Friday Thoughts
FRIDAY THOUGHTS
By Fabian De Marco
The Best Contribution you can Make
We often tend to associate doing things for ourselves as selfish. However in the world success the opposite is actually true. Allow me to explain what I mean. The greatest contribution you can make to your Family, Friends, Work Colleagues, Associates is through the art of Self Development.
What if you become 5 times more Smarter
What if you become 5 times more Stronger
What if you become 5 times more Powerful
What if you become 5 times more Courageous
What if you become 5 times more Motivated
Remember;
“When begin to develop your own ability through Self Development you become increasingly more valuable to those around you”
‘WANTED’ – Expedition Sponsors
We are currently looking for corporate sponsors who would like to support our team on this exciting ‘7 Summits’ journey.
Just imagine a photo of your company brand on top of the highest mountains in the world hanging in your reception and displayed on your website.
It would be a statement to the world that your company supports the pursuit of excellence, as well as the wider community with worthwhile charity endeavours.
Read about our next exciting expedition coming up in February 2010 at:
http://darrenwise.wordpress.com/2009/04/28/7-summits-a-double-header/
Giving back to help the community that supports your company is a strong message of integrity, honesty and a caring culture.
Your company profile and brand would benefit from the structured marketing plan that has been put in place to raise awareness for the expedition to support our charity endeavours. Your company profile and brand would receive broad community exposure across various media outlet and targeted social media applications.
Enough is Enough is a valuable and worthwhile charity organisation, so you would be supporting a valuable service in our community. You can read more about Enough is Enough and their valuable community programs and how they make a positive contribution to people’s lives at: http://www.enoughisenough.org.au/
If you are interested in discussing the opportunity, please contact me at: darren@wiseleadership.net.au
Friday Thoughts
FRIDAY THOUGHTS
By Fabian De Marco
The 3 Questions we should all ask
It’s great setting goals for yourself and I am a strong believer that goals are the major determining factor in what direction you are travelling in. However I asked myself a question the other day. Why is it that even with a detailed written list of goals we still sometimes find ourselves falling short?
After a lot of thought and some careful research the following 3 questions stood out to me.
- Are we capable of achieving the goals we set for ourselves?
- Should we attempt to try and achieve them?
- Will we commit 100% of our efforts to making them happen?
My research has lead me to believe that the reason we so often fall short of our goals is because we only ever answer yes to two of the three questions above – There for the conclusion is simple!
The Paradox of Our Age
Below is an extract from The Paradox of Our Age. Dr Bob Morehead wrote this piece in 1990 and then published it in 1995. I have made some minor changes for a speech I gave recently.
Humankind has come a long way with technology and social infrastructure since the beginning of time…..but sometimes you have to just sit back and wonder just how far we have really come.
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, yet more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things.
We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; big men and small character; steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce; fancier houses but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill.
There are some small things that we can do in our lives every day to bring happiness and fulfilment not just to ourselves….but the people around us.
Remember to spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember to say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.
Remember to say “I love you” to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
So I ask you all to ponder this message and reflect…but if there is just one message that I ask you to take away………….
REMEMBER to just live…… because life is not forever.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
Friday Thoughts
FRIDAY THOUGHTS
By Fabian De Marco
Take a Moment to Think
If you currently are, or have ever been successful at anything in life, remember that somewhere, sometime someone gave you a lift or an idea that got you moving in the right direction. Why is this important to remember?
Because you to have the ability to give someone else a tap on the shoulder, just as you were inspired in the past.
Remember;
“It is one thing to achieve success in your own life, but even more valuable if you can do it while helping someone else.”
Friday Thoughts
I am pleased to present the first issue of Friday Thoughts by Fabian De Marco.
Fabian delivers original and insightful material that will make us stop and think.
Friday Thoughts are statements or ideas that will make us wonder how our lives may be different if we took a different path, practiced different actions…… or just thought differently.
I hope you enjoy the new Friday Thoughts from Fabian.
FRIDAY THOUGHTS
By Fabian De Marco
The Seed of Success
One the biggest lessons I have learnt in my life to date is that everything worth having in your life comes from the seed of hard work. Human nature always leads us to look for the quick and easy option in life. I have been guilty of this more than anyone.
The truth of the matter is that the secret to success is in fact no secret at all – INTELIGENT HARDWORK, EVERYDAY, No Exceptions!
What do I mean by Intelligent? Know what you want, create a tangible plan to achieve it, and go out there and get it!
Remember;
“Whenever you feel like you’re not really making the progress you want, always revert back to Intelligent hard work for guidance.”
The Test to Fulfil a Dream – Mt Kilimanjaro ( PART TWO)
CONTINUED FROM (PART ONE)………………“There is a sharp pain in my knee “, he said”
Shane was carrying an old army injury, a knee injury that has plagued him since tearing it open on a star picket on a grenade assault course. He was in a lot a pain and the thought raced through my mind that our adventure may end as quickly as it had started.
It was always in the back of our minds that Shane’s knee could be a problem on the ‘7 Summits’. Thankfully, there is not much that can hold Shane back. He is the best mate you want by your side when the chips are down. In the mountaineering environment, with the many challenges and dangers that await us, teamwork is essential. You need to know that you can trust your team-mate with your life. Shane and I have no doubt this trust exists between us. We’ve got each other’s back covered, not just on the ‘7 Summits’ journey, but in life.
We pushed higher. Hesitantly, I said to Shane “how does the knee feel now?”.
He replied: “It is starting to feel much better the steeper the track gets”. We both had a laugh as that outcome seemed illogical – a sense of relief came over us. Shane was not out of the woods yet, but there were signs the pain in the knee was easing.
Not too far up the track we came across a group of local children, high on life. They were laughing and smiling, and only too willing to pose for a quick snap. It was obvious they had limited means, but their contentment and loyal bond as friends and family was obvious. It was a great reminder of the happiness that can be found in the small joys in life.
The track became steeper and steeper and it was not long before we were leaning forward, scrambling up the slope on all fours. There was not too much to see during this first part of the climb, the terrain was mostly dense rainforest. The rainforest thrives on Kilimanjaro between 1,000m and 2,800m.
Mountaineering is not just the physical challenge of climbing a mountain. It is also a test of one’s mental spirit and determination. Sir Edmond Hilary coined the words “It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves”. As humans, we need a sense of personal growth in our lives. Personal growth is sometimes the most obvious when you have overcome adversity, or challenged yourself and achieved a goal that we may have thought was beyond our physical or mental reach.
We had been walking for about five hours and the sun was starting to settle when we came across a clearing. Emmanuel our guide told us that this was our first camp site. We were now 2850m above sea level at the Umbwe Cave camp site, a great spot for a meal and a hot brew.
We were having a look around the camp site when Emmanuel pointed to some flattened scrub. He explained that a Jungle Leopard most likely attacked a buffalo here, taking it down the hill. Shane and I were not totally convinced, but what were we to know? We went along with the story. Leopards are common in the dense jungle at these heights and the Swahili name for the leopard is chui chui.
It was dark and I was sitting in the outhouse when I heard the guys shout, “chui chui!” They were only joking, just trying to scare me as I sat on the loo in complete jungle darkness. At this stage, we did not know that chui chui would be adopted as the calling sign for our team for the remainder of the expedition.
It was a beautiful night as we sat around and got to know each other better. We were miles from civilisation, sitting around a small fire on the side of the highest mountain in Africa. None of us had a worry in the world. Some people cannot understand why people embark on these adventures. But until you have, it is difficult to explain the calming and peaceful feeling that overcomes you. It is in these moments that you feel fully connected to nature and your forefathers that may have lived and hunted off the land in years gone by.
The rise of information technology and multi-media entertainment is anchoring more and more people to the lounge room or home office. As humans, we have evolved over millions of years and there is a deep inner sense of connection with nature and the sense of freedom and peace it creates within us. People are drawn to the mountains and it is not hard to see why. Climbing a mountain is the perfect way to reconnect with nature and re-test your physical and mental boundaries.
We settled in for the night and drifted off to sleep, taking in the beautiful jungle noises. Our thoughts turned to tomorrow’s tough trek to Barranco Huts, almost 4000m above sea level. It was a day that would not turn out as expected.
TO BE CONTINUED….. (Make sure you subscribe by email or RSS feed to receive the rest of the series)
If you would like to view more photos from our adventure, please go to the Corporatemonk facebook page http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/corporatemonk/58164569715
The Test to Fulfil a Dream – Mt Kilimanjaro ( PART ONE)
The temperature was down to minus 20 when we made the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro in South Africa. At almost 6000 metres above sea level, the scene was breathtaking — a severe snowstorm and low fog had lifted like a veil to reveal the beauty and power of the mountain. It felt like we had won the trust of the mountain and earned the right to stand on the summit that day.
Shane and I hugged and congratulated each other as we stood on top of the Africa’s highest mountain. We took our summit photos as the bitter cold started to cut through our clothing like a cold knife. We were tired and exhausted, and the sun was starting to set – it was time to head back down.
It was two days earlier that we set off for the summit of the mighty Mt Kilimanjaro. This adventure to South Africa was one of apprehension and anxiety. Mt Kilimanjaro was our test of physical and mental strength to continue with our dream of completing the “7 Summits”. If we failed on this mountain, the dream would be over.
You never know how your body is going to react to high altitude conditions. There are many fit and mentally strong people that have succumbed to the effects of altitude sickness on Mt Kilimanjaro. Shane and I were fit and mentally strong, but did we have the genetics and physiology for high altitude climbing? Only time would tell.
On our first day, we made a cracking pace as we headed up the Umbwe Route. It was 1.30pm as we made our way towards our first camp site at 2850m with our guide and small support team. The Umbwe Route is steep and the terrain is difficult – it is one of the most challenging routes up the mountain. Our starting elevation was 1400m, and our packs weighed just over 25kg. The track was wide with little incline, but this was soon going to change. Our spirits were high, but butterflies filled our stomach as we thought about the journey that lay ahead.
Shane and I have shared many adventures as soldiers in the Australian’s Elite Paratrooper Regiment. This was our first major adventure together since our military service. As we headed off, my thoughts drifted back to when we both served in the Army. Our packs felt just as heavy, and we had some challenging walking in front of us, but this time it was very different. We were free of the soldier “fighting” mentality, and we were not carrying weapons and searching for the enemy. We were there – free – as best mates to absorb the magnificent beauty of this mountain. Our only shooting device was a camera. Sure, it was going to be challenging, but the challenge was now on our terms, not the army’s.
As we headed up the track, it became gradually steeper and steeper. I looked across at Shane and a look of pain came over his face. I said “mate, what’s wrong”?
“There is a sharp pain in my knee “, he said”
Shane was carrying an old army injury, a knee injury that has plagued him since tearing it open on a star picket on a grenade assault course. I could see he was in a lot a pain and the thought raced through my mind that our adventure may end as quickly as it stated.
TO BE CONTINUED………….(Make sure you subscribe by email or RSS feed to follow the rest of the adventure)
If you would like to view more photos from our adventure, please go to the Corporatemonk facebook page http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/corporatemonk/58164569715
Enough is Enough – Ken Marslew Walking The Talk
Violence is a weak way to try to prove one’s strength. It takes a far stronger person (with real strength of character) to walk away from violence. People with strength of character will never harm others to try to prove their strength or power.
Enough is Enough is a fantastic charity taking a strong stand against violence in our community. It’s a charity Shane and I are pleased to support with our seven-summits expedition efforts.
http://darrenwise.wordpress.com/2009/04/28/7-summits-a-double-header/
There’s no doubt that violence in our society is on the increase. Sadly, the methods of violence also seem to be getting much more serious, with shootings, stabbings and “glassings” an almost everyday occurrence. Society seems a long way from that core principal of love thy neighbour, and our next generations seem more lost than ever. What is needed now is strong leadership. It’s time for people to say enough is enough! It’s time for us to all to walk the talk.
Violence is a weak way to achieve control and power, and is one of the sure signs of low self-esteem.
In life, there are plenty of people that talk the talk, but few that can say they walk the talk. Well, this week, we witnessed a man who walks the talk. Ken Marslew’s son Michael was shot and killed at the age of 18 as an innocent bystander in a bungled armed robbery. Ken this week went and picked up and met the man who killed his son, Karl Kramer, who was released from prison after a 15-year jail term. Ken is the founder of the Enough is Enough Charity Organisation. When you meet Ken, it is obvious his passion for helping others who have suffered through violence, as well as developing anti-violence programs to prevent violence in our community.
There is a lot that can be learned by Ken’s actions this week. For Ken, this may not be an act of forgiveness for Karl Kramer’s actions, but he has certainly taken the high ground as a courageous and great leader by walking the talk and standing up for what he really believes in………an eye for an eye, and holding a grudge, are not the answers for a peaceful world.
Please read more about Enough is Enough Charity and their wonderful community programs here: http://www.enoughisenough.org.au/
Please make donations here: http://www.enoughisenough.org.au/help/
Instead of covering the story again, I have provided the story from the newspapers below.
By Adam Walters
June 19, 2009 12:00am
He had rehearsed it a thousand times in his head but Ken Marslew’s meeting with his son’s killer outside the gates of Goulburn jail yesterday strayed from the script.
Karl Kramer was released 15 minutes earlier than Mr Marslew expected.
“You’re early,” Mr Marslew said.
“Not really, 15 years,” Kramer replied.
“Yeah – early,” the grieving father said.
What started out as a reference to a Corrective Services Department error on the scheduled release of 10am soon had Ken Marslew wondering whether any sentence would be long enough to punish Kramer.
After his 18-year-old son Michael was shot while working at a Sutherland Shire pizza shop in 1994, Ken Marslew demanded the return of the death penalty.
It was an execution-style killing that catapulted Michael’s father into a life-long mission to campaign against violence.
Yesterday, he shook hands with the killer but it was impossible to ignore the tension of an emotionally supercharged encounter.
“I can still see the twitch in your right eye – it’s the same sort of rush of feelings that I’m going through,” Kramer said.
That twitch, Mr Marslew explained later, was fear. “It was scary, I really had no idea which way it was going to go,” he said.
“If he’d been stroppy I would have walked away – but he wasn’t.”
When they found their rhythm the dialogue between the two bounced as if script writers had crafted every word.
But it was raw, real and at times surreal.
“Are you ready for a new world?” Mr Marslew asked.
“Yeah. Very much,” Kramer replied. “I’ve been thinking, planning, putting into practice what I can while I’m in here and it’s just up to me to do the work.”
Then there was a pause as Mr Marslew reflected on the last time he met Kramer in in the jail visitor’s centre.
“Strange, last time it was plastic between us,” he said. “It’s far better to look eyeball to eyeball.”
When the two met before inside the jail, Kramer agreed to work with Mr Marslew’s Enough Is Enough anti-crime group, specialising in counselling services, education programs and supporting victims of crime.
The group’s mission statement states: “The organisation, born out of tragedy, has established itself on the highest ideals of human behaviour. The vision of Enough Is Enough is to be the peak-performing grassroots organisation dealing in help, hope and healing.”
Kramer’s transformation from killer to crusader has become a highly personal project for Ken Marslew and he is confident his unlikely protege will follow through.
“You know you’ll get support if you go in the right direction,” he told him.
Kramer assured him: “I know where I’m going and hopefully we’re going on the same path.”
Referring to the absence of Kramer’s prison clothes for the first time since 1994, Mr Marslew said: “You look different out of green.” Once again the script was abandoned as Kramer admitted no amount of rehabilitation can rewrite his dark history.
“Still green on the inside though,” Kramer replied. “I don’t believe that for a second,” Mr Marslew countered.
Kramer answered: “No I am. I spent most of my adult life in prison. My whole life and existence of who I am comes from the crime I committed and what I did to you and the rest of Michael’s loved ones. Prison’s a huge part of me and always will be. It’s the place where I stripped bare and grew again.”
Whether he can actually successfully work with Ken is a scenario that both men concede is uncertain.
But Kramer has sworn to give his anti-crime career his best shot.
“I believe I can work with him but like any relationship it depends,” he said.
Kramer said he is ready for the challenge.
“For mental preparation and thought preparation – it’s been 18 hours a day,” he said. “I just know that in my chest and all through me is a surge of energy but I’m not a bull-at-a-gate type.
“The work starts now. There’s a saying that spectacular achievement is achieved through unspectacular preparation and that’s what I’ve had – the time.”
Mr Marslew admitted he had mixed emotions. “I’m just hoping that something good will come out of this but only time will tell,” he said.
The two spent the day together before it ended with Mr Marslew again clenching one of the hands involved in a murder that brought the two men together forever.
Where Have All Our Famous Role Models Gone?
Andrew Carnegie was the world’s richest man in the late 1800s. The steel magnate never touched alcohol or cigarettes, and believed that laughter and a “sunny disposition” were key ingredients for success. He was also one of the world’s largest philanthropists. Carnegie believed that the purpose of “creating wealth” was so that it could be used help others. The more that you could create and build within the community to make a difference in people’s lives, the more successful you were. Carnegie gave his wealth back to the people.
Unfortunately today it is difficult to find role models that our next generations can look up to for inspiration and leadership. Without a doubt, parents will have the biggest influence on their children as role models, but there are always other roles models that our children look up to in magazines and on television. The new breed of heroes for our children are in the entertainment, fashion and sporting worlds. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great role models in those fields, but all too often it is the bad role models making the headlines.
Bad and obnoxious behaviour sells better than good. Everywhere you look and read today, some well-known personality is shown doing something stupid, or just being plain right obnoxious with their behaviour and attitude. Unfortunately, it is this new generation of role models that is having the biggest impact on our children.
As much as we try to protect our children from the poor character traits of entertainment, music or sports stars, it is difficult given the enormous penetration that media has into our lives. It is ultimately the responsibility of every one of us to try to lead by example so our next generations will develop good character traits, values and morals.
Andrew Carnegie was a top-class role model. Below are a few of his character traits and ideals which helped him live a successful life. It is a shame that we have to look so far back into history to find great role models. There is a lot that can be learned from others that have walked the path of a successful life. But there are also lessons that can be learnt from those that haven’t.
Carnegie believed it was the mind that would make the body rich; in order to succeed, one had to cultivate within oneself a number of characteristics that would clear the mind to be able to focus on the end goal. According to Carnegie, opportunities would always present themselves and unless he was in a sound mental state, he would not be able to seize those occasions.
The first and most important point for Carnegie lied in his ability to master his own mood. No matter how difficult the circumstances, Carnegie believed that it was of the utmost importance to maintain a positive attitude. “There is little success where there is little laughter,” he said. “A sunny disposition is worth more than fortune. Young people should know that it can be cul
tivated; that the mind like the body can be moved from the shade into sunshine.”
With a healthy state of mind, Carnegie then set out to ensure his physical well-being by refining his habits. He was staunchly opposed to drinking alcohol, believing that this would cloud his ability to think clearly and soak up the energy he would need to achieve his goals. “I will not paint the evil of drunkenness, or the moral crime; but I suggest to you that it is low and common to enter a bar-room, unworthy of any self-respecting man, and sure to fasten upon you a taint which will operate to your disadvantage in life, whether you ever become a drunkard or not,” Carnegie said. He was also against smoking, “not that it is morally wrong, except in so far as it is used in excess and injures health, which the medical faculty declares it does.”
Carnegie believed that in order to achieve great success in life, he had to ensure that he was not only in good health and good spirits, but that he also carried himself in an upstanding way. “There is no genuine, praiseworthy success in life if you are not honest, truthful, fair-dealing,” he said. By operating under these principles, Carnegie was able to gain the trust of those around him, which helped to propel his success.
While he was a compassionate man, Carnegie had no patience for those who gave excuses to explain their own failure, particularly when they claimed their circumstances were out of their control. “Some never had a chance, according to their own story,” he said. “This is simply nonsense. No young man ever lived who had not a chance, and a splendid chance, too.”
Carnegie believed in creating his own circumstances and so long as he could control his own thoughts and mind, he could do just that. “His ability, honesty, habits, associations, temper, disposition, all these are weighted and analysed,” he said. “The young man who never had a chance is the same young man who has been canvassed over and over again by his superiors…owing to some objectionable act, habit, or association.”
The person who gains the ability to take full possession of his own mind may take possession of anything else to which he is justly entitled.
Andrew Carnegie.
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