Asked 3 different types of question

Naked Leader Week – 59 – Monday 14 June 2004

Thank you for the hundreds of e-mails you send me every week. Up to now I have replied to all personally, however many of your questions and comments overlap, so I will now use A Naked Leader Week to respond to many of these.

I am asked many different types of question, across the range, and bridge, between business and mind/body/spirit. This week I have selected three of the more unusual from the extreme philosophical / spiritual end. I have no “answer” to any of these, only thoughts.

Some of you will think, “Why don’t these people get a life?” I make no such judgement, I simply repeat them here:

“If my definition of success is failure, when I fail, does that mean I have succeeded?”

My short opinion is “yes.” Moving beyond the semantics, many people who achieve success, by their own definition, have experienced failure, again by their own definition. And there is the key, to me it all comes down to the meaning we give to those two words. So often we are urged to go for success without really defining it (while society does its best to tell us what it should be). Success in my view comes down to whatever you choose it to mean.

And as for failure, well, that word has become a phenomenon, with the very word making many of us scared and full of fear. Let me share what failure is…it’s a noun. So here we are, grown-ups all over the world running around being scared of a noun.

Success…Failure…Two nouns with only the meaning that you choose. And that meaning will decide the power they have against, or for, you.

“If I don’t believe in myself, does that mean I don’t exist?”

 The first time I was asked I thought it was a joke, and greatly offended the person asking.  Then I simply said “No, you exist whatever you believe.” Although I have to say that sometimes we all take this stuff, and life, too seriously. Indeed, it’s only when we cease this endless inner-voice analysis that we actually live, rather than simply exist.

“Why am I me, and not someone else?”

Asked three times to me at three recent events which makes me want to shout “conspiracy.” I often think people are asked these questions by those seeking to find “chinks” in one’s armour. Well, you won’t find any chinks in mine, just huge great holes! And this is demonstrated by my complete inability to offer much on this one, except perhaps this – you are you because you are you, and being the best in the world at being you is pretty important, because have you noticed, that wherever you go, there you are? And if you don’t be you and take ownership of the authentic and wonderful person that you are, someone else will.

With love to you all

David