New Year 2 – Qualifications…

OK, so you have your goals set and now, what? It is time to make it real!

But, before that, a particular reflection is necessary:

• What qualities do you require to fulfill your goals, qualities without which you cannot do it?
• Which qualities will help you to fulfill your goals, even though they are not mandatory?
• How are you going to develop those qualities?

Qualities maybe values, virtues or even inner powers; they will enable you to fulfill your goals. Without those qualities, you will struggle to fulfil your aims in life.

So, make a plan on how to get those qualities, by responding the three questions above and good luck!

It is about time we turn to magic

Not long ago, I was part of a team organizing a big event here in Bogota and a suggested topic was The Magic of living aware. I was surprised because at least one person was against particularly one word: magic.

Yes, there has been a long time negative publicity in relation to that word, which evokes in many people’s minds images of goats’ heads or black candles, but magic is something present everyday: you are feeling sad and just after someone smiles at you, all that sadness flies away; you are jobless and out of the blue, an opportunity comes; your marriage is in serious danger and all of a sudden your spouse is gentle and caring again.

There are more:

• If you don’t find this time of magic in your life, go to Humans of New York and you will be able to find it in someone’s life who has overcome the unbearable or who was a hero for a few hours.
• A Syrian refugee going to Europe, in his very long journey, arrives at a country that has not been very welcoming for immigrants. He was part of a small group of illegal immigrants and they were found by a policeman who, in his broken English, checked if they were immigrants. When they confirmed, he asked them to get on his car. After a short trip, they reached his home and – magic! – they were given a space to stay for a while, food and some comfort in their hard journey.

But a magic scene in life is not like a miracle, there is always a reason behind: the person who smiled at you is someone you love but maybe you forgot, and you have been searching for job for a long time when the call comes in; not to mention the fact you have been working on yourself and trying to be more understanding in relation to your partner and the policeman in the Syrian’s young man’s story was in the war and he knows its horrors…

But still, it is magical since you can’t demand someone to smile, that your job search has results, your partner changes their mind or the horror of the war left whether scars or open hearts.

So, I think it is time we trust more on the power we all have to turn the impossible into possible. I would like to invite you for the next weeks to merge yourself into that magic stored inside your mind…

For this week, please, remember some magic moments that happened with you and share with all of us…

This is a series of posts on MAGIC…

Inside, there is a powerful source of energy - Reason 59

From time to time, we all lack energy, which is a generic name for all that stamina, that vital force that makes us want to get up, exercise, go to work, change the routine or to serve many others.

Then people look outside: movies, songs, drinks and food, good company, big parties, you name it!!  And these remedies do work, at least for some time.

However, a leader looks inside: experiences and teachings, virtues and values, inner powers and talents; the wonderful inner world…  They also work and they will keep working as much as the person wants, because these reserves are always there.  Not only that, the more an individual uses his or her inner resources, they will increase.

Outside sources of energy and vitality are limited, while inner sources are infinite; to tap into them, leaders need to have introversion, but not in the sense of withdrawal from the world.

Introversion is precious, because within each person, there is a vast treasure just waiting to be acknowledged and used accordingly.  By making a time to be by oneself and, with a methodology like meditation or reflection, to explore one’s inner world, a leader is boosting her or his energy.

(Excerpt from the book 82 Reasons to be a Leader)

The communication power

Who was your favorite super-hero? I am sure you have had one, maybe two or more. Did you know these images were in fact related to yourself? Yes, you were and you are that super-hero...

At least, that was your expectation when you are a child or teenager. Growing up, it is possible you put that aside - like The Incredibles did - and decided to live a normal life. But I am sure very internally you would love that super-power, isn't it right?

I have talked about many powers in this blog and in others works I have done. As a person who felt very much powerless for a big part of my life, to realize my inner powers was and still is fascinating and, well, empowering.

There is one power I did not talk about and in fact, it just occurred to me short time ago: communication power. I am not thinking about those courses given by very-white-full-of-teeth facilitators, but about the power to express what is going on inside you.

It is powerful if you are able to find the right words to say to a person; that word can make his or her life as bright as the sun. Maybe to communicate by smiling, encouraging others to enjoy your happiness too.

Communication is a vast topic. For now, I just would like you to reflect on how your hands give your feelings away, how your thoughts are perceived by other people who react to them. By changing your way of communicating, you change your environment too.