Transforming yourself – a life (still) under construction…

A good friend of mine just shared with me these “top 10 resolutions” for guiding one’s life — they had been shared with him through an executive mentoring group he is a member of. I thought them insightful enough to capture and forward on; they resonate very much with where my head is these days, and the personal self-development journey I have been on for the past several years. Hope you find them beneficial for your own journey…

1.       Resolve to stay brutally optimistic. See the opportunity in every difficulty and anticipate the most favorable outcome out of every situation. We can get better or we can get bitter; it all depends on the lessons we draw from each experience.
2.       Resolve to identify the most powerful benefit you offer to the people around you and then deliver it. “The purpose of life,” said George Bernard Shaw “is a life of purpose.” What’s yours? Where are you investing your personal energy: self-preservation or adding value to others?
3.       Resolve to pump-up your personal vitality. In the game of life, it’s not about who’s right, it’s about who’s left. The real currency of the new century is not cash – it’s the ability to keep going every day of every week of every month of the year with vigor and verve. All you are to the people around you is a source of energy, and you cannot give what you don’t have. Resolve to enhance your physical, emotional and mental vitality.
4.       Resolve to be habitually generous. The more you give of yourself the more you attract from others. People have a deep-rooted drive to give back. So resolve to search for ways to be generous to others.
5.       Resolve to build bridges, not burn them. Use the language of conciliation, not the language of confrontation. Avoid the temptation to vent your negativity on others. Instead, use words that express your joie de vivre and connection with others.  Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can scar for life: it is humans, not elephants, who never forget.
6.       Resolve to be a global citizen, fully open to the cultures and influences of others. There is a direct correlation between personal well-being and openness to other peoples’ ideas and cultures. If someone has a different point of view, they’re probably right as well. Welcome different opinions. Champion plurality.
7.       Resolve to take control of your destiny. Don’t be so busy trying to make a living that you forget to make a life. Decide who you want to be and what you want to achieve and then stride boldly toward your vision. The most precious human commodity is confidence.
8.       Resolve to increase your human connectedness. The person with the best connections wins. The wider your network the more opportunities you generate. It’s all about trust. Invest your time broadening your sphere of influence. When you are with others, make every encounter a pleasurable one. When you listen, truly listen – and burn your fear of rejection.
9.       Resolve to increase your creativity by letting go of the familiar. Nothing is as far away as yesterday. Try to see the world through fresh eyes every day. You are a genius at something. Discover what it is and then develop it to the maximum.
10.   Resolve to be you because others are already taken. We are at your best when we’re being authentic. We’re at our best when we’re being positively spontaneous, because that’s when all our energy is being invested in the task at hand or with the person in front of us.