Think Big and Live Life to the Fullest

I just got home from a meeting at Midrand with a friend who's a fellow social figure and entrepreneur, Auriel Mathebula. We happily brainstormed ideas for a project that we're putting together, until suddenly everything shifted.

This shift began when I said "We have to give them an experience that will be professional, relevant and memorable."

"That's it!" my friend exclaimed. "We have to give them an experience that's guaranteed to change their lives forever. We either go big or go home"

Now we were excited. Now we had a vision. Now - we were finally thinking big. Our focus and energy shifted from conceiving something good to creating something great. When you have that kind of energy behind a project, idea, or dream, it changes everything, exploding your possibilities and dramatically increasing your probability of success.

"You will succeed at a level you didn't think was possible when you know what you stand for and you live it. You will be bold and extraordinary, just being you."

What do you stand for? What might you be known for, already? (Warning: it might not be a good thing!) Some example of things worth standing for include- love, freedom, respect, green living, possibility or happiness.

I stand for hope. I used to be anti-social, until I learned to think big and discovered that by being true to myself and pursuing my dreams, I could create a life that felt joyous and meaningful to me. Today I live to give people hope for a better experience of life, by teaching them how to improve their self-esteem and mental power, supporting them in living their dreams, and so on. I try to encourage and uplift people, everywhere I turn, and everywhere I stand, every time I open my mouth.

What would you love to stand for? How can you change your behaviour and choices based on that, now?

"People who play small think they have to do it all themselves. What about you? Are you ready to play bigger by truly collaborating with others? Or are you shut up in ‘silo thinking'? ‘Only I can get this right. I can't rely on anyone else.'"

Chip Wilson, founder of Lululemon, a billion-dollar company that makes gorgeous yoga-inspired active wear. He failed at his first attempt at building a great company because his "winning formula" was "Don't trust - Don't Delegate." When he built Lululemon, he recognized that if he wanted to attain greatness, he would have to follow a new formula: "Delegate and Trust."

I'm a perfectionist, and find it hard to let go of control. Yet I'm learning quickly that if I want to do great things on a big scale, I need the collaboration and support of great people. Great ideas can't be executed alone, at least not to their full potential.

"As much as we influence others, so are we at risk of catching others' values and actions, of coming under their influence. If we surround ourselves with small thinkers, we will think small...to let a sad thought or a bad one get into your mind is as dangerous as letting a scarlet fever germ get into your body."

Be careful who you share your big ideas or dreams with, and be careful who you allow to share their advice or opinions with you. Almost every great idea that has been conceived on this earth seemed outrageous or outright impossible at first. Seek the company, counsel and writings of those who have achieved big things and you will begin to see possibilities everywhere you turn.

"To work hard, which we'll need to do when we're thinking big, we must cultivate the warrior within us... we must train ourselves to be psychologically, intellectually and physically capable to withstand the hard work we'll need to do and yet still be able to relax into life, to find the levity, the fun, and stay foolish."

To do what you were meant to do here on this earth and live to your greatest potential - which for me means developing your talents and serving others while living absolutely on purpose - you need to be in the best shape possible. Nurture and jealously protect your physical, emotional, and spiritual health, as well as your happiness.

I know a successful management consultant and inspirational leader who asks herself before she does anything, including putting a bite of food in her mouth: "Will this serve the empire?" She doesn't mean "empire" from a wealth/power perspective - she's referring to the tangible good that she intends to do on a global scale. Whether your "empire" is your family home, or a sphere of influence that reaches to the ends of the earth, thinking big, standing for something meaningful, and taking exceptionally good care of yourself and your life will give you a sense of wellness and fulfillment far richer than any material riches this world can offer.

I want to end with a bold phrase that a fellow colleague Melusi Buthelezi send to me regarding thinking big In life, which was my fundamental inspiration for writing this blog“Think Big and Live Life to the Fullest” .

“To get beyond the challenges, get your mind above those challenges. Focus on the bigger picture. It’s all too easy to become obsessed with the problems at hand. Yet by choosing to rise above those problems, you can transform them into powerful opportunities. You are bigger and better than the difficult circumstances that surround you. Feel the immense power of your positive purpose, and make the commitment to make a real difference. Don’t be intimidated into dealing with life from a position of weakness.

Choose to see the bigger, better possibilities, and passionately work to bring them to life. Instead of getting mired in pettiness, get inspired by your own magnificent, positive vision of life at its highest level. Stop seeing your life as a struggle to escape the worst, and transform it into a quest to create and experience the best. You are far more capable, creative, joyful and effective than you’ve ever allowed yourself to be. See the bigger, better picture, and let your life express it fully. “