Key Messages
Life’S Limitations Don’T Have To Hold Us Back: Learn The Secrets Of A Successful, Balanced Life
The Be Where Your Feet Are Book Summary highlights the importance of living with passion and authenticity.
Life involves trade-offs, such as forfeiting quality time with family or foregoing the opportunity to learn something new in favour of commitments that we are passionate about.
The advice from a highly successful businessman, loving father and devoted husband aims to show us that it is possible to experience success in both our personal life and professional endeavours.
Whether it be through the example of a Tongan family who sold their sides of their house, understanding lessons taught during a partnership with NSYNC, or finding out what we can learn from water buffalo, these stories open us up to the possibility of living full lives – filled with passion and authenticity.
The Value Of Being Fully Present In Life: A Reflection Inspired By The Experience Of Presidential Dismissal
In order to live a truly balanced life, one needs to be completely present in whichever activity one chooses – no matter what it is.
This is the core message that the author of Be Where Your Feet Are conveys through his own story.
The author experienced firsthand what it’s like to have all attention focused solely on himself after being fired from his high-profile job at Madison Square Garden Sports.
He then took a two-and-a-half-week holiday with his family, where he was able to give undivided attention and commit 100% of himself – with no distractions.
Doing so resulted in more joy and connectedness than ever before.
Today, technology makes it easier than ever for us to do multiple things at once.
Social media notifications, never ending emails, important calls – all these allow us to do things on the go which is convenient but can often distract us from our current surroundings and activities which can lead to an unhealthy state.
Life Lessons From Vai Sikahema’S Parents: Focus On What’S Most Important And Live With Passion And Integrity
Out of all the words of wisdom that Vai Sikahema’s parents imparted to him when he was growing up on the small island of Tonga, one powerful advice stands out: Focus on what is most important in your life and keep moving forward.
This is exemplified by the choice his parents made to sell off parts of their clapboard home – not to pay an overdue bill or put food on the table, but to fund a religious journey that would let them get sealed in New Zealand.
They chose their faith over material possessions, which illustrates how strongly they believed in prioritizing What’s Most Important (or WMI) in their lives.
Although Vai’s parents were driven by faith, it doesn’t mean that only those with religious belief should live this way.
Everyone can benefit from identifying WMI and focusing on it no matter what other people around you might say.
Whether it’s family or helping others or some grand ambition, as long as you stay true to and strive after whatever your WMI is, you will be able follow a life path filled with passion and integrity.
Fail Forward: Learning From Failure To Succeed In Life
Failure is an unavoidable part of life.
Even the most successful people will experience it at some point in their lives – maybe even multiple times.
The question then is, how can we use failure to our advantage?
The answer lies in the concept of failing forward or failing productively.
This means that we can reflect on each setback to draw lessons from and ensure our future success.
For example, author O’Neil had a failed marketing campaign with an expensive partnership with NSYNC, leading him to take stock of why he was finding it hard to succeed at work.
He realized that he had never taken the time to build meaningful relationships in the workplace and decided to correct this for greater success in the long run.
So remember, failure is inevitable but you don’t have to fail backwards.
Instead, embrace it as an opportunity for learning and growth by committing to fail productively.
The Message Of “Battle At Kruger”: Be A Team Player And Look Out For Others
As the author of “Be Where Your Feet Are” puts it, the key message he wanted to get across was that it’s important to be a team player.
We all have a responsibility to help each other out, whether in the workplace or at home, in our social circles or in our wider community.
He demonstrated this by showing his employees a video showcasing how a water buffalo calf had been able to elude its predators thanks to the efforts of other members of its herd.
They timidly but bravely stepped in and forced the lions and crocodile away from the calf, saving it from harm.
This simple story conveyed an important lesson – that no matter who we are or where we come from, if there’s something that needs doing or fixing, then don’t wait for someone else to do it – step up, help out and be part of a team!
It could be replacing an empty ink cartridge in the printer at work, getting refills for an emptied water cooler or kindly reminding our colleague about an upcoming deadline: whatever it is – let’s not miss out on opportunities to lend a hand.
Assume Good Intentions To Live A More Wholehearted Life
The book Be Where Your Feet Are encourages us to assume that everyone has good intentions.
It is easy to get angry when someone cuts us off in traffic or a friend doesn’t invite us to something, but we need to remember that people may be doing their best.
Maybe that driver’s rushing to the hospital, or they’re late for their son’s birthday party—perhaps they aren’t trying to intentionally cause harm.
Jill Snodgrass is a perfect example of how beneficial it can be when we assume that others are trying to do their best.
As a child, she had thought her biological mother abandoned her—so much so that it haunted her into adulthood.
But when she was older and better informed, she found the truth: her mother had given up custody due to difficult circumstances, trying her best for what seemed like the most reasonable solution for her daughter.
By assuming everyone has good intentions, our lives are improved and those around us feel more respected.
This simple shift in thinking can make an incredible difference in how we approach each situation and interact with others on a daily basis.
Trust The Process: Patience, Grit And Hard Work Pay Off In The End
“Trust the process” – three simple words that resonated with 76ers fans and eventually propelled the team to success.
Back in 2015, point guard Tony Wroten uttered those now famous words, inviting fans to have faith in his team’s rebuilding plan.
The purpose of “trust the process” is to emphasize patience and perseverance.
It encourages us to accept slow, incremental progress instead of seeking instant gratification and easy solutions.
There are no shortcuts on the path to success; you have to put in the hard work and dedication day after day.
That’s precisely what the 76ers did: they stuck with their plan for long-term growth, slowly building up their ability as a team until impossible dreams became reality.
The team emerged as one of the best basketball teams around – and it was all down to trusting the process and being patient.
If we want to reach our goals too, then perhaps it’s time for us all to start taking Tony Wroten’s advice: be patient and trust the process!
Wrap Up
The Be Where Your Feet Are book sums up the key elements of success into a few fundamental principles.
First, you need to be present and give the matter at hand your complete attention.
Secondly, live according to your core values and forget everything else.
Also, learn from your mistakes when you encounter failure; use those as learning tools instead of allowing yourself to be weighed down by them.
It’s not just about yourself – treat others well and be a team player, assuming everyone means well.
Finally, trust the process even though success can come slowly and requires a long-term plan and patience.
For those who want some actionable advice: write down what your errors have taught you in order to make it easier for yourself to take away any lessons from what you’ve experienced.
So list three mistakes that are on your mind right now with their related lessons as this might help in succeeding eventually!
