Rarely does a good idea interrupt you - you have to go looking for them

If you consider that your life is one of learning, growth and development, you will never be stuck. Never stuck for an idea, never stuck for an opportunity, never stuck for a chance to be better today than you were yesterday. You will never be stuck going round and round doing the same things and getting the same results. That's what everyone else does, not you.

What did you do last week that will make a difference to the way your life turns out?

• What books did you read?
• What programmes / movies did you watch?
• What seminars / concerts / events did you go to?
• Who did you meet? What did you talk about?
• What work did you manage to complete?
• Did you find time to exercise your body as well as your mind?
• What did you give to other people as a result of the answers to those questions?

By that I don't mean - money or gifts, although it can mean exactly that. But I consider the gift of listening, the gift of attention, the gift of sharing an idea to be just as important, if not more important than something you can hold in your hand.

You see, the people that you interact with - be it face-to-face, over the telephone, via MSN or Email to be a wonderful way to pass on snippets of useful information to other people. You may have come across a fantastic new business and you know that your friends and colleagues would benefit from knowing about them. Do you keep that information to yourself, so no-one else discovers that wonderful quiet place where you can spend a spare half an hour? Well I would hope not, because if they relied on people like you for their new business they wouldn't be in business for very long.

Be known as a person who has valuable information to share, and no I don't mean you charge for it. And whilst we are on the subject of knowledge and information - I don't consider the sharing of tabloid gossip to fall into that category either.

Do not learn for the sake of learning. Learn because you take a genuine interest in your personal growth and development. You see, once you have decided that you will become better than you were last week, other people will see the changes you are making and will want to know what you are doing. And those who are ready to move on to the next level, will see and they will follow your lead. 

Remember, life is not meant to be a competition with other people. You have some amazing gifts and insights to offer other people. So why not share some of them.