52 – The Harder I Work, The Luckier I Get

BY STAN KONTOS

Whilst I am a big advocate on leading a balanced life, there are times when we need to work hard. If you own your own business or you manage a business, you know there are times when you need to “roll up your sleeves”, put your head down and take on the business growth, or solve an issue or cover for staff who are away. There are times when high achievers have to put in the long hours to get the job done. However, what is important, is realising that leading a balanced life is realising when you are out of balance and gradually bringing yourself back to normality.

I am also an advocate on “doing whatever it takes” (of course within guidelines of best practice) to get the result. This will involve at times putting in extra hours and working hard. What I have learnt though is that when I work hard, I get lucky. As long as I have my “day of sabbath” (a full day of rest, prayer and reflection), I can go hard for six days. This high intensity brings me great results. All people who succeed in life (whether it be in a career, a business, a charity, a giving program, or a stay home parent running a family) always have and always will have times where they need to work hard.

During these periods of hard work, I am always thinking of the result I want to achieve and who I can handover some of the workload so that I can get back into a more balanced life. So it also becomes a period of hiring the right person, training them up, setting up good systems and KPI’s and then delegating/empowering the right person so I can eventually exit that role and take on other roles which I enjoy more and create more value in.

If there is something you want to do well in (for example, develop or invest in real estate, or invest in the sharemarket, or learn a new language, or become good at a new team sport) then there is no substitute for hard work – the more I practice, the more skilled I get. The more skilled I become, the more I do well. Hard work is and has always been at the corner stone of all great achievements. Of course many of us know, that when we take on something and we learn to love it, it does not seem like hard work anymore – it is a joy!

I encourage you to begin today thinking about what you would like to excel in and then design to put in some extra hours to develop your skills and capabilities. You will be surprised what will happen during a short intense period of hard work – you will have mastered a skill for the rest of your life. You will then be in a position to teach others so you can leverage out of that position or create other high performing individuals in your organisation, family or team. Great leaders are teachers who have been there and done it before.

I look forward to hearing your story one day of a period of hard work where you knuckled down and did whatever it took to get the result. One day in years to come you will look back and share the story with your loved ones as a period of great achievement. And when I hear it, I will say to you “Well done!”

Live with passion, always stay on your life purpose, and stay at peace.

Stan Kontos 

As South Australia’s foremost authority on “Peak Life Performance” and “Leadership Psychology”, Stan has a passion for the development of Human Potential through the use of Rapid Change Technologies.
Stan is a prolific reader of books and material on self empowerment and has attended numerous programs around the world on personal development, management, marketing, public speaking, and wealth creation. He is a worldwide accredited NLP Trainer (Neurolinguistic Programming).

His areas of passion include:

  • Coaching: Business, Executive and Personal
  • Mentoring: Leaders, Managers and Management teams
  • Therapy for rapid improvements in stress and personal blocks
  • Leadership Development
  • Life Enhancing Seminar Programs teaching Success Strategies and Personal Empowerment

Stan is an entrepreneur with business interests in various states across Australia.

Stan focuses on continuous and never ending improvement of himself and his teams of partners and associates as well as selfless contribution to others. He is an inspiring and motivating speaker, author, coach, and entrepreneur. He desires to expand people’s lives and to expand his charitable quests.

Best wishes to you as you live a life of passion, purpose and peace as an open minded progressive human being.

Stan is considered to be one’s “ultimate” life and business coach.

Guest Post | Six Ways to a Successful Life

GUEST POST BY  Manuel Karkafirs 

Have you ever noticed that some people look happy and joyous all the time, whilst other people prefer to live and dwell in their negative emotions? What causes this? What do successful people, who are in balance, do differently to the rest of the population? The fact is there are no secrets. Creating a balanced life involves being aware of the following 6 principles. Practicing them may unlock a new outlook to your life.
Real change can happen in a heartbeat, as long as you’re committed to using the hidden potential inside of you. This coincides with an old parable that states: “Without knowing the within you will never know the without”. The real truth about our journey here on Earth is: “It’s not about what you do, but who you become”.

From my research on numerous ultra successful entrepreneurs, I have observed the following practices to be used by many of them:

1. COMMUNICATION
(a) Real change, massive change, comes from the way you communicate to yourself, which in turn affects your communication with others. Studies have shown that our communication involves 7% Words, 38% Voice Tonality and 55% Physiology.
Our physiology is critical to the way we control our state and our emotions, which in turn affects our behaviors and the responses we get from others. Physiology refers to the way we use and move our body. In particular our posture, gestures and breathing. Have you ever noticed that depressed or sad people have lower postures and shallower breathing, as opposed to happy or excited people who are upright in posture, and breathing fully? If you try smiling in a depressed posture, the state change is immediate. You will notice that the intensity of depression drops off.
(b) The language and the vocabulary you use consistently can affect your state dramatically. When asked How are you today? There is a different emotional feeling when you respond “Not bad” as opposed to “Fantastic”. This is more than just positive thinking it is the way we are wired neurologically. Words have the power to uplift or to destroy.
(c) Nothing in life has a meaning other than the meaning you give it. This means everything seems real in our perception.One person may look at a Roller Coaster and think “WOW… this is exciting:” and another may look at it as a very scary experience. It’s the same event with two different perceptions. So when you change the way you perceive things, the things you look at are seen in a different light.

2. KNOW YOUR OUTCOME
How can you hit a target that does not exist? Many people in our society do not have an empowering vision, an outcome to aim at, or to compel them to create the life they truly desire. Successful people have absolute clarity. They actually define the “Bulls eye” and they know why they want it, as well as taking the first steps of action towards it. They have the mindset that there is no such thing as failure but only a learning experience.

3. THOUGHT PROCESS
Where do your thoughts come from? Are you your thoughts or your thoughts are you?
Every thought that comes into your mind needs to be treated like a seed. Will this seed be fruitful or will it create weeds in your mind. Each thought leads to a decision, which leads to an action. Your consistent actions lead to habits, which then lead to your character and eventually to your destiny.Be wary of your thoughts.

4. QUESTIONS ARE THE ANSWERS
The quality of the questions you ask will result in the quality of the answers you receive. WHY questions tend to dwell on the problem. Why does this always happen to me? Why can’t I get it right? Your brain will search for an answer and often it is not going to make you feel better. Typical responses are You’re unlucky or you’re no good. WHAT or HOW questions are solution focused. These provide you with an empowering way to move forward. Examples are: How can I make this better? What must I do to improve the situation?

5. FOCUS
What you focus on is what you will get. Your brain has a sophisticated compass called the Reticulating Activating System, which will focus on the habitual thoughts you put into your unconscious mind. Therefore if you focus consistently on earning more income, your mind will search and find ways.
The negative part is that if you focus that you don’t want to be poor, your unconscious mind does not process the negative, and it will only focus on poor, and that’s what you’ll become.

6. BELIEF SYSTEMS
References are primarily based on past experiences, which support the belief. Our parents and friends often have a big impact on the way we form and condition our beliefs. The more references we have the stronger support for the belief.
Negative or limiting beliefs can disempower people from getting what they want out of life.
Examples are: I’m too young, too old, I don’t have the time, I don’t have the money.
Positive or empowering beliefs provide the appropriate drive and motivation to tackle any challenge or obstacle.
Examples are: I can do anything I set my mind to; the past does not equal the future

In order to create massive change in your life it is all about choices. It is up to you to make the decision to change, as you are in control of your destiny. Be wary of your physiology, your inner communication and the things you focus on. Be prepared to change your limiting belief systems and to confront your fears.

Finally take a quiet walk in nature, still your mind and reflect on all the positive experiences in your life.
Abundance and balance is all in your mind and change can happen in a heartbeat.

Live with passion, stay on purpose, and always be at peace.