Your performance in an executive role is largely determined by who you're driven to be on the inside. Of course you'll be measured by growth in revenue, innovation in product or service offerings, P&L, shareholder sentiment, earnings and a number of other tangible factors. After all you have a company to run. But your leadership of all the people in your organization who are contributing to those factors is the foundation of the company's success.

What drives us as humans and what's important to us as people is morphing. Once motivated solely by money, ego and status we've become all the wiser to see that these are not aspects that bring us happiness, meaning, and purpose. Our motivations are shifting as a collective to that of connection, authenticity and compassion.

Working for someone that has no emotional maturity nor awareness of how they treat others is draining, toxic and infuriating. It causes mental and emotional strife for the people reporting to that person and becomes stifling to their confidence, trust, demeanor and ultimately mindset.

In today’s world, leaders of organizations HAVE to be innovative, different, creative to get people to listen. You have to catch their attention, inspire and intrigue them. Make them curious to learn more about themselves. Get them ready for their own journey and guide them on a path. Be brave, be bold, be progressive. By helping people connect with their Spirit you remove a lot of their anxiety that happiness lies in a new job, more money, or a certain title.

What the mind creates is a fictional story that you then choose to believe. Until you are awake enough to see it this way, you won’t question that story. You will continue to believe it and to build on it. You will continuously grant it permission to master you like a puppeteer, steering and controlling your behaviors, attitudes, self-criticism and judgments of others. This will happen your whole life unless of course you reach a point where you take self-responsibility. Only then can you outsmart the ego mind, preempt it and instead control it rather than it controlling you.

With self-work comes clarity and the ability to see the world around us from a new perspective. Most importantly, we can choose to live from a place of love and compassion rather than protection and ignorance. This will not only change your life in profound ways that you will only know when you know, it will change the lives of those closest to you. This is the real reward and how hard work truly pays off.

We must be more conscious of our thoughts, feelings, actions and yes, language. Most people are aware that there is energy in feelings but they’re unaware that WORDS CARRY ENERGY. An anonymous quote I love is a great reminder: “words are free but it’s how you use them that can cost you”.

“It's time for us as a people to start making some changes. Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live. And let's change the way we treat each other. You see, the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do what we gotta do…to survive.” - Tupac Shakur

The human Spirit, or life force within, is motivating us to move on from the past, from the way things were, from who we were. It’s always been there and now more than ever is the time to acknowledge and embody this within you. By embracing your own Spirit you can turn uncertainty into resourcefulness and cultivate a deep relationship with you.

The emotions that come in and out of our individual awareness, are actually not so individual. They are the same for all and no one is untouchable. What differs person to person is our reactions. The reactions, or responses, we have to the same exact emotion depend on our mindset (inner landscape and perspective of the external world), physicality (sleep, nutrition, exercise), and view of self (self-love, self-esteem, self-respect).

The emotions that come in and out of our individual awareness, are actually not so individual. They are the same for all and no one is untouchable. What differs person to person is our reactions. The reactions, or responses, we have to the same exact emotion depend on our mindset (inner landscape and perspective of the external world), physicality (sleep, nutrition, exercise), and view of self (self-love, self-esteem, self-respect).

Emotions from a long time ago still affect us as adults. I learned early on that external success does not mean emotional wounds have dissipated. They have to be healed and let go. It takes focus and effort to keep them from popping back up and playing out as a habit or pattern in our lives.

The art in learning to say no is not to do so in order to block others from penetrating your existence. The art is to be self-aware enough that you know when you are already depleted, or when something may be a siphon to your energy.

Remember the next time you get roped into a gossip session: The universe is aware of what you think, do and say. You do not have to engage or agree. Mind your thoughts, act in noble ways and use language wisely. 

Holding space is key to forming a true connection because it allows people to feel seen and understood. This sense of value and belonging is what’s at the heart of networking. Everyone wants to be seen, acknowledged, understood, accepted.

I simply mold myself to the moment I’m in and accept it for what it is - a moment in time. Lamenting on what I am missing out on adds zero value to my life, so I don’t let those thoughts germinate.

Careers are not static. Your current role doesn’t define you. Rather, your drive, your attitude, your ability to seize opportunity, and to seek improvement do. This is how you get closer to living your purpose and attracting abundance in your life. 

It’s time to embrace that real people attract real people, and that true confidence comes from introspectively nurturing our REAL selves. You can’t fake it, you must cultivate it.

I was traveling for business recently, walking through the airport, when a really happy memory played out in my head. Naturally, I started to smile. Little did I realize, I was causing a scene.

Most humans are never fully present in the now, because unconsciously they believe that the next moment must be more important than this one. But then you miss your whole life, which is never not now.