Givers Gain

I belong to BNI, the worlds largest networking group with over 130,000 members globally. The BNI ethos is 'Givers Gain' and we work to provide referrals to BNI members in order to grow our respective businesses.

Last night I attended their new members training and it really got me thinking about the two different approaches people typically have to life:-

1. They focus on what other people can do for them; or
   
2. They focus on what they can do for others

This ties nicely in with the coaching model of 'Cause vs Effect' - do you look to blame others for the results you're getting or do you choose to be at cause and take responsibility yourself?

Once you start to put yourself at cause and spend time looking at how you can contribute to those around you rather than waiting to see what others can do for you, that's when you'll start seeing massive results. As BNI say "Givers Gain" and I guess that's also called karma!

What are you going to do today to help someone else?

Getting lost.

Wow, did I have an interesting evening last night!!

As a lot of you know from my newsletter, my brother and his gorgeous family are over in Australia visiting at the moment, and after a few days up on the Gold Coast they arrived back in Sydney last night to spend the last 5 days of their trip with me. Fantastic!

The not-so-fantastic thing was that they landed at 3.30pm, eventually got their hire car around 5pm, and then spent around 2 hours getting lost in Sydney's rush-hour and admitted defeat at 7pm when they found themselves going across the harbour bridge - in the wrong direction! We eventually arrived at their appartment at 8pm, beaten and worn.

So what has this got to do with a blog on personal coaching and development?

Well, you see, during the 2 hours of their unexpected tour of Sydney, I was a diligent sister and kept offering them directions, saying I would come and find them so they could follow me back, offering my partner's services to escort them in the right direction .... the list goes on. However, they kept saying 'No', probably not wanting to 'put us out', which ultimately culminated in a lost evening and lots of aching heads at the end of the day.

All too often this happens in people's lives. We're in a generation now that wants to be seen as self-sufficient, capable of 'doing it all', and god-forbid if we show ourselves 'weak enough' to ask for help. But as all good leaders know, the reality is that we often don't have the ability to do EVERYTHING and that's absolutely fine. We just need to recognise when we have the right people on our team to do the job more effectively. And by team that can mean your family, your friends, your professional network, your colleagues, your pet dog ...... anyone in your social or professional realm.

Armed with 'whereis.com', a trusted Sydney map, and 4 years of local knowledge, I was the best person on the team to get my family from A to B last night. So what are you struggling to do yourself that someone on your 'team' could assist with?

Give yourself a break and start making life easier. It's meant to be fun, not an uphill struggle!

What are you determined to do yourself? Let me know!