By Andrew Collins, founder & CEO of Mailman Group
How much are you worth today? It’s a question we must ask ourselves as we embark on any new project. Depending on your age, experiences, financial situation, family and more – we make decisions as to what to get involved with, how much time to invest and what is important to you. I call this your ‘Net Life Position’ or NLP which can be the basis of all decision making.
Your NLP will change over time and if understood can be the driver behind any significant decision you make. To properly assess your NLP you must first understand three important things:
1. Personal Outlook (Where you see yourself going)
2. Minimum Commitment Return (what do you expect in return)
3. Personal Values (what is important to you)
So by understanding these factors you can better determine how and what to invest your life towards.
Your NLP will invariably rise as you develop greater skills and experience, however it’s possible it could also decline, as with the uncertainty any big economy may present – however by being accountable for the development of your NLP you can better improve it. Just as Richard Branson would now only consider high impact and billion dollar investments which align to his goals, you may now consider something much smaller supported by your own beliefs, but he too started where you were.
But how to improve this position? And more importantly how can you expedite your own NLP? Have you ever experienced a catalyst moment in your career, relationship or other where you felt a shift in your expectation? It’s these moments that will offer you the most life changing shift in your NLP and ultimately your success. You can improve your standing by investing in either of these two factors:
a) Discovering a new set of ideas and deeply understanding them (Low – Medium impact)
b) Consciously completing a well earned accomplishment (High impact)
For Michael Jordan he describes his catalyst as the ‘shot‘ as it’s known amongst basketball fans in which he nailed a basket in game 5 of the 1989 Eastern Conference against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a second to go, giving the Bulls a win to which they ultimately won the championship. He has since been often quoted as saying that ‘on shot’ was the most significant shot he took, which elevated his personal expectation and allowed him to develop as he did – to be the greatest of all time.
Take time to reflect on your own idea discovery or accomplishments which have supported your development – and if you find yourself short of a few then consider this. Are you giving yourself these ‘one shot’ opportunities? Or are you letting someone else take the shot?
Andrew Collins is the CEO of a multi-award winning social media and technology company Mailman. Based in Shanghai, Mailman is a leading provider of Asia online strategy and is responsible for connecting some of the world’s biggest brands, football clubs and celebrities with global Chinese consumers. Andrew was featured as the Top Entrepreneur under 30 in Australia in 2008 and continues to grow a extensive network of online media assets.
