The icing on the cake

HN exclusive: The final article in a series of six by master trainer, Mark Dickinson, focusing on the power of Transformational Training

If you could have all of your wants, what would you have? Would you have an exciting list of amazing things that are off the charts? Or would you have a list of things that look pretty much like what others have? Would it include things that you need? Or would it be a glorious and exciting list of wonderful ideas and dreams that would make people step back in awe? A blank sheet of paper is perhaps one of life’s greatest gifts. It provides us with an unlimited opportunity for unrestrained creativity. Here’s what I want you to do:

6 steps to a brilliant future

Take out a sheet of paper. A3 size is really good for what we are going to do. Now, get a pencil or an ink pen; either are good because they are both natural elements that will flow easily as you get creative. Set a two-minute countdown timer/alarm on your phone. Once you are ready, start the timer and look at the white page; concentrate your attention on it for two full minutes, without writing anything down. Just look at it and as you look at it let your imagination run wild. Imagine the page as an expression of your inner desires and dreams. See this page as the place where you are going to create your future.

As soon as the two minutes are up, restart the timer for another two minutes, then grab the pen or pencil and start to write or draw in whatever direction your spirit takes you. Keep your pen or pencil moving for the entire two minutes. Do not stop.

When the two minutes are up, stop and observe what you’ve created. For sure, it will be something amazing. You will reveal things that you subconsciously desire or dream of, things that are deep inside you, things that you truly want and events that you want to see happen in your life. Your page may not be a work of art and, at this stage, that is not important. What is important is that you have used your mind to create something that previously didn’t exist. Every idea was, for a while, just a thought, whether it was the famous example of Edison’s light bulb, or an app for your phone. They all began as a chemical reaction in the brain that translated itself through the process we just undertook: converting thoughts into drawings, lists, sketches or scribbles.

Thoughts become things

If you turn your attention to the page that you’ve created, you’ll find there’s an idea there that has not yet become real. Something that you imagine that has not yet materialized or not yet been realized. Once you see your page, you may notice something there that does not yet exist, some future desire. Your mind will recognize this and begin to make it into a reality. Keep this paper somewhere safe and put a reminder in your phone for six months from today to open up the paper and look at it. You will find that something you drew or created or thought today will already have become a reality. Then you will understand this process. Once you see that change, repeat the exercise above, but with a greater sense of creativity and ambition. Desire and dream more, and more will appear.

Creating the future

The true leadership trait that you need, above anything else, is the one that will inspire you to take the time to set aside a day to pursue the possibilities of what lies ahead. How many of you would like your company to be the ‘best in category’, or ‘best in country’ or ‘best in the world’? The difference between reading this and thinking, “nice idea, but probably not possible,” to reading this and deciding, “why not?” is what will determine the outcome of your thought.

To decide that you will be the best at something is a fundamental shift in mentality. It means that deviating from excellence is now unacceptable and every business interaction becomes a learning experience; one that must be examined and deconstructed to find the best way to work, so that next time you do the same activity or task, you do it as well as last time or better.

No mistakes!

In this mindset, there are no mistakes, only learning opportunities. You see, life is all about perspective. In our work and personal lives, we often live with our hands over our eyes, meaning we concentrate intensely on one problem and become so close to it that we cannot see anything else. The problem, like the hand, becomes the sole focus of our mind. But by making a very small shift, almost subconsciously, we can move the problem further away and begin to see many other things, just like the hand. Get a problem into perspective, give it the right background and many problems will become less important. Instead of dominating our attention, they will dissolve, becoming a mere part of the broader picture that that we can see. This provides balance and, from balance will come the ability to solve the problem with relative ease.

Business mastery

Mastering business is not a common topic in business today, because it requires dedication and commitment. It demands an unwavering commitment to doing things right every single time we do them, without compromise.

Mastering business takes time. It means having excellent processes, well documented and truly practiced on a daily basis, where responsibility and accountability walk hand in hand.

Go deeper

Examine each detail of your operation. Understand why things are done the way they are, and keep learning until you fully understand. Engrain good practices into everything that you do, without ever compromising, not even once. The deeper the practice, the deeper the development and, therefore, the more compelling the outcome.