Upgrading the Other Way

Last week I sent out a BBM broadcast to my loyal Blackberry friends notifying them I would be leaving the community. It was time for an upgrade and Blackberry was not part of my next move! 90% of the responses assumed I now had an Iphone. Either they would be joining me soon or expressed their satisfaction in my choice.

But I am not getting an IPHONE... or any other smart phone for that matter.

But is that a smart move?

I recently wrote a blog on my experience of spending a few days without my Blackberry after it had crashed. It was a liberating experience where I enjoyed a slower pace and more space. I realised in that short amount of time that turning my phone on was almost the same as turning on the world. In an instant I was connected to clients, friends, news, information, tweets...

As much as I love everything about technology it had invaded my world and had the potential to rob me of being present and enjoying what I love the most. I had to think about what really counted and then make a decision about how to make it count!

So I got a plain and simple Nokia C5.

So far the response has been interesting. Some have given me a few months before I get over it! Some have told me its embarrassing! Even the Vodacom salesmen couldn’t believe it! Now when everyone puts their phones down on the table, mine will rest alongside its bigger more sophisticated brothers!

An eye opener had been how often I reach for my new phone and search for something to do on it - a habitual pattern! With no attractive offerings the phone seems to slowly only find my hands to make a call or read a text.

So why did I do it?

To make a statement - No.

To try and get everyone else to do the same - No.

The answer is simple. I know myself. I know what is most NB to me. And I know what I need to do in order to put myself squarely in the middle of what is most NB to me.

If it means letting go of ‘stuff’ that I enjoy then so be it.

As long as I do what I need to do to remain focussed on what really counts.

So thats my challenge (and it may not involve your phone!)

What clutter can you strip away in order to remain present & focussed on what really counts on a daily basis?

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Travis Gale has spent the last 5 years running his own development business in South Africa’s corporate world and is currently involved in various long term partnerships with clients across a number of industries. Furthermore he has travelled to conferences internationally hunting down latest trends and insights. Having cycled around the world and survived a tsunami, his passion for crossing borders often lends itself to an interesting blend of stories and insight. He sees himself as a ‘change catalyst’ and displays strength in facilitating insight into the right spaces. Find out more at www.appletreelive.com

The Power of Community

"It is in the shelter of each other that the people live."

This is the Irish proverb that inspired a song by a band called Jars Of Clay. The song is called the Shelter, and the lyrics have been the catalyst for me to consider the importance of community. Jars Of Clay sing:

"For those who've yet to find it
 The place is near where love is moving 
Cast off the robes you're wearing
 Set aside the names that you've been given
 May this place of rest in the fold of your journey
 Bind you to hope 
You will never walk alone 

In the shelter of each other 
We will live
 We will live (Never walk alone)

If there is any peace 
If there is any war 
We must all believe 
Our lives are not our own 
We all belong

God has given us each other
And we will never walk alone 

In the shelter of each other
 We will live."

This is powerful truth. Our lives are not our own. We were not created to do life alone, we exist and thrive in community. In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell tells about the power of community present in a small Italian immigrant town called Roseto in Pennsylvania, USA. It was noted that in Roseto, people died only from old age, there was no illness or medical conditions that was claiming lives. As this phenomenon was investigated, it was discovered that their culture was the reason – a culture of community living in community. It was an amazing discovery – the power of their community brought them health.

Without community we cant thrive. Even Hollywood knows this truth. If you have watched the blockbuster Castaway, you would have witnessed Tom Hanks slowly slip into insanity (with his friend Wilson – the volleyball) as he was isolated on a deserted island. Law enforcement also understands this truth. One of the harshest forms of punishment is solitary confinement. Isolate a man and you will destroy him.

Community causes us to thrive but isolation causes us to die.

I then began to consider the corporate world. Corporates aim to thrive, but how much community is present in the work place? Is this a place of thriving community where people use their skills and ability to impact those around them, or a place of isolation and selfish ambition? The word corporate speaks about a group of people working together, yet the truth is so often little or no community exists in any team or corporate.

As leaders, we set the tone and create the environment for community to exist. Would you say the people that you lead feel like they are living in the shelter of the others in their team?

We were created for community. I encourage you to use the gifts that you have been given to benefit others, to create the “shelter” that will cause your team to thrive!

Trading Metaphors

Recently I arrived at a coffee shop to meet with Mark van Straaten. As the lead elder at Grace family Church in Umhlanga, KZN, Mark is one of my primary influencers. I believe in the idea of having primary influencers who impact on how we live our lives.

Choose wisely but avoid not choosing at all.

Primary influencers should be people you respect. They would have characteristics you aspire toward. They will have done something significant with their lives. They have gone before you and dealt with so much of what still lies ahead of you.

A half hour conversation could, more often than not, be more relevant and applicable than whatever it is you learnt at University!

As it was on this particular day.

I arrived at a coffee shop bringing with me a mind spinning with scenarios I was facing. The challenges within those scenarios kept me in a state of tension, negatively affecting my perspective.

Soon into our meeting Mark began to reflect on the idea of trading. Through some experience and some conversations he had had, he began to explain about this tension that exists in a traders life which simply never goes away.

“That tension” he explained, “is brought on due to the fact that traders can simply NEVER take into account all of the probabilities. It’s simply impossible!”

“The 5% of traders who make a success of trading” he continued, “recognise that trading is in fact a psychological process. The great traders are the ones who do it without FEAR. They simply know that they have to and will handle whatever happens next. They act from a place of complete confidence despite the risks associated with the unknown.”

As he spoke he held up a mirror. The probabilities I lived by were causing fear and anxiety.

“Fear limits our creativity” Mark continued seemingly knowing what I was thinking, “keeps us thinking ‘in the box’ which robs us of what we most need when we face the unknown - a mind open and focussed on possibility.”

Then the clincher.

“It’s not about abandoning reason. It’s about making a decision and sticking to it!”

In a few sentences I had let go of my need to control and began to look my context through the eyes of a ‘trader’. Changing my perspective through this critical insight yielded a different experience of my challenges. The weight disappeared.

The lesson is not only in the metaphor but in who that metaphor came from.

Who shares and impacts your story?

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Travis Gale has spent the last 5 years running his own development business in South Africa’s corporate world and is currently involved in various long term partnerships with clients across a number of industries. Furthermore he has travelled to conferences internationally hunting down latest trends and insights. Having cycled around the world and survived a tsunami, his passion for crossing borders often lends itself to an interesting blend of stories and insight. He sees himself as a ‘change catalyst’ and displays strength in facilitating insight into the right spaces. Find out more at www.appletreelive.com

The Unnamed Roads

My wife and I recently were in the Transkei, working our way along the amazing wild coast, visiting the numerous beautiful beaches. If you have ever visited the wild coast, you will know that, due to the rugged terrain, you may have to backtrack along main roads just to reach a destination a few kilometers along the coast.

We, however, had our faithful 4X4 (which has been affectionately dubbed "Butch"), and decided that instead of staying on many kilometers of main roads just to move a few kilometers up the coast, we would put Butch to the test and try make our way along pot hole filled dirt roads, cattle and foot paths to cut down the distance we needed to travel. Having never travelled the Transkei before, I was very tempted to opt for the safer bet of following the main roads, but adventure was calling so we started our mission along the unknown roads.

What followed was a journey through colourful and rural countryside with animal dodging and the locals waving madly. We had to mission down mountain passes, navigate new paths after coming across unexpected river crossings and watch the petrol gauge to ensure we did not run out of fuel in the middle of no where! I must admit at times we were pretty stressed and wished we had stayed on the main road, but overall we had an incredible adventure!

The whole experience made me aware that we often do the same in life.

We often will choose to be safe, stick to what we know (which is often discontentment), rather than move into the unknown.

Most people choose unhappiness over uncertainty.

And it is easy to understand why. Our place of discontentment is safe, secure and familiar. We know what to expect, we know what is expected of us. We know we will get the pay check, we know we will survive. But who wants to live in a place of discontentment their whole lives? We want our stories to be meaningful.

What are some of the unnamed roads that you long to explore? Where are some of the destinations you desire to discover? How would you like your life story to read?

The choice is ours. Do we choose to succumb to the fear of the unknown, or are we going to embrace the adventure of the unknown?

The choice is yours... The choice is mine... Let's live an adventure!

How Much Fun Do You Have?

I am not sure why, but this week I felt compelled to write on fun. I guess you could also call it rest. Those moments when we refuel our energy wells and disconnect from what it is we are constantly applying our focus upon. I remember walking through the streets of Barcelona last year and walking straight into a couple dancing. It was the middle of the day, in the middle of the busy street and this couple just decided to stop and enjoy the music which some buskers were providing.

This picture of rest and fun could possibly be springing to mind given we are now in the middle of April. We have probably all being pretty gung ho as we started 2011, but the big question is:

‘How are you feeling Right Now?’

I recall a story which involved some of our Appletree associates. They got to do some work with a Hospital down on the South Coast of KZN. They enquired as to when the busiest time of the year was for the staff. December and January was the obvious reply, but not for obvious reasons! You would have thought it had to do with road accidents and party related incidents. Actually, this particular time of year was notorious for something called ‘Executive Syndrome’. In a nutshell, the wards would fill up with executives from business as far as Johannesburg with cardiac and organ failure issues. Why? No rest. No Fun. Go Go Go! The entire year was all about pushing through, engaging, working. No break. When the body finally got a small chance it took all the rest it could get.

I feel, at this time of year, it is important for us to reflect on how we are feeling. It is still very possible for us to break any habits we have crept into for the year. I have posted articles before on energy management and re-filling your energy tanks so to speak. In this article I simply want to challenge you to have some fun. Do it right now. This weekend coming up is a long weekend - what are your plans? do they involve fun? will you be resting?

The greatest challenge for us, yet the most rewarding practice we can do is to get out of our heads and into our bodies. Hence the question - how do you feel? Stop with the over thinking, the worry, the anxiety, the responsible you and get out and play.

May you never think of yourself as to old, or to responsible to play, have fun, dance and ultimately... thrive in 2011.

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Travis Gale has spent the last 5 years running his own development business in South Africa’s corporate world and is currently involved in various long term partnerships with clients across a number of industries. Furthermore he has travelled to conferences internationally hunting down latest trends and insights. Having cycled around the world and survived a tsunami, his passion for crossing borders often lends itself to an interesting blend of stories and insight. He sees himself as a ‘change catalyst’ and displays strength in facilitating insight into the right spaces. Find out more at www.appletreelive.com

Fear

I was running a workshop recently where I asked everyone to write down 3 things in their lives that were energizing them and 3 things that were draining them. This proved to be an easy task. I then asked them to think back 6 months, and recall things in their lives that were energizing them and others that were draining them at that stage. They could similarly do the same for a year back.

What we discovered is that in every stage of life there are things that are going well, and there are things that we struggle with. Sometimes we remember the good, sometimes we remember the bad. One lady said to me that 6 months ago she was " gripped by fear" and could not remember any good thing, even though in hindsight there were good things there. In essence, she was oblivious to the good that was present in her life due to being gripped by fear - her focus was on the bad and thus ignoring the good. What we give our attention to will have the greatest effect on our life, and so often our attention in gripped by fear. Fear is defined as: "unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat." Fear can be extremely powerful.

There is a story that speaks of the same thing. Jesus was walking on water towards his disciples. The story goes as follows:

"But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him." (Matt 14:27-31).

The turning point for Peter is when he takes his eyes away from Jesus. When he focusses on Jesus, he does the extraordinary, when he focusses on the storm he is gripped by fear and sinks.

Where are you sinking in your life? As a leader we are in many ways faced with many storms and many opportunities to do the extraordinary. but what are you empowering? Are you focussing on the storm, the struggles, the impossibilities, or are you focussing on your strengths and the opportunities before you?

What we focus on, we empower... What are you giving power to?

Beneath my desk is a grey box

I have a small office space with a wooden desk which I work on. A neatly placed Apple Mac lies on top next to a small pile of papers that are relevant to my current work. An orange ‘Mr Splat’ which is in essence a rubber man who has been squashed so I can lay my coffee cup on it sits next to my desk lamp. A pen rests on ‘post it’ notes that fuel my creativity. A few of my business cards lay neatly stacked with two business cards collected recently in Cape Town placed on top.

BUT

Beneath my desk is a grey box.

The lid of the box has to be encouraged to close. It holds every bit of paper which I still need to file, older business cards I collected, calculator, stapler, relevant cables and the most daunting of all - unopened post - lots of it.

It’s order and chaos in close proximity.

The thing is the grey box is for my eyes only anyway. You may look at the state of my workspace and get an idea of my character and working style.

Point is its not the full picture.

I need to spend time going through the grey box. I find that when there is some structure, some order, it creates space for me to be even more creative and productive. But I ignore it. Despite knowing how important it is, I don’t prioritise it. I just keep going and keep adding. I don’t stop.

Just like I need to spend time going through every file I have dragged off my desktop into the ‘to clear’ folder so you can see the full pic of U2’s stage.

Just like my clean room has built in cupboards...

Just like that ordered, neat image you are projecting has a heart and soul behind it that could be very much like my grey box. Full of a bunch of stuff that needs dealing with.

It’s easier, I know, just to chuck more stuff down there with the intent ‘to clear’ so that the outer picture looks good. It always rises to the surface. My grey box has a certain capacity and one day that one envelop will be too much for the box to carry and the lid won’t close exposing its contents to the world.

Order and chaos in close proximity.

When will you stop in the pace of life and deal with what really counts?

When will you open up the box and clean up the contents, create some order?

I am keen to get to the place, as an entrepreneur, that I can truly say that my desk and the grey box beneath it represent the same person.

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Travis Gale has spent the last 5 years running his own development business in South Africa’s corporate world and is currently involved in various long term partnerships with clients across a number of industries. Furthermore he has travelled to conferences internationally hunting down latest trends and insights. Having cycled around the world and survived a tsunami, his passion for crossing borders often lends itself to an interesting blend of stories and insight. He sees himself as a ‘change catalyst’ and displays strength in facilitating insight into the right spaces. Find out more at www.appletreelive.com