Regular readers of my blog know I survived a brutal form of cancer several years ago. I was diagnosed with testicular cancer, right testicle was removed, cancer spread to my lungs, had massive chemotherapy, and then half of my left lung was removed.
It sounds a lot easier when written like that. Truth is, it was pretty awful. And I often reflect on the various lessons I learned from surviving cancer and how those lessons are applicable in business and life.
So here is one that is very relevant in today’s hyper-connected, always “on”, always distracted society we live in: When in doubt, get into ACTION. A lot of action. So much action that, dammit, you start to kick doubt’s butt and see a solution to the leadership challenge you were facing that you couldn’t see before because you were so distracted by your “smart” phone.
That is what I did when I found out that I had cancer — I got into unbelievable action to figure out how I was going to survive. And slowly but surely I saw that not only was I going to survive, but I was also going to THRIVE as a dynamic leadership keynote speaker. And no matter what tough decision you are facing, getting into some type of action will help with motivation, momentum, and milestones.
And speaking of which…. Give me 30-seconds to help YOU impact your career, company, and community:
30-Seconds of Action
When you’re struggling to produce a desired result, try these three 10-second “Action Chunks”:
Seconds 1 — 10: Quickly jot down three action items that may help you produce your desired result. Remember, you only have 10-seconds, so BOOM, jot quickly!
Seconds 11 — 20: Quickly complete either the first action item you wrote down or the third. Do NOT even attempt to do the second action item you wrote down at this time.
Seconds 21 — 30: After completing “Chunk Two”, take the last 10-seconds to quickly schedule time in your calendar to work on the other two action items. EXTRA CREDIT for actually completing a second action item now instead of scheduling it to do later!
Because whether you are facing a life-threatening illness like cancer or trying to decide whether or not to leave your current company for a new challenge, you need to get into SOME type of action. Let the massive action you take help guide you forward in the right direction!
If you have any questions on the action steps listed here or have other innovative ways to expand your leadership and get into immediate action on a tough decision, post a comment below or hit me up on Twitter @mpveltri. I’d love to hear from you.
And if you liked the ideas presented here, please take a look at my website where you can find more information on my dynamic business leadership keynote speeches, breakout sessions, and peak performance consulting: https://michaelveltri.com/business-keynote-speaker