Category Archives: above the line
Live above the line: Step Five – Take Action
STEP FIVE TAKE ACTION – get started now One of my favourite Chinese proverbs is, “He who hesitates spends life on one leg.” Every time I picture it, I laugh! The state of having either too many options or no options at all leaves a person stuck in a state of limbo – and staying on one leg gets you nowhere. Action is the final step in being above the line because action provides the energy that produces results. Action means moving towards the place you have defined as your end game. Taking responsibility and learning to grow gets you above the line but action keeps you there. Do something that moves you in your chosen direction and then reflect, refine and adjust as you go. Any action made with purpose will get you making decisions and achieving results more quickly.
Live above the line: Step Four – Evolution
STEP FOUR EVOLUTION – you grow personally and become more Growth is the willingness to learn and change the way you think and act. It is the openness and humility to be ‘a student’ and to change. To be above the line, you must quickly develop the ability to add new mindsets and new skills to your repertoire. Growth is a choice. Newton stated it best in his second law of motion when he said, “Everything continues at a state of rest unless acted on by an external force.” Our tendency is to continue at or below the same level of performance unless something pushes us to the next level. That ‘something’ can be our own initiative. Living above the line requires that you develop a growth mindset, the habit of curiosity and the discipline of learning. What new skills are you developing that will serve your future and the future of your family, team or community? Are you making growth and change a normal part of who you are? Start by choosing one or two themes and then reading, listening and talking to experts in those areas. Reflect on what you have learned and find specific areas in which … Continue reading
Live above the line: Step Three – Ownership
STEP THREE OWNERSHIP – being totally responsible in all things One of the most influential mentors in my life said over and over that maturity does not come with age; it comes with the acceptance of responsibility. The decision to be responsible for our actions and performance in life is critical to being above the line. Responsibility lets you say, “I am going to be 100% responsible for creating the life I want, for the relationships I want, for the results I want.” I may not be able to choose what happens to me, but I will choose how I respond and what I do about it. Or, as the writer Michel de Montaigne said, “Not being able to govern events, I govern myself.” People who live above the line take responsibility for themselves and the future they want to create. They are able to detach from the behaviours, attitudes and emotions of others because they have chosen to be 100% responsible for themselves. They can choose the state of mind that will help them achieve their goals and they instantly know if they can change a situation. If they cannot change it, they choose to be unaffected by it. … Continue reading
Live above the line: Step Two – Intention
STEP TWO Intention – know your end game Business founder and CEO Fred Smith said, “Direction is better than goals”. He is right. Knowing your end game follows on directly from discovering your meaning and purpose. Achieving a lot but ending up where you did not want to be is impractical and ultimately self-defeating. Some time ago I was travelling between client meetings on the train. I bought the ticket, slid in the train just as the door was closing and sat down to read the paper. Thirty minutes later I heard the train driver call a station that was not even on the same train line as the one I wanted. I had jumped on the wrong train! Did I achieve a goal? Absolutely! I stopped at every scheduled station along the way but with one big problem – the destination was unacceptable to me. I had failed to clarify the end game and to that end I had a number of unhelpful achievements. A person who consistently acts above the line must clarify their intention and end game from the beginning. Although intermediary goals are important, keeping track of your ultimate destination is more important and gives you … Continue reading
Live above the line: Step One – Meaning
“Being above the line means individuals and teams can engage more freely, respond more enthusiastically and contribute more meaningfully to the task at hand.” In every area of life and business, the most significant changes take place when people act ‘above the line’. Being above the line means your performance exceeds a basic level in everything you do. It means setting a ground zero boundary for how you will perform every day. If you are like me, you will have heard the phrase ‘above the line’ before. What I want to do is move ‘above the line’ from a cute phrase into something that individuals and teams can use to shape their behaviour and culture in a real and tangible way. Say goodbye to ‘above the line’ being something that is said and hello to ‘above the line’ as being something that is experienced, committed to and which produces personal and commercial success. Over the next five week’s I’ll be sharing with you the five steps to living above the line. STEP ONE MEANING – your purpose is clear and compelling Knowing the purpose and meaning of any activity, relationship, or decision provides an incentive to see it through to the end. When … Continue reading
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