Powerful Lessons from Robin Sharma

I work on my self-care in a variety of ways, ranging from SoulCycle to Botox (you can read more about this here), from quiet time outdoors to reading. This past weekend was filled with the latter: my husband and I spent it at a camp on the North Pass in Louisiana (a beautiful river house accessible only by boat, with limited cell service, and absolutely no Wi-Fi). The beauty of the place is the scenery, of course, but the magic also comes from the lack of people, and the lack of noise other than birds, the river, thunder and rainstorm sometimes, and once in a while a boat passing by. It does wonders for my head-space; it is a place where I resource myself.

I spent part of the weekend finishing a book I started about 9 months ago – The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma. If you know me, you know that it never takes me 9 months to read a book; yet this one was so filled with concepts, advice, information, that it took me that long to fully process it.

Here are some of the concepts and quotes that most resonated with me.

On progress:

“Small steps over time generate big results.” What can I do today to make today better than yesterday? What can I improve today?

“The Daily 5: imagine doing 5 little yet important focused acts every day to get you closer to your most important goals.”

“Change is always hardest at the beginning.”

“Whether you think something is possible or impossible, you’ll most certainly be right. Because your belief determines your behavior.”

On the power of words:

“The words that come out of your mouth determine how you feel.” (not just how others feel.)

“Leaders Without a Title are truly impeccable with the words they use. They don’t gossip. They don’t complain. They don’t condemn. And they never swear. The only words they try their best to use each day are those that inspire, engage, and elevate.”

We all need to develop a “leadership vocabulary.”

On focus:

“Focus. To the point of obsession.”

“Shift from chaotic complexity to elegant simplicity.”

“Cut out all the low-impact activities from your workday to make room for an obsessive focus around your high-impact ones.”

“Use every minute of your time doing only those things that will get you nearer to where you want to go. Do fewer but better things.”

On kindness:

“Be awesomely nice. Please don’t confuse kindness with weakness.”

“Be tender and tough.”

“Leave every single person who intersects your path better, happier and more engaged than you found them.”

“Only hurt people hurt people.”

On thinking:

“Your thinking creates your reality.”

“Even one bad thought is like a germ in your mind that attracts more germs to it.”

“Any time your mind shifts into negative thinking, gently guide it back to thoughts that will support your commitment to show leadership and pure excellence.”

“Every thought you think generates a consequence.”

“One thing that makes us fully human is our ability to think about our thinking.”