Here is your Five-Bullet Monday for this week
Two quotes I am pondering:
"When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it." - Henry Ford
"Never give up on something you can't go a day without thinking about." - Winston Churchill
We have all had days when we feel on top of the world, all-conquering and triumphant. And then, a few days later, we feel discouraged, demotivated, and like we are walking in circles rather than going somewhere. These quotes are great for days like that because we have to tell ourselves to keep on until we can. It might not feel like it, but the progress we make through the dark times achieves much more than when it seems effortless.
A question I am asking myself:
What would my role model do in this particular situation?
At different times during my career, I have worked for exceptional leaders, and I have learned so much. To this day, when I get to a challenging issue or difficult decision, I often ask myself, "What would Mike do?" or "What would Ian do?". I have abbreviated these to initialisms like WWMD or WWID. It makes me think about the challenge in a whole different light, often presenting solutions that would not have naturally occurred to me. Next time you face a perplexing issue, try your WW_D. I think you will find it quite helpful.
A book I am reading:
Manifesto for a Moral Revolution - Jacqueline Novogratz
For those who have not heard of Jacqueline Novogratz, she is one incredible woman. She has been instrumental in supporting and securing micro-finance for thousands of small, indigenous and disadvantaged entrepreneurs in the third world. Through her organization, Acumen, or by herself, she has positively impacted hundreds of millions of people in poorer nations. "Manifesto for a Moral Revolution" is her second book, following her first book, "The Blue Sweater". It is a very inspirational and moving book, which several times brought tears to my eyes, and it has made me think differently about how I can be involved going forward.
My favourite podcast this week:
School of Greatness - Episode 1,133: How to Multiply Your Time & Income with Rory Vaden
In this episode, Rory Vaden explains a new concept on time management that I had not heard before, and it makes a lot of sense. Essentially, it's a method of prioritizing activities now that will create time in the future. They also talk on the podcast about testing our todos through the funnel of eliminating, automating, delegating and procrastinating on purpose. It is well worth a listen for anyone wanting to improve their time management.
My highlight from the prior week
Progressing Diversity, Equity and Belonging at Conuma.
Within our recently established Sustainability Team at Conuma Resources, one of our goals has been to intentionally and proactively accelerate our Diversity, Equity and Belonging (or DEB as we call it ) journey. Over the last month, particularly in the last week, we have made fantastic progress, very capably led by Christy, our Director charged with progressing this fundamental prerequisite for a modern sustainable mining company. We begin the program's rollout in the next couple of weeks which I will believe will be a watershed moment for our company and its employees.
My challenge to you for this week
Understand your body's strengths and weaknesses.
Staying on the body theme, this week, I want to talk about blood pressure. I am pretty fit and have a resting heart rate in the low 40's, so I never thought I could have high blood pressure if my heart were beating that slowly at rest. When I tested myself again last week, I found that wasn't the case, and my blood pressure was bordering on hypertension. I know that is not from stress or too much coffee, but it stems from too much sodium, to which I am genetically vulnerable. I am making some minor adjustments this week like reducing high salt foods like bacon and crackers and increasing leafy greens, legumes, and nuts. You may not have any issue with blood pressure, but I recommend checking just in case – after all, we only have one heart. So let's treat it like royalty.