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.

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 cultivated; 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.

There is no doubt completing the 96km journey over some of the most rugged and mountainous jungle terrain in the world is a significant challenge and achievement. But for me, the motivation to embark on the journey was to learn the war history of The Kokoda Campaign during World War 11. The fierce battle along the trail is perhaps regarded as one of Australian’s most significant battles during World War 11. If our courageous Australian Soldiers did not successfully defend The Kokoda Trail, The Japanese Imperial Forces would have invaded Port Moresby. Having secured a forming up battle area in Port Moresby, the Japanese would have been in a position to launch an invasion of Darwin on the Northern Point of Australian. With Darwin captured, the Japanese would have been capable of launching a full-scale invasion on Australia.

During my journey over the trail, it was difficult to comprehend and put into perspective the courage of the soldiers of both the Australian and Japanese Forces. It was difficult to fully grasp how these men waged battle against each another in such an inhospitable environment and rugged terrain. I have served as an Infantry Soldier in terrain that I would have considered inhospitable, but it was nothing compared to the jungle of PNG. For these soldiers, it was not just the environment, terrain and the enemy that they were doing battle with. The battle conditions were made more difficult due to illness, lack of food and supplies, the need to care for the injured and wounded and lack of battle training. Many of the Australian Soldiers who fought on the KokodaTrail from July 1942 –January 1943 were reserve soldiers with no battle experience and limited training.

As I walked along the trail, it was common for my thoughts to wander and play out battle scenes of the horrors, courage, sacrifice and mateship. I have been in many simulated combat battles, but for these young soldiers, it was the real deal. Life-and-death for them hung in the balance, and it could tip either way at any moment. As much as I tried to put into perspective their adversities, it was difficult. I guess the outcome was that the sheer extent of their adversities, sufferings and courage, gave me a real sense of humility and some perspective in my own life. When I thought a moment in my life was tough and the world was against me, I would drift back to my memories of Kokoda. Compared to what those young men had to endure, my problems didn’t seem all that bad or significant. I just felt a deep sense of gratitude, humility and courage to keep moving forward.

There is no doubt the most memorable moment of the journey was ANZAC Day at the Memorial at Isurava. Isurava was one of the bloodiest battles of the Kokoda Campaign where several hundred Australian Soldiers held off 6,000 of Japan’s best combat troops. The Australians were heavily outnumbered, inadequately armed, and poorly supplied, but their resolute stand over four days at Isurava inflicted heavy losses on the Japanese and blunted the momentum of the Japanese drive towards Port Moresby. The stubborn resistance of the Australian troops wrecked the Japanese timetable for crossing the Kokoda Trail. This gave time for Australian reinforcements to be brought forward, and paved the way for the ultimate defeat of Major General Tomitaro Horii’s army before it could reach Port Moresby.

We had just completed 9 days on the trail, with one more day to go to reach the end of the trail at Kokoda Village. When we reached The Isurava Memorial Site, we had the pent-up emotions and knowledge of the battles and the stories of courage, mateship and the horrors that had occurred along the trail from 1942-1943. On ANZAC Day at the Dawn Service, I can assure you there was not a dry eye. The sounds of the bagpipes bellowed out the message of courage, mateship, sacrifice and endurance. These are the words that are scribed on the granitestone templates that stand at the IsuravaMemorial Site. It is easy to take for granted the sacrifice of our forefathers to provide us with the freedom that we have today. On this day, the message of remembrance and gratitude was loud and clear as it entered the hearts and souls of those at the memorial. We were all there to remember and pay our respects to the brave men that fought and lost their lives during the Kokoda Campaign. The emotional impact was obvious as silence and a sense of humility fell over the group for the remainder of the day.

I know as I grow older, my life experiences will be the assets that will grow in value for me. In the end, they will be the most valuable things that I will be able to take with me. But it is not just the memories, these experiences are building blocks that continue to lay the foundations of my character. It has been said, “In life, we are the sum of all our experiences”. I have always been a person that has asked questions of myself as well as the world we live in. I am not always sure of the answers, but if I did not seek, I would not find an answer to even one question. I have been fortunate to have had a diverse life of experiences, both good and bad. I also know more experiences both good and bad lay ahead on my life’s journey, but my biggest fear is running out of time to do all the things I dream of. There is just so much to experience and to explore in this world, but there is also so much more exploring that I need to do within myself.

With each new challenge and adventure, I know I am contributing a new building block to my foundation of character. At the same time, I am exploring my inner strength’s and testing new limits both physically and mentally.

The Kokoda Trail not only challenges you mentally and physically, but it opens your heart and soul to a deep sense of humility and respect for others that may not been so fortunate in life.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

“Lest We Forget”

May their souls rest in eternal peace.

Please make sure you that on ANZAC Day on the 25th April you take a few minutes to remember our fallen soldiers. Their brave sacrifice will be forever etched in our freedom.

If you would like to view more pictures from my Kokoda Trail expedition, please visit the Corporatemonk facebook page http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/corporatemonk/58164569715

3rd Battalion Airborne Wings

During our service in the Paratroopers with the 3rd Battalion, we took part in the largest Military Airborne  deployment in Australia. We were being deployed into Silver Plains near Cohen in far North Queensland as part of the exercise Far Canopy. The exercise was part of a larger Military exercise currently underway called Diamond Dollar. Given the sheer size of the Airborne deployment, we were all excited as well as nervous.

We boarded the C130’s in Cairns fully kited out in our full combat gear. I was being deployed as part of Mortar Platoon, so I had strapped to my body an 81mm mortar tube which weighed around 6.5kg and was over 1m in length. I also had my battle pack and rifle strapped on my legs which weighed about 35kg as we were carrying in full battle ammunition and supplies.

The C130’s taxied out on to the runway in single line formation with their payload of Paratroopers. The engines roared to life on the C130’s as the aircraft picked up speed down the runway. The aircraft lifted off one by one, and they made their way towards the drop zone at Silver Plains nearly two hours away.

30 minutes out from the drop zone we hooked our static lines to the wire cable inside the aircraft. Today we were deploying using the “simdoor” rapid deployment technique. “Simdoor” deployments are where Paratroopers exit simultaneously from doors on each side of the C130’s. This exit strategy is very rapid and necessary when you have eight C130’s and 450 Paratroopers being dropped on the drop zone in a single line with one run.

As the aircraft closed in closer to the drop zone, you could sense the fear and apprehension of the men around you. We had completed all our equipment checks and we were 10 minutes out. At this stage, the nerves and the fear had increased, and you tried to give your mate next to you a brave smile and a look of “it’s going to be all right mate.” You know that you are all in it together, a band of brothers. These experiences perhaps explain why people that have served in the military together form such strong bonds of camaraderie.

The doors on both sides of the aircraft were now open and the wind screams in. It’s a chilling noise, and we know that we will be heading out through that noise as we roar 300 metres above the ground doing 120 knots. We receive the 30-second to go signal, the adrenaline starts to pump as we look our mates in the eye once last time. You cannot prevent going through your mind the worst case scenario of your parachute failing. “Red on STANDBY” the dispatcher yells out as the red light goes on, this is it, game on. There is not much going through your mind now but getting out the doors safely and landing in one piece.

“Green on GO” the dispatcher yells as the green light switches from red to green. We make our way towards the door with the wind screaming its horrible tune. I exit the door and get sucked into the slipstream along the side of the aircraft. I make my safety count of 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 and look up and my canopy has safely deployed, so I breathe a sigh of relief. Looking around, the sky is filled with Paratroopers, it was an amazing site as C130’s continue to drop their human payload up the full-length of the drop zone of nearly 10km.

I was in the last aircraft, so our drop was closer to the start of the drop zone. We had been dropped a little too early, so the trees were closing in on me quickly. They were not small trees either. I lock my body in as I came down in a tree, stopping about a metre or two off the ground. I had landed nearly 100metres before the start of the drop zone, but I was okay. I could still feel my heart pumping and the adrenaline running through my veins.

We moved to the forming up areas on the drop zone to continue with the exercise for the next few weeks. It was then that we found out that one of our comrades had not survived the jump. Lcpl Bateman’s main parachute had failed, and he was unable to deploy his reserve parachute. That is your worst fear as a Paratrooper, and on that day, it could have been anyone of us that had been assigned that parachute.

When you confront your worst fears, that is when you get to know who you are. We all have fear in our lives that we must confront each and every day. It is okay and natural to feel fear, but it is when fear controls your life that you may miss reaching your full potential. Feel the fear, get to know fear and respect it, but when it rises, look fear in the eyes and let it know that it does not control your life.

You can view more photos at the Corporatemonk facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/corporatemonk/58164569715

C130's making their drop at Silver Plains - Australia

Without vision and goals in our lives, it is easy to lose direction and motivation. Vision and goals can be related to just about any aspect of our lives, but the main areas would be health & fitness, family, work and self-development. Think of life as an arrow. Could you imagine if an arrow had no target or bullseye to hit? Firing an arrow aimlessly at no target is as useful as living our lives without vision and goals — the arrow, and our lives, could end up anywhere.

Having vision and goals that are too specific and over weight to one area of our life can also cause problems, as this can lead us to neglect other areas or people close to us. Losing balance in other areas of our life can have major negative effects and outcomes. I believe that it is powerful vision that drives and motivates us towards what we want to achieve. It is the goals that we establish along the way, which builds the bridge to turn the vision into a reality.

The world is where it is today because it has been developed and shaped by people with powerful vision.

Walt Disney, before he died, was looking out at a flat piece of land. One of his workers asked him what he was looking at. Walt Disney replied “I am looking at my mountain.” Looking out, there was no mountain, just a flat piece of land. However he sat there looking at the land for hours and hours. So the worker began to write down what Walt Disney was saying. After Walt Disney died and Space Mountain was built, when they dedicated it, the speaker said that was a pity that Walt Disney never got to see it. Walt Disney’s wife stood up and corrected the speaker and said: “Walt already saw this mountain. You are the ones seeing it for the first time.”

The above story about Walt Disney illustrates that when we have a powerful vision, we can see what the outcome will look like as if it is real. I believe that vision without action is an illusion. Therefore, when you have a vision that is powerful, and it is something that you want to achieve, make sure you establish set goals to ensure that you take the necessary steps to turn the vision into a reality.

We spend our time creating financial wealth and working to try to enrich our lives financially, but spend little time trying to enrich ourselves. When you begin to invest in yourself, life can become much more rewarding and satisfying. If you constantly invest in your health and fitness as well as develop your mind and self-awareness, you will always be growing in some way personally. It is said that one of the key ingredients for happiness is personal growth.

An investment in your health and fitness will ensure that you have the energy to do more not just with your day, but your life. You will be more productive at work and at home, and you will benefit from the positive feelings with the release of endorphins that come with regular exercise. You will be more alert and aware, and your positive feelings will not only attract opportunities, but others will we attracted to you.

An investment in your mind will give you better awareness and understanding of not just yourself, but others around you. Better self-awareness and understanding will create better relationships, as well as more control over your own emotional state of mind. Being in control of your emotional states will allow you to make better decisions with more clarity. You will also be better prepared to control the emotional states of mind that can be destructive, like anger, jealousy, fear, hatred and selfishness.

In the financial Services Industry, the most coined term is financial freedom. I believe to truly enjoy financial freedom, you must first have mental freedom, self- awareness and your health.

Mark Twain