I felt like I had just jumped out of a plane: that momentary feeling of exhilaration. Meeting Richard Branson for the first time, in the same room where he hosted the Elders, I was honored to be standing where such influential leaders had previously stood.
I recently shared with you the importance of surrounding yourself with people who push you beyond your intellectual and creative limits, and I’ve also talked a lot about how it’s important to be in the right room with the right people. Being even transitively in the same room as World Leaders like Jimmy Carter, Kofi Annan, Desmond Tutu, and Nelson Mandela left me feeling inspired. Taking it even further, I was on Necker Island, Branson’s private getaway, as part of a Maverick experience with more than 20 of the smartest executives and entrepreneurs in the World.
Get a glimpse of what the Maverick experience on Necker Island was like, here.
Now, back in Baltimore, I’m feeling energized, enlightened, and eager to share my experiences with you!
During The Vision 2020 Project, a brainstorming meeting with Branson and Virgin Unite, those in attendance were encouraged to think, dream, and achieve bigger! In a room full of forward thinkers, we discussed what we want the future of entrepreneurship to look like. We contemplated the multitude of global issues entrepreneurs like you and I can solve collectively. That’s how big we should all be thinking!
A key take-away: whatever your goals, mission, vision, or dreams are for the future… you need to make them bigger. I’m telling you right now – they’re not big enough.
In his book, BOLD, Peter Diamandis details the idea of moonshot thinking. Diamandis explains, “Moonshots, by their definition, live in that gray area between audacious projects and pure science fiction. Instead of mere 10 percent gains, they aim for 10x (meaning ten times) improvements—that’s a 1,000 percent increase in performance.” What an incredibly powerful notion.
This is an idea we all need to get behind. Let’s all make our visions bigger. Let’s have a bigger impact, make a bigger change in our community, and bring bigger growth to our businesses.
Big-GER(3) is how we create this impact:
• G = get, grow, give – Embrace the idea that you don’t have to grow, you GET to grow. You get to share your dreams with others: give them the opportunity to share in your vision and growth.
• E = effort, energy, enthusiasm – Without the right effort, energy, and enthusiasm, you’ll continue to be a dreamer: your vision remaining science fiction until you make it reality. You have to put in the work and be passionate about it.
• R = relevant, raw, results – Milestones, big or small, should be celebrated; but be mindful that they are relevant to the end goal. Roll up your sleeves, be intentional, be raw: don’t let the fear of failure get in the way of results.
Our trip to Necker Island has taught me more than I ever imagined. Maverick’s conversation with Branson and Virgin Unite is far from over. We’re cultivating quite a powerful relationship together and working toward an even Big-GER(3) vision for the future.
Want to make itBig-GER(3) with us? Get in the game with Maverick.
