Dancing the Zorba. On tabletop. At Necker Island. With Richard Branson on the table next to me!?

* Not an experience I ever envisioned having!

Let alone sharing publicly!

But if there’s one thing this eye-opening, growth-inspiring experience at Necker has taught me… Is the need to continue to develop, everyday, both personally and professionally.

As you are not doubt aware, August’s monthly articles have been dedicated to my recent trip to Necker.

For me, Necker Island was my present to myself for my 40^th birthday and something that has been on my List for Living.

(Rather than my bucket list – these are my goals that I set myself to do now!). 

It was an opportunity to reflect, celebrate and discover!

And what a trip it was…

“If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room”.

Never have I been challenged by this concept more, with around 30 people in the group who I was in absolute awe of, inspired by and lets be honest, pretty damn scared stiff of to start off with!

They were all bigger businesses, have achieved so much more, were doing such phenomenal things and so on and so on…

What I quickly came to realise was that they were all also feeling the same way!

It was by throwing themselves into these types of environments regularly, they had moulded their character, solidified their leadership ability, and contributed to building their phenomenal businesses.

An extraordinary opportunity to learn from an amazing group.

I’ve yet to feel more exposed, challenged, out of my comfort zone and like I’ve been playing way too small than I did when I was on the Island.

And then I realised….

What a blessing it was to feel all these things. As it’s this drive that propels us forward!

If you are surrounding yourself with the right people, those who scare you a little and push you to do better, it’s an automatic formula for growth. No matter what you are already accomplishing and how successful you are, putting yourself in these types of situations regularly and trying new things will help you live life to it fullest and achieve more than you ever dreamed possible.

When the penny really dropped; what an amazing feeling!

For me, Necker was not only stunningly beautiful, incredibly insightful, and quite extraordinary to share with such amazing people; it was also the trip of many firsts for me that I am incredibly grateful for…

For the first time I:

• Had the opportunity to get up close and personal with Richard Branson and some extraordinary speakers over meals and casual settings (I even wore bathers in front of them!)
• Took 4 flights and a boat ride to get somewhere
• Danced the Zorba on a table with Richard Branson, Adrian Grenier and 20 other wonderful guests
• Ziplined around Necker
• Sailed from Necker to Mosquito Island
• Looked out onto my personal balcony to over 500 flamingos
• Jumped into the water fully clothed
• Had a friendly turtle walk over my feet every morning
• Played tennis with Richard Branson watching
• Witnessed such spectacular beauty at every angle
• Listened to soulful sounds of Morley who played less than a metre away
• Swam in water so blue and sand so white
• Sat in the same space that the Elders sat, this was definitely a huge highlight:
  • By the way, the Elders are a group of independent global leaders working together for peace and human rights. They were originally brought together by Nelson Mandela. He asked each member to “support courage where there is fear, foster agreement where there is conflict, inspire hope where there is despair.” 

New things that we do or experience for the first time are all around us, however sometimes we’re just too busy to notice. Don’t take them for granted. Make sure you celebrate them and take the time to enjoy, reflect and appreciate!

(Words can’t describe the freedom, beauty and gratitude that you feel when you are on the Island. Put a group of entrepreneurs together, with some extraordinary speakers, and magic happens!)

You Takeaway Challenge

Find ways to regularly push you outside your comfort zone. Each scary step helps you gain new perspective, build momentum to want to do better, and get up close and personal with yourself.

Take action. Look to do something new at least once a month within your business, both personally and professionally. It will bring your attention to what you are doing and allow you to appreciate it a lot more. You’ll also start to see new things to challenge yourself with.

Any questions?

If you have questions on this topic or any others, feel free to reach me by email or set up a free one-on-one consultation session, or drop me a comment below.

Thanks for sharing!