Paris New York Milan Sydney Tokyo

How often do you see this ‘strapline’ on fashion labels, perfume brands and luxury stores?

Paris. New York. Milan. Sydney. Tokyo

Often, right? Just cast an eye through main retail precincts of Sydney and Melbourne and you see the world’s biggest brands strutting their stuff.

These cities are deemed to be the trendsetting cities of the world. Big brands borrow the cachet of the ‘big smoke’.

And right there in amongst all of them is Sydney, Australia.

One of the reasons I migrated from Johannesburg to Sydney was our aspiration to mix it with the big boys in the first world. (How are we doing so far J?) We looked up to Sydney in the same Dunhill and Prada does.

And we still do.

But I wonder sometimes if the ‘locals’ do? I am speaking to you…

When you go about your business selling merchandise, organising a delivery, planning an event, running a project or doing a leasing deal on some C-grade office space; do you really believe you are a leader of the pack?

I hope you do. I want you to. Because this IS one of the great cities of the world.

Only you will be able to tell by evaluating your own attitude when you go about doing these (usually mundane) things that make up your life and job.

Greatness does not only come from only working on big things; but more often from doing a great job of the small things in life.

Wrap that kebab carefully so that the juices don’t leak. Clean your delivery van. Dust the wine bottles on the shelf. Spell-check the document before you mail it. I think you catch my drift.

The way you do anything is the way you do everything.

In 2012, maybe we shouldn’t think about big, hairy audacious goals; but aim to do the little things audaciously well. 

Dennis

Dr Dennis Price leads Ganador Management Solutions: Making amazing things happen at the intersection of staff, consumers and brands.

PS: This is not a Sydney vs Melbourne discussion. I know Melbourne is rated one of the most liveable cities of the world and may even be better than Sydney in many ways; but that is not the point here.

On achievement and personal success

This is a multi-billion industry.

Millions of books and hundreds of millions of websites.

I have read on this topic extensively.

I have thought about it.

And here is my summary:

1. Have an idea/mission/goal
2. Break that down into actionable activities
3. Do it
4. Repeat.

That’s it.

You can continue to spend money and time on it and continue to follow as many gurus as you like. They may come up with more memorable one-liners. The timing of their message may be better; i.e. you may be more ready to hear their message later rather than now.

You may believe them more because they tell you they are richer and they have done it.

But they can’t teach you anything else.

There is a big difference between knowing something and doing something. If you know what you have to do and you don’t do it, you don’t really know. You have heard it, read it and understand it. But you don’t really know.

There is nothing more to know than these simple steps. And nobody can sell you a secret recipe or an action plan because there are no secrets.

Self-help gurus sell you the ‘illusion of action’ when you buy into their 12-step program. But that particular action is not going to take you towards your goal.

Only your own actions, directed towards your own goal will.

And that is entirely up to you.

Knowing it is not really knowing it- until you actually do it.

So what are you going to do about that?
Now?

Click ‘back’? Surf some more? Read another blog? Think about it?

Yeah. Good luck anyway.