5 Powerful Tips for Successful Living by Scott Morrison
by Scott Morrison, Ex-Diesel, Levi’s, Nike, Saatchi’s and now Bringer of the Boom! Speaker. Movement Starter. Mentor. Author. Photographer. Street Wizard. Former DJ and Producer.
Originally published at fifteenseconds.co on February 10, 2016.
I’ve had some amazing experiences in my career and learned from some incredible leaders. I’ve also met some people who’ve said that the best advice should never be taken. I disagree.
Advice is the magic that creates shortcuts to better experiences. It’s the currency of the mentor, the gift of the story-teller and the most powerful inheritance we will ever receive. It’s the sherpa to your adventure, the secret weapon in your armoury, the Watson to your Sherlock. I want to share the top 5 pieces of advice I’ve been given with you. I hope you get as much from them as I did…
Give everyone 5 minutes
My friend was with Marvin Gaye during his European years. He sagely told me that Marvin gave this gem to him one day after he’d asked what the secret of his success was. It has double meaning for me. Firstly, when people want to speak with you or be introduced to you, give them time. You never know what you may learn. If after 5 minutes, there’s no chemistry then politely move on. Fundamentally, it also means that you should listen to what people have to say and connect with them before you launch into your story. I always ask people „What fires you up“ and let them speak. I’ve learned a lot from a lot of people that way.
Be passionate about something…anything
My old headmaster taught me this. If you can’t be passionate about something, how will you ever understand the visceral, animalistic, human connection others have with their passions. It could be stamps, flying or music…find your passion and nurture it.
Dance like Mandela
I was once in the presence of Nelson Mandela and, along with the rest of the room, realised he wasn’t quite comfortable in his surroundings. He was being managed by his team of people and it felt like he wanted to be set free from the rigid protocol of the event. When a song that had been written for him started, he shot up and joined the artist on stage, dancing and encouraging the crowd to do the same. It broke the tension and we all danced together — At that moment I learned that, as a leader, sometimes people just want to connect with you and see your vulnerability. When you show it, they will dance with you.
Done is the engine of more
This is from the legendary ‘Cult of Done’ manifesto and is the way I live my life. We can spend hours, days or months agonising on squeezing the last 20% out of something to make it perfect. By the time we’ve procrastinated, the opportunity has passed. Sometimes, you just need to get something 80% right and get it out there so that people can give you feedback — once you’ve done that, you carry on doing more because once you start doing and stop waiting the world opens up.
The greatest danger in life is not to take the adventure
I hope I don’t need to add anything further here! Just get out there and make your life happen.
Originally published at fifteenseconds.co on February 10, 2016.
