First published 18 February 2019 on Your Best Year Starts Here with Nigel Risner.
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Nigel opened this one by welcoming everyone to episode 737. It was episode nine. He admitted he can't count and got straight onto something he cares about a lot, which is having a vision.
His version of a vision is something you could do in your lifetime, you just have no idea how. He wanted his book, The Impact Code, to reach a million people. Then his publisher came back with a run of overseas licences, China and India among them. He didn't know how the licensing worked and didn't care. He just knew the reach was coming. This podcast started the same way. He asked if I had the kit. We had no start date and no idea when iTunes would say yes.
I chipped in that a marathon is a great way to see a city. When else do you get round London with no traffic? Nigel's point was that running London is a goal. You do it, it's done. Running 12 cities over ten years is a vision, and once you decide on the what, the how turns up. Some friend in America who's desperate to do Chicago says come and join us. He made a vision board on a big course back in 1997 and reckons he's ticked off 90% of it.
But you have to tell people. Nigel's figure is that 90% never share their goals and then wonder why nobody helps. He'd barely said he wanted a healthier lifestyle before he was predicting the diet tips coming his way (I got in early with keto and low everything). There's always the 2% who'd rather your life didn't work, the psychic vampires from episode two. The other 98% are on your side.
Then values. Nigel's for 2019 was health, last year it was fun, and trust sits in there too. Mine are trust and love. I reckon everything we do comes from love or fear, and that starts with being honest with myself, because for a big chunk of my life I wore a mask. Nigel finished by asking me Disney's number one value. I said making people happy. Wrong, that's their mission. It's safety.
My notes from this one
- A vision is something you could do in your lifetime without knowing how yet. Decide the what and let the how turn up.
- Running London is a goal. Running 12 cities in ten years is a vision.
- Tell people what you're going for. Most never do, then wonder why nobody helps.
- Pick one value of your own to bring to the party. Nigel's for 2019 was health.
- In a team, trust has to be one of the values so you can tell the total truth faster.
You have to do it by yourself, and you cannot do it alone.
Nigel Risner
It's about coming from a place of love 'cause I think everything we do comes from love or fear. And I don't wanna be doing stuff because I'm afraid.
Neil Martin
