Life is Leadership! Even while vacationing on a boat! Back in January, I started the Give It 100 Challenge to spend 100 days doing something. No more specific guidance than that. What do YOU want to do? Well...stop thinking about it and just DO IT!
I decided that I would pursue an idea I've had for as long as I can remember...to get people out of classrooms & into the REAL WORLD where the learning is just as valuable & a whole heck of a lot more fun! Instead of just talking about leadership models, I wanted to see people out in the world actually living (which I think IS the biggest form of leadership we all do...every...single...day!!) and help them grow in real time with insights on THEIR experiences, not just what's in a book or an over-animated PowerPoint presentation.
I'd reserved the domain name "Life Is Leadership" and figured it was time to give it a go. Why couldn't I make a vacation someone's greatest leadership learning tool?! And so I filmed my first video for the Give It 100 project, stating my purpose boldly & loudly for all to hear. I said I would do a 4-day houseboat trip on Lake Mead AND a 7-day adventure over in Ireland before 2014 came to an end.
BOOM! Take that, dream...I'm coming for ya!
I decided that I would pursue an idea I've had for as long as I can remember...to get people out of classrooms & into the REAL WORLD where the learning is just as valuable & a whole heck of a lot more fun! Instead of just talking about leadership models, I wanted to see people out in the world actually living (which I think IS the biggest form of leadership we all do...every...single...day!!) and help them grow in real time with insights on THEIR experiences, not just what's in a book or an over-animated PowerPoint presentation.
I'd reserved the domain name "Life Is Leadership" and figured it was time to give it a go. Why couldn't I make a vacation someone's greatest leadership learning tool?! And so I filmed my first video for the Give It 100 project, stating my purpose boldly & loudly for all to hear. I said I would do a 4-day houseboat trip on Lake Mead AND a 7-day adventure over in Ireland before 2014 came to an end.
BOOM! Take that, dream...I'm coming for ya!
How would I get my ducks in a row? And then...I freaked out.
Seriously...What had I done? Did I really say my dream out loud in public & commit to tracking my progress for 100 days?! Holy hell. I immediately started to wonder if there was an out clause?! Enter my second video. About my fears. And ducks. Yes, ducks.
It was inspired by one of my favorite sources of daily goodness, Notes From The Universe, and went a little something like this:
Seriously...What had I done? Did I really say my dream out loud in public & commit to tracking my progress for 100 days?! Holy hell. I immediately started to wonder if there was an out clause?! Enter my second video. About my fears. And ducks. Yes, ducks.
It was inspired by one of my favorite sources of daily goodness, Notes From The Universe, and went a little something like this:
Don't you marvel at nature? I do, but then I'm partial. It holds so many clues about living the life of your dreams, don't you think? For instance, have you ever seen a mama duck waiting around for her ducklings to line up before crossing the street ? Never. Because she knows that the only way her ducklings are ever going to line up is if she just goes.
~ Just one of your ducklings,
The Universe
The video was by no means brilliant. In fact, it was mostly just me being scared and staying in forward motion despite that fact. I never gave it another thought & just keep moving along, hoping I'd figure something out.
Well...turns out The Universe was right. Get moving & the ducklings will follow. So far on my 100-day journey, Universal-ducklings-of-goodness have arrived in the form of an AMAZING biz partner who fell into my world as if from the heavens (she very much feels like my own personal angel, so it's a viable theory), a completed website, a boat reserved for our first adventure setting sail June 26-29, & a deep sense of gratitude that I didn't let that fear on day 2 stop me.
Well...turns out The Universe was right. Get moving & the ducklings will follow. So far on my 100-day journey, Universal-ducklings-of-goodness have arrived in the form of an AMAZING biz partner who fell into my world as if from the heavens (she very much feels like my own personal angel, so it's a viable theory), a completed website, a boat reserved for our first adventure setting sail June 26-29, & a deep sense of gratitude that I didn't let that fear on day 2 stop me.
You may start out feeling like this. And as if all of that wasn't enough...I got this amazing message on day 81 from a former student in Brazil who had seen my day 2 video & had his own "mama duck moving forward" moment to report:
I'm yet to organize my thoughts and feelings about all that's happened tonight. But here's the short version of this week:
I'm yet to organize my thoughts and feelings about all that's happened tonight. But here's the short version of this week:
- I break up with my girlfriend
- Today I try to go somewhere with some friends to no avail
- So alone I decide to go shoot a concert at club
- End of concert, I'm "Hey, can I take a picture of the band in front of the crowd" /reply/ "Oh, sure!"
- Picture taken, lead vocals goes like "it's been a long time since I rock and roll..."
- From behind the drum kit I look at the bassist. "You good? Let's do it!" He nods.
...but move forward and your dream ducks will fall in line. Next thing I know, we played Led Zeppelin's Rock 'n' Roll. It was so damn awesome I feel like I'll be smiling for quite some time to come. Oh, but I have to post-process their pictures first! Hahahaha! I said all this because every now and then I still go back to what you said about doing something and waiting for the ducklings to follow.
Thanks for everything. Have a nice week! Wow! I guess you could say that things everywhere are turning out just ducky! He-he-he!
Where do YOU need to be like a duck & just start swimming?
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