You know the tragedy is that many people die without discovering their gifts - or living the life that they could.

And why?

Because day after day we allow ourselves to live in a negative environment - and we tolerate it!! We permit ourselves to hear the doom and gloom that our news media offers to us and to listen to the nay sayers who are there if we give them time to talk. For many people they want to believe the worst.

And being an election year, all we are likely to hear is more of what is wrong about this amazing country of ours.

This has all made me think back to the KEA World Class New Zealander Awards I attended two months ago.

What a transforming night it was!!

So much energy, so much belief in success, so much confidence in a person's ability to achieve results.

It was a wonderful feeling being a Kiwi, and being part of that night. And I was not the only one that felt it - everyone I spoke to felt the same.

It was about remarkable Kiwis achieving remarkable things on a world stage.

Which makes it all the more remarkable that when we pick up a paper or turn on a TV we often get the opposite.

It makes me think just how lucky we are to be born here, in this country, in this time and with the remarkable opportunities that we do have all around us.

So let us celebrate being Kiwis who are able to achieve remarkable things. We have climbed mountains, split atoms, broke world records, and can do anything with No 8 wire.

We work with a lot of Kiwi companies that are doing exceptional things. And I can tell you from being over in Sydney a few times in the last few months - that good Kiwi companies are very good. That is one of the reasons Kiwis perform so well internationally. We live in a tough market and if you succeed here you can do it anywhere.

I believe that we are blessed being Kiwis. So I ask you, with immense respect for us all, to focus on what we can do to influence for the better - to focus on achievement and results and to provide leadership to do this.

As Robin Sharma said "Leadership is not about position - it's more about passion. It's not about the size of your title - it's more about the depth of your commitment. And it's not about where you sit - it's about how big you stand".

And as a very very wise man said "We become the change we want".

Let us make it one of exceptional opportunities.

Date: Sun 11th May 19:17 PM     Author: Terry McCloy