Finding aspiration

I was recently speaking at a leadership training course with the New Zealand Institute of Management. As part of the Achievement Quadrant teaching I spoke on the need for having "aspiration", the challenge of finding your life passion. Within the Achievement Quadrant training program we help people develop a life "motto" or "mantra" that will color everything they do. It is finding that thing that when we do it, we feel the smile of heaven.

Speaking at only one session during the day, an overview of the program was all we had time for. Since the session I have been asked by a number who attended, how do we find our passion, our life aspiration?

This is perhaps one of life's great questions. Too many live a life without any sense of mission or purpose. Many exist, but fail to really live. Too many rise each day without any sense of passion or urgency that they carry within themselves the answer to someone elses question. So, how do we find our aspiration? Here are a few of my thoughts.

A. Aspiration appears to be something we discover, more so than something we decide. It is something that comes more from the heart than from the mind. This being the case, we often discover our aspiration in the process of understanding ourselves. It is when observe our interests, what we find enjoyment from, those activities that when we do them time flies, that we begin to find clues to our true aspiration.

B. Aspiration tends to be like a magnet. It is simliar to true north on the compass of our lives. As we observe our history we can notice what we continually default to. Whether it be the love of research, empowering others, teaching and mentoring, making money and resourcing others, or any other thing - we will find ourselves defaulting to the dream.

C. Aspiration needs to be nurtured. Anything we starve will eventually die. It is the nature of any living thing. Like the embers of a fire, when we don't add fuel the flame will soon go out. Fuel to aspiration is often found in adding knowledge. Read of others doing those things that motivate you. Fuel is also found in activity. A person who loves climbing mountains can easily lose the motivation, but how quickly that fire can be rekindled on a mountain side.

D. Ask youself the question; What do you think you could regret most at the end of your life? Would you regret not spending more time at the office? Or would you regret not climbing that mountain, not serving your community, not volunteering abroad, not spending enough quality time with your children, not taking a risk? Figure out what you don't want to regret, and your on your way to understanding aspiration.

E. Ask those closest to you what they think your best gifts and talents are. You might be surprised. It is interesting that those closest to us can often read us better than we can read ourselves.

Most of all, take aspiration seriously. When we meet a person "living the dream", we also see them experiencing the "thrill of the ride". Finding aspiration will add to the joy of life - and we all need a bit more of that!

Let me leave you with an often repeated quote.....

"LIFE'S JOURNEY is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "Holy shit, what a ride!" - Mavis Leyrer age 83

Generational wealth.

I was staying in the home of a friend this week, and on a cushion were embroidered the words "I'm spending my children's inheritance".
Of course, this was only meant as a point of humour, but the thought got me thinking. A century ago many families would think in the context of generational wealth. One generation would leave an inheritance to the next generation. That generation would increase the inheritance, and hand it on to the next, and so on. Over three or four generations a family fortune was established. Consider the Rothchilds - or the Kennedy's.
Many third world countries are now thinking this way. One generation would break out of poverty - perhaps moving to America, or New Zealand and opening a fast food shop. They would know that it may be the next generation after them who would reap the benefits. Our recent Mayor, Peter Chin, is the son of parents who ran a fish and chip shop. But they paid for his education. They thought generationally.
So consider this; many westerners are now "spending their children's inheritance", thereby making them "start accumulating wealth over again". While many third world families are increasing wealth over generations. So in a generation or two's time, who will be rich, and who will be poor?