I was recently interviewed about my battle with cancer on Nancy Solari’s “Living Full Out” podcast (jump to the 15:45 mark to hear the interview). Nancy asked a very important question that went something like this, “Having won your battle against cancer, do you still worry/fear/think about it returning?”
And that question got me wondering. How many times have you let past experiences — both negative and positive — impact your leadership, decision-making prowess, and business performance in the present? If you are incomplete over a blown project, missed promotion, or failed business or personal relationship your leadership will suffer and you will lack the motivation necessary to create authentic business transformation.
However, getting complete with the past means you are OK with how things are (and are not) in the present. Being complete allows you the space to thrive, innovate, and be a successful, creative leader at work, home, and in your community. Think of it like this: Imagine walking around all day with an annoying jagged little pebble in your shoe. Every time you walk, run, move, or groove that nasty little pebble is there pestering you, reminding you its there, preventing you from focusing on the task at hand. But, as soon as you take off your shoe and remove that annoying little pebble, instant relief.
And as successful, high-achievers we’ve got to remove those annoying “life pebbles” from our past that we all get stuck walking on if we want to get complete and thrive in the present. To do that, practice these 3-Fs: Forgive —> Focus —> Forward.
Get COMPLETE in Three Steps: (1) Pick one area of your business or personal life where you are still incomplete. (2) Forgive yourself and others for how it went. If you can’t forgive yourself and others, you’re never going to be complete and improve your leadership. Focus on the present by declaring what you want to achieve. For example, “I will land three new clients in the next 30-days.” Finally, move your goal forward with one, small project-win to build momentum and advance your cause. (3) Take 10-minutes right now to get into relevant action about something, someone, or some project you are still incomplete with.
And that is what I did to move forward from the shackles of cancer. So to answer the question that Nancy asked me during the interview, No — I don’t worry about cancer returning. I took out that annoying pebble 15-years ago. Carpe diem…
If you get stuck answering any of these questions or need help getting complete to grow as a leader, leave a comment below or hit me up on Twitter @mpveltri — I’ll get back to you right away. And If you liked the ideas presented here, check out my website for more information: https://michaelveltri.com You will find a whole lot more valuable tools and techniques to help you make better decisions, fuel-inject your leadership, and create responsible results in business and life.