If you had a captive audience and fifteen minutes what would you say? If you had the opportunity to spend the day listening to people talking about things they are passionate about what would you want to hear? If you new this was your last year to live what would you do and how would you want to be remembered? If you could change one thing in the world what would it be?
I believe that every human being has the potential for greatness.
I believe that somewhere in the world as we speak there is someone else with the potential to discover the cure for cancer.
I believe there can be world peace, it may not look quite like we would think but it is possible.
I believe there are undiscovered and untold riches in the world which can bring an end to the suffering, famine and death.
I believe that the creativity of every person is largely untapped and under utilized.
I believe that if we spent more time working on solutions instead of creating problems we could solve many of the worlds problems in an astoundingly short time. In order to do that however, we would have to let go of the need to be right and shift our thinking to being successful and understand they are not one of the same.
I believe the celebration of achievement at all levels is far more important than the criticism we so quickly want to give to other peoples efforts.
I believe that it does not take what we believe a genius is, to be a genius.
I believe it is the belief we have and not the talent we think others have that will carry us forward and on to greater things as a collective group.
I believe love will always conquer hatred and if we simply believed that the future is in our children, we would treat them far better than we do.
Live passionately, ask why!
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Have Faith, Live Passionately. Pass The Torch
In this changing landscape we live in, where times are uncertain and many of the values we have come to believe in have eroded away; it is at times like these when we must look to the simple truths to guide us.
There is one fact which to date has not been proven wrong: our time on earth is short and it to will pass. One day we will cease to exist but for the memories we have left behind and the impact we have had on others.
Therefor:
Take every day as though it is your last and remember, the sun is always shining even though sometimes it is obscured by clouds.
Spend time with your children especially when they are young. It is not a Woman's job or a man’s job, in fact, it is not a job at all, but a pleasure and a privilege. Their lives change daily and a second missed can never be reclaimed.
Children do not ask to come into the world, that choice is made for them. The responsibility lies with the parents to create the opportunities that will allow them to live a full and challenging life.
Learn from others especially your parents, their successes and failures where all hard fought for and even in their failures there are lessons to be learned.
Do something with your life that you love instead of punching a time clock. Something that will inspire you to get out of bed everyday and give you joy and pleasure. Trust that what you do will bring the same joy to others.
Do not sell yourself or others short, the abilities and possibilities of humans is relatively untapped and the future is limitless.
What you do today will have an impact on your future, your children’s future, your children’s, children’s future and countless others who pass through your life.
It takes less effort to be kind and the rewards to you and others are immeasurable. You will feel better and so will others. You may have saved someone's life by simply interrupting their day and being kind. You may have been the last straw to someone who has experienced grief.
Save a little and spend a little you really cannot take it with you.
Do not think for one minute that someone else has your best interest at heart only your parents will do that, everybody else has their own set of problems to work out. Care about people and, in general they will care about you but remember the final outcome is in your hands.
Get an education. Not necessarily College or University, some of the brightest people in the world are self educated and hold no degree, however their contribution to life has changed the world.
Pay for nothing with credit except your home and maybe a car. The rest, with a little patience and hard work will come to you. However if all of your income is taken up by paying back debts that you incurred for short term gain, you will never get ahead.
Do something nice for people when ever you can and don’t expect anything in return. It will be a wonderful surprise when it is returned.
Have faith but remember to date it has not been proven that any superior being is alive or ever was. Have faith but do not press that faith on others. Others will see that you have faith and in turn will have their own faith. Faith is a personal thing which will serve you on dark days. Faith is also the thing that when against all odds, one can succeed.
Remember we are all on this journey together and what goes around comes around.
Have an amazing life, because you can! Pass the torch!
Live Passionately, As Why!
There is one fact which to date has not been proven wrong: our time on earth is short and it to will pass. One day we will cease to exist but for the memories we have left behind and the impact we have had on others.
Therefor:
Take every day as though it is your last and remember, the sun is always shining even though sometimes it is obscured by clouds.
Spend time with your children especially when they are young. It is not a Woman's job or a man’s job, in fact, it is not a job at all, but a pleasure and a privilege. Their lives change daily and a second missed can never be reclaimed.
Children do not ask to come into the world, that choice is made for them. The responsibility lies with the parents to create the opportunities that will allow them to live a full and challenging life.
Learn from others especially your parents, their successes and failures where all hard fought for and even in their failures there are lessons to be learned.
Do something with your life that you love instead of punching a time clock. Something that will inspire you to get out of bed everyday and give you joy and pleasure. Trust that what you do will bring the same joy to others.
Do not sell yourself or others short, the abilities and possibilities of humans is relatively untapped and the future is limitless.
What you do today will have an impact on your future, your children’s future, your children’s, children’s future and countless others who pass through your life.
It takes less effort to be kind and the rewards to you and others are immeasurable. You will feel better and so will others. You may have saved someone's life by simply interrupting their day and being kind. You may have been the last straw to someone who has experienced grief.
Save a little and spend a little you really cannot take it with you.
Do not think for one minute that someone else has your best interest at heart only your parents will do that, everybody else has their own set of problems to work out. Care about people and, in general they will care about you but remember the final outcome is in your hands.
Get an education. Not necessarily College or University, some of the brightest people in the world are self educated and hold no degree, however their contribution to life has changed the world.
Pay for nothing with credit except your home and maybe a car. The rest, with a little patience and hard work will come to you. However if all of your income is taken up by paying back debts that you incurred for short term gain, you will never get ahead.
Do something nice for people when ever you can and don’t expect anything in return. It will be a wonderful surprise when it is returned.
Have faith but remember to date it has not been proven that any superior being is alive or ever was. Have faith but do not press that faith on others. Others will see that you have faith and in turn will have their own faith. Faith is a personal thing which will serve you on dark days. Faith is also the thing that when against all odds, one can succeed.
Remember we are all on this journey together and what goes around comes around.
Have an amazing life, because you can! Pass the torch!
Live Passionately, As Why!
Saturday, 2 October 2010
The world is crying out to be inspired again!
We do not need more cctv cameras or another set of rules. We do not need more Nanny State governing or people telling what we can and cannot do or when we can do it, and we certainly do not need any more promises or arguments from Politicians about who was to blame and why they will be better and what they will do. Most of us are mature enough to make our own decisions now. What we need is inspiration, from leaders who believe strongly enough about the possibility that we are! We will do the rest!
When people are inspired, they will discover the what and find the how!
If you are anything like me then by now you must be wondering when the promises of the last several generations of politicians will come to fruition. It strikes me that to win an election all one needs to do is blame the last lot and say what it is that you will do. The only problem is between their backsides leaving the inauguration ball and taking their seat in the first day in office they have been bushwhacked by every special interest group and corporation on the planet. We are all tired of broken promises and promises that we know can never really happen at all, we just want to believe that something will come true and give us hope.
The problem is I believe, that as a parent we find it hard to come clean an all the promises we make to our children, why then would we believe that a leader in these difficult times could do the same with the hundreds of promises they have made in order to get into office. I am sure they all go into politics with an honest heart, but are soon beaten down by our demands.
I believe that what we really need to get us through the present down turn is inspiration! Now I am sure many of you are saying: “Nice idea Lee, but you cannot pay the bills with inspiration.” No indeed one cannot, but we also cannot pay bills with broken promises so maybe we need a shift in thinking? Maybe it is up to us to move forward and not wait for the politicians to take the lead. The thing that we need though is an inspired idea in order to achieve great things. We need to look for people who inspire us and make tears well up when we hear them speak or the hairs on the back of our neck stand on end when they talk about the things that they are inspired to do. We need to seek out those people who against all odds achieve great things, because they simply will not believe otherwise. You see, we are enough to go forward we simply need permission.
In 1961, President Kennedy made the declaration to the world that the United States of America would not only recapture the lead for the space race but they would have a man on the moon before the end of the decade. Sadly he did not live to see his inspiration come to fruition, but what he did do was galvanize a nation into thinking once more, that they could be the greatest nation in the world. It seemed like an impossible task especially given that the Russians had already taken the first step by putting Sputnik in orbit. Luckily Kennedy would not accept no as a possibility and a Nation raised it’s head once more and became an inspiration to the rest of the world. On July 21st 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon, inspired by the belief that President Kennedy had in the people of American to conquer the nearly impossible.
Sir Winston Churchill in WW11 inspired a small group of islands (Great Britain) to make a stand for what he believed was wrong and to take action against the rising army of Adolf Hitler. He made the statement that his fellow countrymen would rather die before they would surrender and live in tyranny. And he was right, my parents generation rose to that challenge and fought alone for a year, against what can only be considered insurmountable odds. In doing so their spirits soared and they came together as a Nation of doers taking it upon themselves to answer the call. Inspired by one mans undying commitment and love for his country. He made no promises and he broke none. He simply inspired the will of a people to become One, in a cause which was greater than their individual limitations.
He said; “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender."
I believe our spirits are greater than the present crisis and we will overcome the petty bickering and disagreements of our politicians. There will be those among us who simply will refuse to submit to the 'stinking thinking' of the 'Nay Sayers' and rise above it to be the next generation to inspire great things from us. You may have to look a little harder to see them, but they are there.
Live passionately, ask why!
When people are inspired, they will discover the what and find the how!
If you are anything like me then by now you must be wondering when the promises of the last several generations of politicians will come to fruition. It strikes me that to win an election all one needs to do is blame the last lot and say what it is that you will do. The only problem is between their backsides leaving the inauguration ball and taking their seat in the first day in office they have been bushwhacked by every special interest group and corporation on the planet. We are all tired of broken promises and promises that we know can never really happen at all, we just want to believe that something will come true and give us hope.
The problem is I believe, that as a parent we find it hard to come clean an all the promises we make to our children, why then would we believe that a leader in these difficult times could do the same with the hundreds of promises they have made in order to get into office. I am sure they all go into politics with an honest heart, but are soon beaten down by our demands.
I believe that what we really need to get us through the present down turn is inspiration! Now I am sure many of you are saying: “Nice idea Lee, but you cannot pay the bills with inspiration.” No indeed one cannot, but we also cannot pay bills with broken promises so maybe we need a shift in thinking? Maybe it is up to us to move forward and not wait for the politicians to take the lead. The thing that we need though is an inspired idea in order to achieve great things. We need to look for people who inspire us and make tears well up when we hear them speak or the hairs on the back of our neck stand on end when they talk about the things that they are inspired to do. We need to seek out those people who against all odds achieve great things, because they simply will not believe otherwise. You see, we are enough to go forward we simply need permission.
In 1961, President Kennedy made the declaration to the world that the United States of America would not only recapture the lead for the space race but they would have a man on the moon before the end of the decade. Sadly he did not live to see his inspiration come to fruition, but what he did do was galvanize a nation into thinking once more, that they could be the greatest nation in the world. It seemed like an impossible task especially given that the Russians had already taken the first step by putting Sputnik in orbit. Luckily Kennedy would not accept no as a possibility and a Nation raised it’s head once more and became an inspiration to the rest of the world. On July 21st 1969, Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon, inspired by the belief that President Kennedy had in the people of American to conquer the nearly impossible.
Sir Winston Churchill in WW11 inspired a small group of islands (Great Britain) to make a stand for what he believed was wrong and to take action against the rising army of Adolf Hitler. He made the statement that his fellow countrymen would rather die before they would surrender and live in tyranny. And he was right, my parents generation rose to that challenge and fought alone for a year, against what can only be considered insurmountable odds. In doing so their spirits soared and they came together as a Nation of doers taking it upon themselves to answer the call. Inspired by one mans undying commitment and love for his country. He made no promises and he broke none. He simply inspired the will of a people to become One, in a cause which was greater than their individual limitations.
He said; “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender."
I believe our spirits are greater than the present crisis and we will overcome the petty bickering and disagreements of our politicians. There will be those among us who simply will refuse to submit to the 'stinking thinking' of the 'Nay Sayers' and rise above it to be the next generation to inspire great things from us. You may have to look a little harder to see them, but they are there.
Live passionately, ask why!
Friday, 1 October 2010
In these troubled times
In these troubled times I believe that we should search our inner sanctuary to reconnect with the person we once were. The one who believed that nothing was impossible, the eternal optimist. We may find that person waiting at the starting post ready to run the race again. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGeHXP24E0E&feature=player_embedded
Live passionately, ask why!
Live passionately, ask why!
Who Do You Think You Are?
Who do you think you are?
I once heard someone say: “I’m not who I think I am and I’m not who you think I am, but I am who you think I think I am.” For many years I thought about that, trying to make sense of it and wondering what it said about me and others. Recently my fourteen year old daughter has become caught up in that same game and while it is okay for a teen to go through this as part of growing up, there comes a point when we must move on or become limited by the quandary.
I believe that many people spend too much time trying to be something or someone they are not and for all the wrong reasons. We are not our results or our upbringing. We are not our car, our house, our job or our education.
We seem to identify ourselves with the things that we have achieved or the failures we have experienced. There is a long list of people who have changed the way the world thinks and functions all of who had to overcome a major flaw in their lives and had to shift their thinking in order to be make the most of the opportunities they had. Albert Einstein is one of histories greatest scientists and he also had Dyslexia: Einstein showed language impairments at a very young age. His speech was severely delayed. He only began to talk at the age of three, and had trouble with language throughout elementary school. During a parent meeting, the Headmaster told Einstein's parents that he did not have the ability to be a successful professional. He recommended that Einstein attend a trade school. In fact, his teachers thought he was borderline retarded. We all know of his achievements, thank god he didn't listen to his well meaning critics.
"Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." This quote can be attributed to Thomas Edison. At the age of 12 Edison was thrown out of school because he was thought to be dumb. He then went on to patent 1,093 inventions.
Picaso, Da Vinci, Richard Branson and Whoopi Goldberg all had to deal with dyslexia on their way to being who they became and list goes on.
Winston Churchill was a poor student had a speech impediment and came from a dysfunctional family. He attended three different schools and was said to have little chance of amounting anything. History tells us, that we in Great Britain were fortunate to have had him at the helm during World War Two, his belief and undying courage at times were all that remained between Great Britain and surrender. In fact as a small Island Nation it may well be said that those of that generation were far greater than the limitations which should have held them back.
The point is, that we all have one thing we are born to do and with some encouragement, which, we may have to supply ourselves and some hard work we can all rise above the limited person who we think we are. I believe that every person and especially every child should be encouraged to rise to the level of their gifts and their potential. The challenge is overcoming who we think we are and becoming the person who we know we must be! A few years ago I had the privilege of being part of a team who was on an event which hosted Sir Ranulph Fiennes as the guest speaker. Since that event he attempted to climb Everest and it almost killed him, he refused to submit to his history and his failure and went back a second time and conquered the great mountain. He lived up to his possibility, his potential and his authentic self!
Live passionately, ask why!
I once heard someone say: “I’m not who I think I am and I’m not who you think I am, but I am who you think I think I am.” For many years I thought about that, trying to make sense of it and wondering what it said about me and others. Recently my fourteen year old daughter has become caught up in that same game and while it is okay for a teen to go through this as part of growing up, there comes a point when we must move on or become limited by the quandary.
I believe that many people spend too much time trying to be something or someone they are not and for all the wrong reasons. We are not our results or our upbringing. We are not our car, our house, our job or our education.
We seem to identify ourselves with the things that we have achieved or the failures we have experienced. There is a long list of people who have changed the way the world thinks and functions all of who had to overcome a major flaw in their lives and had to shift their thinking in order to be make the most of the opportunities they had. Albert Einstein is one of histories greatest scientists and he also had Dyslexia: Einstein showed language impairments at a very young age. His speech was severely delayed. He only began to talk at the age of three, and had trouble with language throughout elementary school. During a parent meeting, the Headmaster told Einstein's parents that he did not have the ability to be a successful professional. He recommended that Einstein attend a trade school. In fact, his teachers thought he was borderline retarded. We all know of his achievements, thank god he didn't listen to his well meaning critics.
"Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." This quote can be attributed to Thomas Edison. At the age of 12 Edison was thrown out of school because he was thought to be dumb. He then went on to patent 1,093 inventions.
Picaso, Da Vinci, Richard Branson and Whoopi Goldberg all had to deal with dyslexia on their way to being who they became and list goes on.
Winston Churchill was a poor student had a speech impediment and came from a dysfunctional family. He attended three different schools and was said to have little chance of amounting anything. History tells us, that we in Great Britain were fortunate to have had him at the helm during World War Two, his belief and undying courage at times were all that remained between Great Britain and surrender. In fact as a small Island Nation it may well be said that those of that generation were far greater than the limitations which should have held them back.
The point is, that we all have one thing we are born to do and with some encouragement, which, we may have to supply ourselves and some hard work we can all rise above the limited person who we think we are. I believe that every person and especially every child should be encouraged to rise to the level of their gifts and their potential. The challenge is overcoming who we think we are and becoming the person who we know we must be! A few years ago I had the privilege of being part of a team who was on an event which hosted Sir Ranulph Fiennes as the guest speaker. Since that event he attempted to climb Everest and it almost killed him, he refused to submit to his history and his failure and went back a second time and conquered the great mountain. He lived up to his possibility, his potential and his authentic self!
Live passionately, ask why!
Sunday, 26 September 2010
Taking Action
Dear all
I am asking a small favour of your time in the hope that I can take action on a goal I have. As many of you know I have become more active on my blog site of late, the goal of which is to inspire people to take action in their own lives by making a shift in thinking. Hence the name of the blog is ‘A Shift In Thinking’
The favour I ask is that you visit the site once and take a look at what I have to say and what I am trying to achieve. If you like the message I hope you will visit often and if not then I wish you much luck in your future and may all of your dreams come true.
The goal I have is two fold for next month: one part is that I want to encourage 5,000 hits on the site and the second part and most important is to raise £4,000 for the Great Ormond Street Hospital. The way in which I intend to do this is through the sale of one of the books I have written. I have published 2,000 copies of a wonderfully illustrated children's book called Esmeralda Finklesteen which if sold will generate the £4,000 for a wonderful cause. I do hope you will support this by visiting the site and passing this on to your circle of friends.
The way you can help is by purchasing a copy of the book which you can do through my web site
http://www.leegwilkinson.com/ and I will donate 50% of the profit of that sale to the Great Ormond Street Hospital. If you are not aware of the amazing work that the hospital does for children you should take a look at their site http://www.gosh.nhs.uk/
If I do not have a Shift In Thinking then this whole idea is simply a nice idea and nothing else. I believe that we are all capable of having an impact and making a difference, so I do hope you will help.
Live passionately, ask why!
Lee
I am asking a small favour of your time in the hope that I can take action on a goal I have. As many of you know I have become more active on my blog site of late, the goal of which is to inspire people to take action in their own lives by making a shift in thinking. Hence the name of the blog is ‘A Shift In Thinking’
The favour I ask is that you visit the site once and take a look at what I have to say and what I am trying to achieve. If you like the message I hope you will visit often and if not then I wish you much luck in your future and may all of your dreams come true.
The goal I have is two fold for next month: one part is that I want to encourage 5,000 hits on the site and the second part and most important is to raise £4,000 for the Great Ormond Street Hospital. The way in which I intend to do this is through the sale of one of the books I have written. I have published 2,000 copies of a wonderfully illustrated children's book called Esmeralda Finklesteen which if sold will generate the £4,000 for a wonderful cause. I do hope you will support this by visiting the site and passing this on to your circle of friends.
The way you can help is by purchasing a copy of the book which you can do through my web site
http://www.leegwilkinson.com/ and I will donate 50% of the profit of that sale to the Great Ormond Street Hospital. If you are not aware of the amazing work that the hospital does for children you should take a look at their site http://www.gosh.nhs.uk/
If I do not have a Shift In Thinking then this whole idea is simply a nice idea and nothing else. I believe that we are all capable of having an impact and making a difference, so I do hope you will help.
Live passionately, ask why!
Lee
Thursday, 16 September 2010
Life Changing Events
This was written a few years ago after one of my colleagues at work who was only forty two died from cancer. I have recently lost another friend to depression. How easily we slip away.
I woke up one morning and my whole world had changed. It wasn’t as though I had planned it that way or even thought that it might turn out that way, it just showed up like an unexpected baby. "Oh my god! I missed pregnancy and I have a three year old who needs to be fed and clothed and who isn’t potty trained!"
So you run outside and yell at the sky as though it might rain. All that happens of course is that the sun pops out from behind a cloud and blinds you.
My friend died this year, she was 42. There was no warning and I didn’t know how to say good-bye. All I could do was look directly into the sun and yell at the sky and pray for rain so that it would put out the fire. She died of cancer, it stole her life like an evil little uninvited monster which had come to dinner but had not been asked to leave.
I had the feeling that life was a precious but vulnerable entity, which could be taken away without a moments notice by something that had no understanding of the turmoil it would leave behind. So I went to the doctors to have the mole on my side checked out. It’s been there for ten years and being a man I have never really thought that I could get sick, much less die. Suddenly, after Fiona had passed, I was aware of the fact that one day I would in fact die. Panic. I have a 13 month and three day old daughter who comes to me with an awkward gate in her walk and puts her head on my shoulder (I have to kneel down) and hugs me. I know that she is 13 months and three days old because every day is special to me now. Every hug, every moment in my life is a moment I could waste. Every moment is one that if not used will dissolve into the forever of never used time and will not be regained no matter how hard I try.
The mole is a wart and is not cancer. But, how that cancer can spread, in the form of doubt and wasted time and lost hugs. The nurse said I was healthy and living the life of a man fifteen years my junior. I am 52 and Paige is 13 Months and three days. How wonderful is life that we should have this gift, this beautiful child who hugs me and calls everything daddy.
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| Erin and Paige on Paige's first day at School |
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