make us all dull.

How would you rate your ability and willingness to maintain harmony between rest, work, and play? We need to get this right for us if we are to be remarkable and therefore able to play our part in building our new world.

Be remarkable
Ian
Insightpreneur™ - insight-inspiration-ideas-innovation

Labels: Ian, self-leadership

I have great pleasure in offering you a free gift in the form of an e-book by 53 experts, Expect More from 2008. It includes contributions from Remacue Community Members Gihan Perera, Anne Riches, Steve Wells, Terry Power, Candy Tymson, Keith Abraham, Glenn Capelli, Robyn Henderson, David Price, and Catherine Palin-Brinkworth.

My contribution is on page 13.

My best to you and yours. I trust 2008 will be your best year yet.

Be remarkable
Ian
Insightpreneur™ - insight-inspiration-ideas-innovation

Labels: Ian, self-leadership