I love to read inspiring autobiographies and motivational individual and business books. The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do. Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin. Fair Cop by Christine Nixon. Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O Clifton. Flourish by Martin Seligman. The list goes on.
Even though I have wanted to start my own business for a long time, none of it has ever motivated me to really take the plunge.
But then I found a secret key.
In the past, I would think of something I want to do - then, aargh, I see someone who's doing something similar. And I think, oh well, think of something else. That idea is taken.
Or I would think, well I really want to help people work out what they love to do, but how on earth could I make a living from that?
They sound like excuses, right?
But I discovered what is beneath those excuses or fears. I had been operating from a win-lose, limited resources mindset. That is, there is only so much to go around.
So here's the key. Really successful people have a win-win, abundance mindset.
The abundance mindset prompts you to say 'So what if someone else is doing something similar? There's room for everyone.' And ‘yes, I want this, and you want that – how can we arrive at a solution that benefits everyone?’
Okay, so it’s not a new concept. Stephen Covey talks about this concept in his classic book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. But I think you understand things when you are ready.
Ruslan Kogan wrote about this exact thing in his blog. Haven't heard of Ruslan Kogan? He is a Melbournian, the founder of Kogan.com, a consumer electronics company, and is one of the top 200 richest people in Australia with an estimated worth of $349 million - all at the age of 32.
So I'm really taking the plunge. I'm committing to doing something myself. Because there's room for everybody. I want to help people do the work they love. I want to share stories of inspiring Australians that are creating their own life, not doing what others expect of them. People like Shane Jacobson, a.k.a. Kenny – an actor, producer, director and speaker. People like Anh Do - a comedian, author, and artist. People like Kate Weiss - founder of Table of Plenty, mother of two and 2014 Telstra Businesswoman on the year.
And I’m reminding myself of what Jim Collins says - 'a core business that meets a fundamental human need- and one at which you've become the best in the world- rarely becomes obsolete'. (Yes, another motivational business book! 'How the mighty fall - and why some companies never give in')
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