I had the privilege of talking to some young ladies entering the exciting career of beauty on Friday. They had started with one of our beneficiary companies who offer this qualification in a new business venture. I took the liberty of using the vertical acronym of BEAUTY to share 6 areas of growth that they could test themselves in. I hope these resonate with you.
Believe in yourself.
I recall that through most of my high school career, I never lived up to my potential academically. I have reports from those days were in instance after instance, teachers and class teachers would point out that I should be doing so much better. It was my class teacher in Matric, who nailed it by saying I should get over my self- doubts. Many believed I should be doing better, but the key was whether I believed that. When that happened, (College and University) my results soared.
Engage in life.
Gallup is the largest research company in the World, and they shared a global statistic on engagement at work. It is concerning that only 15% of people at work are engaged. That means 85% of folk are present, but not delivering on who they are and what they could bring. That is no way to live your life at work. We can engage, no matter how challenging, unfulfilling, or boring the work environment may be. May I suggest that even these situations may change, simply because of the way we engage.
Attitude ownership.
Stephen Covey wrote the classic business book, “The 7 habits of effective people”.
In it, he refers to a great truth, the 90:10 principle. Simply put, 10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react.
What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%. How? By your reaction. You cannot control a red light., but you can control your reaction. This is key…. YOU can control how you react!
Uncommon strengths.
I shared with the young ladies present that reading is a brilliant way to grow. One of the most profound books I have read is “Now discover your strengths” by Marcus Buckingham. It is by knowing and living your strengths that you begin to live a strong life. By focusing on identifying, practicing, and refining our strengths, Marcus Buckingham argues we wind up becoming “more productive, more fulfilled and more successful” in the endeavors that matter to us most.
Think deeply.
Another valuable principle from Covey’s classic book (Habit 4) is “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.”
That means that our dominant thoughts can have a big effect on our destiny and life purpose.
Entrepreneur magazine reflects that Japanese businesspeople spend 70% of their time thinking about their business and in strategic planning. So, my take is that in both making a living, and making a life, developing the depth of our thinking is essential.
Know your why.
Simon Sinek presents the idea that great leaders inspire others by putting the Why (the purpose) before the How (the process), or the What (the product). Start with Why created waves of discussion and change around our office.
What is it that gets you up in the morning? What purpose galvanizes you into action. What helps you to rise from the inevitable setback? The more you can connect what you care about deeply with what you do, the stronger your why and the more resilient your attitude becomes.
Here’s to more young people building….a beautiful life
Steve