You have 1 lifetime. That’s it!
Statistics Canada says the average life expectancy is 80.4 years. What percentage of that time have you already used?

I am talking about chronological age right now.  Many folks who travel in my particular circle neither act nor behave as “mid-lifers” because of their energy and enthusiasm, however, the facts are the facts.  An average Canadian is going to live about 80.4 years.

Every single day, each and every moment of our lives is a fantastic gift to be shared and valued for it’s place in our own life-time.  We have learned many lessons, garnered many relationships and pulled through some pretty tough stuff – all of us!  We have challenged, surmounted and won.

So what are you giving back? When does the ‘ME’ become Us, We, Our?

Am I the most brilliant person that ever lived such that people should be clamoring to acquire my knowledge? No.  Is Angela so far down the totem pole in knowledge and experience that she NEEDS to have a guide? Certainly not!

But what if…. what if we as a human race sought out others who we think could find value in learning from our trip-ups, who might just need a door opened so they don’t have to knock so often and so hard?  What if we reached out and shared those valuable tid-bits that took experience, pain and hard knocks to learn, then imparted a bit of wisdom to smooth the way for another?

How would you feel if when you went to work everyday someone was there to truly guide you and you didn’t feel like building your career was a continual battle?

Greater Than Yourself!

Reaching out, discovering your own strengths, uniqueness and talent.  Sharing it with someone who will really run with it and take it farther than you ever could!  Seeing the possibilities in the eyes of someone who knows how to shine.

I am not sure of all I have to offer, I have no idea whether what I deem as valuable truly is to anyone else, I guess I will discover that as time goes by.  What I do know is that I want with everything I have to tap into Angela’s needs and offer what I have with openess, honesty, integrity and without anything in return.  One caveat, that she one day seek out her own GTY project and pass it forward.

Is it leadership stuff?  Or life stuff?  Is it connections to take her where she wants to go? Is it tools I have found and successfully used? Who knows what the sharing will be, I only hope whatever is shared that it’s what will propel and launch Angela as far as she wants to go and much, much farther than I ever imagined. Why?  Because I believe she has what it takes, because I believe we can work together for a wonderful transfer of information and because she is truly full of amazing potential!

In April 2009, Angela gave me a call based on our past working relationship and asked if I would mind very much if we met to chat about some things she was working on and she wanted another set of ears for perspective.

Meet we did, and while we were meeting it became clear that Angela is on a huge growth path.  Her real desire to improve, become all she can be and develop personally and professionally is admirable.  She ‘gets it’ in terms of awareness that as individuals we have the power to create our own world.

It was a great meeting and we seemed to connect quite deeply, more than a former boss and employee, it was more like a couple of great friends.  It was the meeting that started it all.  The more I learned and read about Steve’s Greater Than Yourself, the more I believed we were a great match for this kind of a project.  Upon sharing the book title with Angela, she read it and she also shared it out with others.  Then when I asked her if she would be willing to be my Greater Than Yourself Project, she said yes!

We have since started feeling our way through “What would this look like?” and “What can Patti offer?” but the connection is already proving valuable in what I have recieved.  Nothing formal from Angela, that is not how it works – this is about what can be shared with her and what I can do to promote, enlighten, help, share knowledge and contacts.  The magic in this is the awareness which returns to me, the knowledge I learn about myself and growing myself as a person as a result of this connection – THAT is fantastic.  Thank you Angela!

Greater than yourself is a philosophy as written in a book by Steve Farber – a book like no other, which resonated with me because the idea is to work with others in sharing all you are and all you have that they may become truly “Greater Than Yourself”

I was first introduced to the book as a result of being interviewed by Zane Safrit on his radio program which is personal, passionate, opinionated and helpful.  Zane’s radio program covers, among other topics, Leadership, Business and Politics.  After that interview I became a regular listener to his radio show not to mention checking through the archives at which Steve Farber was also a guest on Zane’s program.  I was hooked and after listening to the interview with Steve, I immediately went out and purchased the book.

As I began to read his book I realized many of the things he was teaching are similar to what I already do, however, I have never before formalized or committed to it with any one individual.  Well, now I am making an investment in my own ‘Greater Than Yourself’ project and thought the commitment would become stronger if I did so publicly!

Welcome Angela Simms to Greater Than Yourself!