The Slight Edge by Jeff Olsen

Whenever I think of the Slight Edge I think what I always say, that the little things you need to do to be successful are just as easy not to do. This book helps put things into perspective and inspired me to prioritise. While reading this book, I continued to ask myself the question “what are the little daily actions I can do to step me closer to achieving my goals?”.

Layne x

My Monday Motivation book this week is Do The Work by Steven Press field. The title says it all … if you want success, you have to do the work. I challenge you to read this book in a day or even an hour! If you are time poor, this is the book for you. Enjoy!!

Layne x

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

My Monday Motivation book this week is Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers. I love this book because Malcolm talks a lot about the 10,000 hour rule and how investing this into your chosen pursuit will ultimately lead to mastery. It is easy to over complicate success so I love how Malcolm breaks it down and simplifies what contributes to success. The three unspoken elements really hit home with me … what is your ability, opportunity and arbitrary advantage? Never give up!

Layne x

Rising Strong by Brene Brown

Another one for the list… “Rising Strong” by Brené Brown.
I had so many A-ha moments while reading this book so I started reading it with a highlighter! It’s not our success or failure in life that defines us, but the way we recognise the power of emotion and vulnerability and take ownership of our stories. What stories are you telling yourself to justify your beliefs? Are you accepting responsibility or laying blame? Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate whole heartedness. This book exposed a few kinks in my armour and inspired me to reflect, reassess and respond. It’s a goer!

Layne x

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield is today’s book recommendation! This little book packs a powerful punch! Direct and brutally honest, The War of Art has the ability to teach us all how to own our shit, highlighting the self imposed limitations we weigh ourselves down with, through the guise of unidentified resistance and the need to persevere to succeed.
If you are looking for sugar coating, this may not be the book for you. This book jolted me out of a rut and reminded me that feeling fear is a good thing, it shows you what you have to do.

Layne x

Legacy by James Kerr

How do you turn vision into action, purpose into practice and pressure into results? Legacy is an insigh
tful read into what the New Zealand All Blacks can teach us about success and effective leadership. So many important learnings about respect, culture, pressure and integrity that I had to read it twice! To truly understand what it takes to leave a legacy and the significance of doing so, you have to read this book. Then it’s time to put the words into action and start leaving the legacy you were born to leave.

Layne x

The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield

It’s an oldie but a goodie! I was introduced to this book by a friend in the states and read it while competing for my 5th consecutive world title. Fittingly, this book taught me valuable lessons around letting go of the past, trusting in the moment and going with the flow. Filled with words that resonate with our deepest intuitions and inspire us to look within, The Celestine Prophecy took me on a journey of enlightenment and connected me with my vision. There is no such thing as coincidence, they are all planned occurrences.

Layne x

How has your life story shaped the person you are today?

In his book Discover Your True North, Bill George writes, “Your life story is your foundation. It shapes how you, as a human being see the world. And in leadership, the most human of all endeavours, it can propel you forward or hold you back.”

I believe our life stories do not determine who we are or define who we become. Our life stories inspire us to make CHOICES. Everyone experiences pressures and challenges in life, some more severe than others and all of us have to deal with fears, doubt, uncertainty and loss. As I stated in my previous blog about attitude, the way you frame an experience, be it positive or negative, directly determines how you respond. As we all know, you can’t always choose what happens to you but you can always choose how you respond.

The way you deal with your greatest setbacks and challenges shapes your character far more than the adversities themselves.

Several articles have appeared recently recounting facets of my life story. The sharing of stories provides people with greater understanding, a deeper connection and the permission to open up and share their stories too. Brenè Brown articulates it beautifully in her book Rising Strong when she says, “When we deny our stories they define us. When we own our stories we get to write the ending.”

When I reflect on my professional surfing career and the fierce competitor I once was, I can barely relate to that part of my life. I honestly believed that was who I had to be to achieve my goals. I was brash, extremely determined, quoted as having the compassion of a tiger shark; I believed I had to passionately dislike my competition in order to beat them, providing them with plenty of reasons to dislike me too.

Today I have matured into a woman who is more self aware, compassionate and proud of the life I have lived. Admittedly, I have made my fair share of mistakes and I have chosen to learn from them, let them go and move on. I am not defined by my mistakes, nor am I defined by my success – I am only defined by the person I choose to be. This requires the discipline to own my story and vulnerability and courage to share it with people I trust. I now share these lessons and teach methods on how to acquire self-awareness in my workshops and keynote presentations.

Your most deeply held beliefs, your values and the principles you live your life by ultimately determine the life you live.

Having grown up in the housing projects of Brooklyn, Howard Schultz dreamed of building “a company that his father would be proud to work at” after seeing his father broken from the 30 terrible blue-collar jobs he had over his life. His family were poor, uneducated and lived a life of suffering and struggle. He credits his life story with giving him the motivation to create Starbucks, one of the great business successes of the last 25 years. Schultz is proud of his rise from humble beginnings and to understand the meaning of his story took courage to confront fears and ghosts from his past.

Gaining self-awareness begins with understanding your life story. It is at the centre of your inner compass and an essential component of knowing yourself, discerning your passions and discovering your purpose.

So you see, it’s our own stories and most importantly sharing them that connects us to each other, allowing us to discover our inner power and strength.

When you know yourself, you are empowered. When you accept yourself, you are invincible.