Does The World Need Another Book?

Odd things can change your life. Sometimes in a moment and sometimes over the course of years. This did both.

A pile of magazines, in good condition, just lying there on top of the rubbish to go out that week. Books and magazines were things to be treasured in Zimbabwe, Africa. My brother and I were home from boarding school and made a holiday habit of scanning what people in the flats were throwing out ahead of rubbish day. Usually there was slim pickings, but this was jackpot day. 

In the pile of magazines was a promotional magazine for motivational posters, cups and corporate giftware. It blew my mind. Not the giftware. The quotes! Pages and pages of pithy statements that challenged my thinking and called out to all the potential still bottled within my skinny frame of boyhood. Some that still stand out for me are, “ATTITUDE: Attitude is the little thing that makes a BIG difference”,  “DETERMINATION: The race is not always to the swift … but to those who keep on running”, “OPPORTUNITY: You’ll always miss a 100% of the shots you do not take” and simple ones, “Desire creates power”, “Life is a journey”, “Believe in yourself”. Pages and pages of words, statements, commands that intuitively seemed like common sense while simultaneously being profound and eye opening.

I have read those pages hundreds of times. The first times I read it, the light bulbs turned on with such intensity it was like the floodlights for a football field. Every time I read it thereafter,  the lights got brighter and the principles, concepts and precepts became a beacon of light that has seen me pursue the possible, the impossible and, sometimes, the outright absurd. 

My 20’s followed the typical path of study, career, marriage, having kids, buying house and then imploded as politics tore Zimbabwe apart. I was so blessed to be able to get across to New Zealand in 2004. In my mid 30’s the quote “Find a job you enjoy and you will never work a day in your life”,  attributed to Mark Twain, had me pondering for over two years, looking for something I enjoyed so much it would never feel like I was working. Through a  journey of several jobs, I discovered I loved helping people, especially people in business. I loved sharing insights and knowledge that could make a significant difference. 

I noticed that sometimes people took the information and applied it and it made a positive difference. Sometimes people would apply the information half heartedly or take no action, despite knowing they needed to. Working with hundreds of business people through my various roles, I saw a pattern.  Knowing something is not enough. Agreeing something needs to change or  agreeing there is a better way is not enough. People needed to take action, and what stood between them and the action needed was their mindset. I knew the impact that changing mindset could have and committed to helping others through the discoveries I had made. I set up my company and called it Think Right - based on the premise that if you think right, you will act right and get the right results.

This is an excerpt from my coming book, due for release in the second quarter of 2024; my attempt to pull together some of the most impactful learnings into a simple model. As always, it comes with a challenge for you to take personal action. What in your mindset is preventing you from taking effective action? What can you do to reshape your mindset, and witness the unfolding of a life brimming with fresh possibilities and extraordinary accomplishments. Here's to your journey of success, one directed by the power of thinking right and acting right!