If you say you are going to do something – make sure you do it.

This simple concept is something many people fail at following.

Throughout your day, how many times do you say you are going to do something – but in reality you have no intention of doing?

Maybe you have a desire to do something, but fail at putting yourself in the position of making sure you do it.

Seriously, think about it next time you tell someone you are going to do something.

I was once the King of talking about what I was gonna do…

My search for John Galt has led me to reflect on myself – understand and grow; in a word: change.

Especially, as a father …
how can I lead my girls to go out and achieve if they see me just talking about what I am going to do…?

The same is true with being a boss, or a husband or a friend.

Silly example, but interesting one to think about…

3 weeks ago, I overheard Adam tell Nic he would help him when some new furniture Nic had ordered was delivered – I am sure Nic didn’t expect Adam to really come and help – after all, Nic has a house boy who can do a majority of the work for him, not to mention labor is very cheap in Dubai.

I didn’t even think about offering to help!

This past weekend the furniture was delivered – and Adam spent half a day helping Nic get everything perfectly set up.

Over dinner that night, Nic mentioned how much of a help Adam had been – one friend of Nic’s asked Adam,   “why did you spend your day moving furniture at Nic’s house??”

Adam replied — Because I said I would.

Adam made a great point today – he commented how “make it happen..” has become a cliché, something people say just to say, with no conviction whatsoever.

Kind of like “drive safely..” or “I’m praying for you…” things people say just to say, without really thinking about it.

The “make it happen” I refer to has nothing to do with material wealth.
For me – “making it happen” means experiencing life to its fullest.

A few examples which I have highlighted in this blog:

• Since 1997, Jason Gorud and I have a dinner club.
  Although he lives in Singapore and I live in Dubai/France, we travel the world to meet up at least once every 3 months to have a “Friday Night Dinner.”  I am meeting him in New Delhi for an FND in a few weeks.
  We have experienced a Friday night dinner in many countries, at several of the world’s most famous restaurants.
• Romain (naseba’s IT director) and I go on a trip once year focused on Adventure.
  Since we started this club, we have visited Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Libya and soon we will go to Pakistan.
  (these trips are not expensive)
• Sophie and I take one week a year to experience somewhere new – last year we went to Cuba.

(I mention the above examples is to highlight inexpensive ways I enjoy experiencing my life)

Recently, I was interviewed by a reporter from the Gulf News who asked what is my ultimate goal in life.

As I answered, I thought back to a few years ago when I would have said “to make hundreds of millions of dollars.”
This is still a goal, however, my main focus and ultimate goal in life is to experience it to the fullest.  Ideally, at the same time having a positive influence on the people around me.

I try to encourage my family and friends, including everyone at NASEBA to set goals and dream — and do everything possible to achieve them.

To help motivate people at naseba to do something exceptional in their lives, we are doing a challenge which is not related to business, but will have a positive impact on the employees and the company.

NASEBA ROLEX Explorer Challenge

Over the following 6 months:
effective from May 15^th until December 5^th

The NASEBA employee who accomplishes the most exceptional achievement outside of work from the period between May 15^th – Dec 5^th will win a Rolex Explorer watch.

All naseba employees have the same opportunity to win this challenge –  on Dec. 10^th until December 12^th people will vote on naseba facebook who was the most exceptional.

The challenge is for any employee who works with naseba from at least May 15^th…
(thus people recruited over the next 30 days will count towards being eligible)

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A few great examples of people at NASEBA making their life happen in 2010 (the ones I know of):

• (pictured at the top of todays blog)  Durga, Neelesh, Suresh, and Burka took a week and rode motorcycles from Manali, India through Kashmir to Ladakh, “Riding the Himalayas” — across the highest road in the world.  (please visit naseba facebook to read more about their adventure – its incredible)
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladakh
• Andrei lost 60 KG in 6 months – although he lost his weight just prior to joining naseba, it’s a great achievement which has ultimately changed his life for the better.
• Adam Fletcher summited the highest treking mountain in the Himalayas.
• I swam the English Channel.

Even if you don’t work at naseba, think about how you and your friends can support each other to go after your dreams – and do something exceptional.

Don’t just go through your life existing.
Make your existence happen.

(This is a repost of a blog I did 9 months ago … I will do a follow up to this blog later today)

A few weeks ago, I read in one of the financial newspapers about the large number of gyms in America and the UK which have closed over the year because of “massive” drops in membership.

Today, I heard that my gym, an international brand of gym in Dubai has lost 40% of its membership over the past year.

To be clear, the gym I go to in Dubai has no joining fee and costs only 90 dollars a month – yet, 40% of their clients canceled or did not renew their membership in 2010.

Apparently, people are cutting the gym because of the economy…

Priorities.

Personally, I used the global financial crisis as a way to cleanse myself of the excess in my life.

The easiness of life before the crisis had made me complacent.

Sometime in 2009 …

I woke up one morning and realized I had stopped climbing higher on my proverbial mountain.

Basically, my world had become soft and cushy … without realizing, I had stopped climbing, set up camp and just enjoyed the cushiness.

Like a teacher slapping the back of a day dreaming students head, the crisis knocked me from my comfortable perch…

For many years, the plague of “comfortable” and “easiness” ravaged the world — this plague, or shall we call it “cushiness” made the world soft.

It made me soft.

That morning, I revaluated my life — where I was, as opposed to where I want to go; who I am as opposed to who I want to become.

I decided to do everything in my power to get rid of the “excess” and “fat” which clogged the path on my mountain.

My first step — I joined the gym.

How has the global financial crisis affected your personal priorities?

Instead of cutting out the gym membership – cut out the wine or alcohol, restaurants, and/or other superfulous expenses.

Cherish the opportunity of having less.

No matter where you’re from or how old you are — join the gym, exercise, get back in shape and start climbing again.

I intentionally keep naseba separate from this blog, however, as we are recruiting for Beirut and Mumbai, as well as for our current offices in Dubai and KL , I will use this entry to focus on naseba and to explain a bit of what we are looking for in potential recruits.

Several people have left comments about working at naseba, but I am not involved with recruitment.
Please send your cv and emails to the address listed on the advertisement.
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“naseba is not for everyone” is big and bold on our recruitment collateral.

If you are looking for an easy, cushy job with minimal return… naseba is not for you.

If you are a super bitch, who prefers to sit around and moan and complain about things, or someone who focuses on the negatives in life…naseba is not for you.

If you are sloppy, and have allowed yourself to become grossly out of shape…naseba is not for you.

If you are looking to be challenged to use your talent to the fullest; become the best, sharpest and successful person you can become – naseba is for you.

Download the recruitment criteria

“Pressure is a privilege.”  Billie Jean King

This is what Billie Jean King reportedly, replied when someone asked her how it felt to be playing in her first U.S. Open.

I like this quote.

I have hammered a similar theme over and over ….too many people waste their time searching for easier, cushier ways to go through life.

…we tend to forget that all great men and women who achieve extraordinary things … they didn’t t just “stumble” to the top of their proverbial summit; they didn’t just achieve without making it happen.

Think about the great people in your life.

What makes them great?
Are they constantly looking for cushier, easier ways to do things?  Probably not.

I think most people understand (but we often forget) that the greatest things in life are the hardest to achieve.

As Billie Jean King said, pressure is a privilege … if it was easy, everyone would go to the US Open.
If it was easy, everyone would be successful.

Yesterday, the story of Robin Titus and his recent promotion was on the front page of the Gulf News in the UAE.

The Gulf News is one of the more popular English newspapers in the UAE – and copies are on every one of the Emirates flights, thus LP and his great success story got massive exposure.

I am in NYC this week so I did not see the paper.

However, reading the story online this morning reminded me of something the journalist and I discussed….

During the interview, the journalist mentioned that both her grandfather and father worked for their companies for their entire careers … and most of her friends grandparents and parents did the same.

I told her that so did my father and grandfather …and so did many of my friends parents and grandparents

She asked my opinion on “why did our grandparents generation, and our parents generations worked for the same company for their entire life, but now our generation people often jump job to job.”

“Why is it different today?”

Tonight I am going out to dinner with probably the most financially successful friend I have.
(He and I went to Cal together)

He is the CEO of one of America’s most reputable investment firms which employs 1100+ people in 3 continents and manages 40+ billion of investments.

He graduated from Cal in 1994 and with the exception of his first internship, my friend has been with the same company since 1995.

He climbed the ladder from an analyst to manager to senior manager to vice president to co-president to the CEO and will soon be appointed to Vice Chairman of the firm … he achieved all of this over a period of 16 years.

Many companies tried to head hunt him, but he stayed focused and loyal to his goal…”I didn’t even take their calls …” he would later tell me.

he didn’t try to rush to the summit of his mountain – he spent 16 years learning, developing and climbing…. he understood there was no short cut.

Considering my friend helped build the firm from 1 billion dollars to 40+ billion dollars, and his chairman is a multi-billionare, it goes without saying that my friend is probably close to being worth 1 billion dollars …

Surely, one day soon he will be a multi-billionare.

Could or would he have achieved the same success if he had bounced from firm to firm to firm?

I don’t think so — he doesnt think so either.

The day I announced Robin’s promotion to the Dubai office, one of the sales managers who has worked with naseba for a few years walked up to LP and gave him a big hug … and I overheard him wisper to Robin: “Finally!!!!”

I never said anything to this guy … until he reads this blog, he doesn’t even know that I heard what he said to Robin …

However …. it’s a ridiculous comment, but at the same time … it’s interesting how this sales leader looked at the situation.

Finally!!! Robin was promoted to General Manager….

Robin is 25 years old.

We live in a world today where we want it all; we want it right now… and if we don’t get it.  Fuck it.  We’ll find something else to want.

To be continued….