The Bumblebee

According to scientists, the bumblebee's body is too heavy and its wing span too small. Aerodynamically, the bumblebee cannot fly. But the bumblebee doesn't know that and but it keeps flying anyway.

Reflection

Sometimes we are so quick in life to throw our hands up in the air and say “I can’t do this” or “I don’t have the intelligence, strength or capacity to do that”… The truth is you CAN. Unlike the bumblebee we tend to let the world convince us that we can’t do certain things. If you don’t know your limitations you will never become successful, so what if you sometimes you fail… that’s just the beginning of the journey. I can assure you that if you go out there and forget about the “I can’t”, you will really surprise yourself. The only limitations you have are the ones that are self-imposed! No person can succeed in this world if they stay in their comfort zone… imagine the bumblebee believed in the science of aerodynamics he would never take flight… Believe in yourself, listen to your heart, accept no one else’s definition of your own life and you too will all soar like our friend, the bumblebee.

Have an awesome week!
Darren Zwiers

"There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee 

Think Simple

(Author Unkown)

One of Japan’s biggest cosmetics company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent whoopee amount to do so. But when a workman was posed with the same problem, did not get into complications of X-rays, etc but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

Reflection

It is true that we all face problems of various sizes in our lives. For the most part, we are able to quickly solve them without much trouble at all, yet other cases can be far more difficult and when it comes to solving them, we tend to talk too much about the problem and allow less time solving it. There’s a famous quote that says “we are too busy mopping the floor to turn off the faucet”. We get so entangled in our problems that we forget to stop, remove ourselves from the situation and look at it with an ‘outsiders’ perspective. The good news is that every complex problem has a simple solution. There’s no need to always have to ‘tackle’ them. A huge obstacle for people is the way they view their problems: if you think that problems are completely threatening, or that having them is a sign of weakness or failure, and you see yourself as a bad problem solver, you won’t solve the problem at all! If you can be optimistic and look for the benefits and opportunities inherent within the problem, you are more likely to solve it effectively and efficiently. I believe that if you can apply this positive mindset to the obstacles in your life, you and the people around you be will be able to focus on what is really important, rather than dwelling on something that is out of your control. Rather apply all your energy and attention on creating a solution with long-lasting effects, than beating yourself up about something that is just there to challenge you.

May you have an awesome week, where problems become simple steps to higher levels of achievment.

Darren Zwiers

“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them” - Albert Einstein.

The Boy & the Nettle

Adapted from one of Aesop’s Fables

A boy, playing in a field, touched a nettle ever so gently and it stung him. Running home with tears in his eyes, he tells his father that he tried to be gentle. His father says that being gentle was what had caused the problem, and that if he had grabbed the nettle firmly, it would not have stung him. This is because the stinging “hairs” of the plant are squashed and cannot penetrate the skin in the same manner. From this the father deduces a moral for his son. The world is like a field, and you are bound to come across nettles in life. The trick is to either avoid them or grab them, thereby avoiding the painful sting.

Reflection

How often have you started a personal or professional project, big or small and lost motivation shortly afterwards, causing you to give up entirely? There are a few reasons (and far more excuses) for this; one big one being the lack of passion behind your actions. Everything you do in life, big or small, needs to be done with all your might, with extreme passion and commitment. There is no way a person can bw successful without the drive to experience results. Excellence is measured by action and anything short of that commitment won't get you far. A good friend of mine shared a great TED video with me this week "The Key to Success? Grit by Angela Lee Duckwoth" and she very smartly explains that IQ isn't the only thing separating successful people from those who struggle. It's grit. Not the salt to prevent snow from freezing, but rather the perseverance of effort, a long-term goal combined with a powerful motivation to achieve results. A child who is top of his class is measured by the result of his performance in the class, not by his IQ or background. Don’t ever settle for being average as an average performance is a limited performance. It's time to become more committed than ever before to your goals. As Lord Chesterfield says "whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well". The world is full of 'average' people, yet people in this world appreciate excellent results, so don't be that 'average' person, be brilliant in everything you do. Grab every opportunity with might and strength, don't let people stop or sway you. Keep you passion continuously alive and you are guaranteed to reach high levels of success.

May you have an awesome week, where all your actions translate into incredible outcomes.
Darren Zwiers

“Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality. Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Get In The Wheelbarrow

Upon completing a highly dangerous tightrope walk over Niagara Falls in appalling wind and rain, The Great Zumbrati was met by an enthusiastic supporter, who urged him to make a return trip, this time pushing a wheelbarrow, which the spectator had thoughtfully brought along. The Great Zumbrati was reluctant, given the terrible conditions, but the supporter pressed him. “You can do it – I know you can” he urged. “You really believe I can do it?” asked Zumbrati. “Yes, definitely, you can do it” the supporter gushed. “Okay” said Zumbrati “get in the wheelbarrow…”

Reflection

When encouraging people, be ready to take on the responsibility of that backing. How many times have people said "you can do it" when in the back of their minds they had their doubts. Yes, it is very important to encourage people to push them beyond the boundaries, but if you are going to push them, make sure to be responsible. There is a fine line between risk and responsibility and if you the one boosting that drive, be aware of all the calculated risks that go with it so that your council is sound and honest. How different would your advice be if it involved you? Of course you would think about it in more detail and not rush into it so quickly. Next time you give encouragement think of the wheelbarrow, would you be so quick to jump into it. At the end of the day when people ask for your reassurance, they are trusting your judgments - don't abuse that trust.

May you have an awesome week!
- Darren Zwiers

"Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be" - Ralph Waldo Emerson