Smack!
A near death experience is like being reborn.
It hits you like a ton of bricks: it strips away all the conditioning; it strips away all the layers of inauthenticity, which have built up like plaque over the years; it reveals your naked self. No bullshit.
Let’s dig a little deeper. When I came back from my near death experience in 2014 I saw everything through fresh eyes.
Wham! I woke up to the reality that there is no future point to work toward; I woke up the reality that there is no delayed gratification in life.
What it all boils down to is that we must seize the moment: we must break through any fear; we must override our negative self-talk; we must live in the moment with compassion and love for both others and ourselves; and most importantly, we must do what comes naturally to us.
Unfortunately, it took nearly losing my life for me to become aware of how I was living: lacking spirituality; disconnected from myself; racing for the dollar at the expense of my health and my family. To make matters worse, I knew I wasn’t alone in living this way either: I saw it all around me in my colleagues and friends; I saw it in my community; and I saw it in the wider world.
How many of us delay inner joy and instead chase after fleeting moments of happiness?
Addicted to the new, to the shiny, constantly on the move—flitting our attention this way and that—and all the time trying to drown out an ever-louder cacophony of negative voices, a growing sense of dread, and overwhelming sense of fear.
How many of us live moments away from burnout? We lack resilience and feel like we are running on empty all the time.
And while it may be painful to acknowledge, how many of us don’t take personal responsibility for our situation and outcomes; instead blaming our conditioning, blaming our parents, or blaming our upbringing?
Here is the point: the only way we can make a difference and start healing ourselves and our world is to take personal responsibility for our actions and live in the now by mindfully and purposefully focusing on the present moment as it unfolds, without dwelling on what we have done or dream of doing. It is up to each and every one of us to step up, take more responsibility and assume a higher level of leadership.
So what’s the answer? The aim of my new book, Fierce Reinvention, is to encourage you and show you in simple practical steps how to reinvent your life and live it to the fullest, without constraints. By the end of reading it, my hope is that you will have found your soul voice so that you can be a better leader, and live a more productive and meaningful life, rich with unbridled joy and self-fulfilment.
In doing so you dare to become great.
Fierce Reinvention: A Guide to Harnessing Your Superpowers for Entrepreneurial and Leadership Success by Rand Leeb-du Toit ($11.99 digital, $15.99 print (USD), 2nd October 2017) is available from Amazon and other leading booksellers.