The What's of life

If you go back to the post former to this one, you'll see a nice picture there, and I would like to really go through it.

• What you Love - that is what really make you move, challenge life and comforts, and change your perspective. This is why many people say that the only way for you to never work in life is to love whatever you do. But, LOVE, from the depth of your heart, with all your senses and understanding.
• What you Do Well - there are things that you don't necessarily love, but you know how to do it well. I know a person who is excellent with equipment, but he does not like that. Still, your specialities, skills and talents help you to serve the community where you live.
• What the World will Need - well, a part of what you do and are contributes to the world somehow. If you are able to identify those aspects of your life that the world really needs today, even though people don't know they need that, then your life will be worthy to the world itself.
• What the World will Pay for - but there are things you can offer the world and, well, charge for it. They are important in a certain context and somehow they help people who appreciate that. And you are the best provider around!

So, now, I would like to ask you 4 questions:

1. What are you ready to do, it doesn't matter how many obstacles you will have to face to do it?
2. What are those things you do that people are satisfied and happy with that.
3. Do you know what you do that makes your heart deeply satisfied because you were able to help the whole world?
4. What are the main products you can offer to the world at this moment?

In the next post, we will talk about the intersections.

Balance in life

By Brian Bacon, the bliss of balance

Do you agree with this idea?

Brian is a good friend of many years, he is the founder of Oxford Leadership Academy, a company to which I am linked (and doing my best to start it in Colombia).

Take a look and think about it. See you next post.

Colombia, Colombia

When a friend of mine came to Colombia, we started to talk to him about the country. When the subject of the Summit of Americas came, his response was that the only thing that came out of that was the scandal in Cartagena...

Well, in companies, an error in PR can make all the effort of years just go to waste. Is that the case now?

Colombia has changed, from a wounded country, scared of growing and daring (and still, growing and daring), to a country that is profiled to be a leader in its own. And it is a pity the fact that because of a mistake, not from Colombians but from foreigners, Colombia goes backwards...

I do hope Colombia's leaders are working on that and seeing how to solve the situation. Normally, that would imply to create more opportunities to show the greatness until they forget the bad side - something that all countries and places have, after all...

But, a good lesson for any leader is to be always prepared for anything like that. That can mean many things, but I feel personally that it is not a question to hide situations, as normally leaders do.

Tylenol case, which is now a study case in many parts of the world, showed that accepting the mistake is perhaps the best policy. Working on that along with all those affected is even better. Trying to deny, or simply ignoring... well, people won't forget it so easily!!

And if you try to blame others, even when they are probably the real guilty ones, that does not work well. After all, when a scandal like that happens, it is not only one or two people's fault - a friend of mine almost everyday was pointing the role of the hotel, for instance.

I do hope all the efforts so many people have made on Colombia don't go to waste and, rather than that it makes Colombia even more an example to other places of the world, as I know the country already is.

To be a leader, without tension

This is a series of tips especially created to help leaders to be free of tension.

TIPS to be a tension-free leader

1. Awareness - it is imperative the leader takes over his own responsibility over tension, without blaming others or making excuses.
2. Research - it is useful to know the reasons for tension, which means to read articles and talk to experts.
3. Communication - the leader must clarify to people in a 360 degree (that means, all the people they are related), that he or she is under tension; this is a must in the case of people who are affected by that.
4. Healing - the key for healing tension is a deep inner loving dialogue; to love yourself relieves or eliminates tension.
5. Maintenance - tension can come back at any moment; it is very important to develop habits to prevent that.
6. Meditation - meditation practise helps leader to clarify her/his own life, detaching and experiencing going beyond tension.
7. Exercise - to move the body prevents tension that comes due to basic physical problems; to walk is the best for that.
8. Diet - more than a particular diet, there has to be consistency and healthy habits.
9. Positive - it helps to look for more sources, like lectures, videos and talks, that makes the leader more positive.
10. Voluntarism - one of the foundations to prevent tension is to do something that serves others without receiving anything back, which makes the self more balanced.

Beyond greed

Is greed equal to success? Is greed equal to stress? Is a simple life a synonym of a life without greed?

I was thinking about that after reading a spiritual class.

First of all, I really feel greed is different than success. The main reason of that thought is the fact that I always think of success as something integral and holistic. Yes, with greed you may have success in your work or career, but it is very much possible that you will be a failure in relationships, health and your spiritual life.

However, when you are moved by greed, one thing is for sure: you will get stressed. Ambition, in the form of greed, makes you blind to certain natural limits, like your health or the needs of people in your family.

But, ambition, when it is free from greed, it is not only good, but very important ofr the sense of realisation as a human being. You can have the ultimate car or the best mobile phone in the world, and still not being greedy. On the other hand, you can be very simple and live in a small house, and yet be very greedy.

Yes, we have to work and produce. Money is good, nothing bad about that. To have things in PERFECTLY ok. But, inside it is basic for the human soul to understand that it does not matter what I have, what matters is what I am.