Leadership Starts Within Yourself

Inspiration and the start of leadership 

Think about what inspires you inside yourself. To do this, you will need to ask yourself the following questions:

• What makes you wake up early in the morning to start your day with excitement and inspiration?
• Why do certain people inspire you? Think of those people who inspire you. 
• Is it their enjoyment of what they are discussing? The way that they describe the challenge ahead with its rewards and growth opportunities?
• Do they seem to be having fun in what they are doing and you would love to join in?
• Is it, the way they seem certain that it can be done and that you can be part of that success?
• Is it the way you feel around them in their endless enthusiasm and energy?
• Is it the way they are able to show you the picture, of what can be with you, in a great place in the future?
• What makes them an inspiration for you? Write it down.
• What body language are you experiencing from them?

Once you've thought about those things, you will take the next step.

• Imagine that you see this person standing before you, how are they standing? Do they move around? Is their back straight? Are their feet wide apart? Do they have their hands on their hips or are their arms open palms facing towards you? Do they stand with their chests out? Are they smiling? Are they staring straight at what is there, challenging what is in front of them? How do they sound when they talk? Is their voice loud and clear? Do they breathe deeply and slowly? How do they engage those around them? How are they dressed? What props to they use to make themselves effective and authoritative?
• Write down what they look and sound like and how they make you feel.

Now all these unconscious movements can only be there because of your state of mind.

Changing your state of mind

How long does it take to change your state of mind? If you want to do it quickly, do some exercise. You can either do some push-ups or sit-ups or run on the spot or dance like no one is watching, anything  to get your heart rate increasing, that's it.

Now in your mind, I want you to see yourself and this person you have written about, standing next to each other. That's it. Now when you breath in until you cannot hold it any longer as you breath out slowly, SWITCH! You are only able to create in your mind that which you understand and you are connected to - you are both. Which part of you are you focusing on now inside yourself?

There is a part of your brain called the RAS, the reticular activation system. This system is designed to highlight conscious thoughts from your unconscious mind. For example, when you buy a new item or desire a certain item, is it amazing how suddenly that item appears all over your world. So your mind focuses and shows you what you believe is important, be it negative or positive?

What causes others to be infected positively or negatively?

Have you noticed when you walk into a room and there is tension in the air? Perhaps you notice people's arms are crossed over and perhaps you notice that there is a deathly silence as those pinched mouths glare at each other. How does that make you feel inside yourself? Are you aware of the tension around you? Is it real or are you interpreting what you are seeing according to your view of the world and do you buy into it or can you change it?

What happens if I told you that perhaps people are actually cold, that is why their arms are crossed and the reason they are quiet is because they don't have much to say at this moment in time. Their mouths are tense because they really want to get on with it. Now, what happened if someone told a funny joke or smiled.

Now how do you feel when there is laughter in the air around you and the environment is relaxed and purposeful. What does that bring out in you?

Your state of mind affects you and those around you, especially those who are your subordinates. What are you doing to build a state of mind which helps you to lead yourself and therefore lead those around you?

Our internal dialogue and memories show us real or unreal a situation. Can I change my belief in the situation? I believe yes. Our minds can remove something we believe is not there if we believe it.

Take, for instance, perhaps when your parent told you to please go to the cupboard and fetch a certain item for the table or for them. You stood after looking in the cupboard and hollered back, “I can't find it.” They will then say, “If I come there and find it, God help you”. You said “Sure come look for yourself” and then they immediately point out the item standing right in front of you, which was there the whole time. However, you could not see it... This could be because you told yourself that it was not there. Now, what opportunities are you missing before you because of the way you have focused on your belief system? 

Now if you are focused on looking at the funny side and the positive side of life, what will you discover? Can you create a sense of humour about life around you? What happens if you believe you will find the answers to the questions you have? When enjoying your challenge what are you able to get out of yourself and by osmosis those around you? Take a pen and write down the possibilities of what you would like to experience if you tune into it.

It's important to connect daily to your focus you want in order to achieve the result you want, especially for the first 21 days.

If you would like to discover more techniques and information please contact me.