Where did Jan-April go? 1/3rd of the YEAR is over. Wow.

Did you make it count?
Did you spend your time in a way that was worthy of you?

This ultra-short posting is simply meant to acknowledge the rapid passing of time and remind everyone – including myself – to use our time in that way; a way that is worthy of us; that brings out the best version of us.

Live wisely and joyfully.

It was full, busy, and mixed in terms of the overall positiveness of the experience. Still, I’m glad we had the opportunity. There was lots of learning and it’s always nice to have a change.

My students at INSEAD brought lots to the table as usual: a highly diverse, intelligent, interesting group of people.

We are literally about to back away from the gate at Singapore’s airport. We’re off for a couple of weeks of vacation in Holland before returning to Canada, so I’ll sign off now.

Wishing you all well. Savour the opportunities life gives you.

Happy April Fool’s Day everyone!

This is a photo I snapped on my iPhone today here in Singapore at the Botanic Gardens. Nice, isn’t it?

Wow – 25% of the year is behind us. Happens fast, no?

I hope you’ve made good use of your year so far. I’m doing reasonably well on that front, I believe, although I often struggle as a result of setting really high expectations for myself.

Today was a very good day. We spent it touring Singapore with a family member from Canada and friends visiting from China.

These are days I appreciate and remember. Love that.

Let!’s all have/create many more of those days as the year presses on.

To enjoyment.

The power is amazing. So is the beauty.

Below is a photo of it. I may add a video later too.

Why am I sharing this? Because I successfully stopped myself from doing something else “productive” so I could appreciate this special moment.

May you do the same for yourself today.

Peter.

I have the privilege of once again teaching Negotiations to MBA’s at this wonderful, very diverse, world-leading global business school called INSEAD. Outstanding.

My family is with me, which makes the whole experience joyful.

So why the title “Ahhh, Singapore”?

“Aren’t you working”, you ask?

Sure, but it feels like a working holiday for all kinds of reasons. One of those is because of where we live. The photo below gives you all the info you need: it’s one of the views from one of the windows in the condominium provided by the university. Fantastic.

So what’s the point of this post?

1. To give you a little update.
2. To give thanks and share the good news.
3. To encourage you to give thanks for something good in your life.

Enjoy the journey.

’til next time.

It’s a great explanation of the benefits of going against your fears in your relationships with others in your life – especially the people that matter to you.

Have a look:
http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html?source=facebook#.T17Vlmk6_5g.facebook

Wow – a whole month since my last entry. It’s been a while since I took that kind of time between blog posts.

It’s been a very busy time; mostly and unplanned busyness.

Early in the month, and unexpected but very serious health issue came to the surface with one of our family members (I’m not sharing who in order to protect this person’s wish for privacy). The situation caught us all by surprise and necessitated immediate hospitalization and urgent, major surgery. The surgery is behind us, but now the healing process is underway, and it will take some time and support.

In the process, a number of business and other activities/priorities got put by the wayside or rescheduled – as they should be.

So what’s this post for?

Simply to make the point that family comes first. And, it’s well worth the trade-offs and sacrifices. In fact, I don’t think of what we’ve been doing over the past weeks has been a sacrifice.

It’s been stressful, emotional, difficult, but also carried a certain beauty.

Huh? Beauty? Yes.

How?

Because there was an intense togetherness and a real sense of team as we all came together to help and support our family member and
each other as the crisis reached its apex and while the outcome was still very risky in terms of life or death.

If you aren’t close to your family, maybe it’s worth some new effort to get close. Or, if that feels like too much of a stretch (and sometimes there are very good reasons why it is out of the question) replace the word “family” with “loved ones”.

Here’s to honouring what really matters.

Sorrow and hard times come to us to crack the shell that encases our understanding.
– Khalil Gibran

It is tied to another good one:

There are few misfortunes in the world
that cannot be turned into a personal triumph
if you have the iron will and the necessary skill.
– Nelson Mandela

I got both of these thanks to a video on leadership I own; a talk given by Robin Sharma while in South Africa last year.

As I reflect on the past four years of my professional life, this holds true – although it’s only recently that I’ve become able to say this. These past years have contained many, many disappointments, many stresses, many miscues, and A LOT of getting knocked down and getting back up again.

In the midst of that, I would be lying to you if I said that I was sitting there saying to myself, “Hey, this is a great growth opportunity.”

No.

I was saying things like, “Why is this happening to me!?  This is unfair!  Where’s my reward for all my hard work?  What?  AGAIN?  This happened to me AGAIN? “

Sure, I can (and do) give myself credit for gaining lots of insights along the way, and for seeking out (and finding) growth opportunities at certain points in time, but I really think the overall theme of my mindset was some combination of surprise, bewilderment, deep deep disappointment, anger, frustration, indignation, a sense of injustice, and yes, sometimes even resignation and despair.

But now – I am delighted to say – I’m through the abyss.
I’ve let go of all the upset, and embraced the lessons.
This didn’t happen on its own, however, or by chance.
This is why the title of this post says “Hard Times Can Build You Up”
As Nelson Mandela so rightly puts it, it took A TON of will, and A LOT of skill.

Hard times can also break you down.  At a minimum, they’ll knock you down.

Sadly, some of us don’t ever get back up.

Sure, we look like we have, but in reality we are a shadow of our former selves.  An empty shell, walking around with a fake smile pasted on our faces.  That, my friends, is the real tragedy.

Did I have the will and the skill on my own to grow from this all the time?  Absolutely not.  “No man is an island”, said John Donne (I’ve used that quote before).   I got support from my wife, from friends, from other family members, from coaches, colleagues, mentors, courses, books, audios, videos, movies, even some TV series.

But I got there.

Now I can turn around and share what I have learned with others.  And I am – starting right here.

Wishing you triumph out of pain.

]]> http://peterhiddema.com/featured/from-pain-to-triumph/feed/ 0 http://peterhiddema.com/featured/the-great-tragedy-of-life/ http://peterhiddema.com/featured/the-great-tragedy-of-life/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:57:57 +0000 Peter http://peterhiddema.com/?p=965 I came across a quote today that I want to share with you.

It’s one I’ve heard before, but well worth repeating – and well worth remembering.

I was watching a leadership video by one of my favourite leadership thinkers – Robin Sharma.   In the video, he shared this quote:

The great tragedy of life is not death;
The great tragedy of life
it is what we allow to die within us
while we live.

– Norman Cousins

So true, and so easy to forget.

In the same video, Robin shared another quote I am fond of, from a psychologist.

Adults are nothing more than deteriorated children.

From this, Robin generated a powerful question:

What would the child you were think of the adult you’ve become?

Words to live by.

Let’s all live with these quotes and questions as our theme.

]]> http://peterhiddema.com/featured/the-great-tragedy-of-life/feed/ 0 http://peterhiddema.com/featured/what-is-success/ http://peterhiddema.com/featured/what-is-success/#comments Wed, 11 Jan 2012 13:40:08 +0000 Peter http://peterhiddema.com/?p=961 Yesterday my wife and I received a beautiful card from dear friends, congratulating us on the birth of our second child.

In it, there were two beautiful and important quotes.

I’m sharing the first one today, which occurs to me more like a poem, in fact:

To laugh often and much,
to win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better,
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch
or a redeemed social condition;
to have played and laughed with enthusiasm
and sung with exultation;
to know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived -
that is to have succeeded.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

In this material world we live in, where we are constantly tempted by (and measured by) the external signs of success that still leave us feeling empty, may all of us have the courage and perspective to keep reminding ourselves of WHAT REALLY MATTERS, as spoken so beautifully above by Emerson.

Speaking of what really matters, here’s a photo from yesterday our baby girl, now over a month old already:

Savour life’s special moments, life’s beauties, and yes, even (at least some of) life’s difficulties.

Collectively, they provide life’s richness.