It’s Monday again and it’s time to start the week with a good energy!
Monday Productive is a weekly interview format, featuring peak-performers from my network, who share 5 quick ideas on how to boost your productivity and stay at the top of your game.
Today’s guest is Patrick Hamilton Walsh. Patrick is an author, backpacker and business consultant. Whilst growing up in Northern Ireland during “The Troubles” he designed his dream life as a teenager and having laid out his steps to success, he became a Chartered Accountant and Taxation Lawyer in the process. In 2007, at the age of 28, he filled a backpack with what he needed, sold everything else, including his beloved Porsche, and for seven years explored the seven continents, travelling across 130 countries to meet as many weird and wonderful people as possible.
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1. You’ve travelled to 130+ countries. Why did you decide to become a backpacker in the first place? How did your life change ever since?
I decided to become a backpacker when I was only 16. I had a lot of work to do before then. However after graduating 7 times and becoming a member of 4 professionals, I soon realised that travelling would be my true education. It makes me more open, more aware, more insightful of other people’s cultures and it’s a complete blessing for me. So I would advise everyone, who can travel the world to get out there and do it, even if it’s the next country over to begin with. But it’s definitely valuable.
2. Einstein has a famous quote: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit”. Do you agree with that? Can you share some of the habits that keep you at your top of your game?
I completely agree that excellence comes from habits. I am a big believer in having strong habits, which leads to strong successes. As a result I have built a few habits in to my morning routine, which I do consistently. For the last few years I have 5 things which I do every morning:
✅ I get up and meditate. This opens up my mind.
✅ I stretch which opens up my body, my spine and allows energy to flow.
✅ I read something empowering.
✅ I learn Swedish (because I live in Stockholm).
✅ I write, which is also beneficial – to get your thoughts out.
They are all small things in the morning, but over the long term they can have a massive impact on your trajectory through life and can help you hit levels you could only dream of when you began. Make sure you set habits that benefit you. And stick to them.
3. One of the areas of the #perform framework is Effective Planning. How do you plan your time to ensure you stay focused on what matters most?
As a chartered accountant and lawyer by profession, one of the first things I learned, when I started my professional training was: If you don’t measure something, then you can’t control it. So for me – I always try to measure where I spend my time, what I spend energy on, who I spend it with. Because it’s so important to have effective planning. The only way to really plan effectively – is to actually review what you have been spending time and energy in the past. Look backwards to look forward. See where there was wastage, see where you were not optimal. And try to anticipate what’s gonna give you the most from the next period. Then set solid plans and live up to them. Make an agreement with your self to complete these tasks and do not let yourself down.
4. One of the things I find fascinating about you is your enormous love to people. You always look for something you like about the people you meet, and you vocalise it and make them feel important. Is that a strategy? I mean – were you always like that?
I think everyone is important. They are important, because they’ve crossed my path, they are important to their family, they are important to the community. Everyone is important so treat them as such. See the greatness in them and they will surely show you more of it. Making someone feel important is not a strategy. I want people to be seen. I think a lot of problems we have in society comes from – people are not seen anymore. They are just sort of cast aside and discarded. I’ve been blessed with happiness. I’m a truly happy person. And with that comes a lot of positive energy. So I just float around the world and do my thing. It’s not that I’m trying to do something that will make a massive difference. It’s just that I’m being who I am. And it makes my life a lot easier as a result. And therefore hopefully it makes other people’s day better, whenever they cross my path. And for those whose day doesn’t become better for crossing my path, I apologise, because I probably had an off that day. And that’s ok as well, as long as I’m not doing it that often. As all of us have that bad days as well – so don’t beat yourself up about times when you haven’t acted with your best behaviour. However, do try to keep it to a minimum and be your best self as often as possible.
5. Your new book Forgive me Sister is about the power of femininity. What inspired you to write that book? What’s the main message in it?
My new book Forgive me Sister is indeed about empowering of femininity. Femininity is a beautiful thing. It’s not something that men or women own. It lives in everyone as does masculinity. And both are good and both are needed. However I think, currently we live in a world that is extremely masculine. And we have very short term approach. And short term masculinity can be quite destructive. So what I say is – try and tap into your feminine essence a bit more. Because with that you will find love, compassion, empathy, joy harmony, the ability to give, the ability to see the bigger picture, the ability to put yourself in other people’s shoes and have empathy about them and feel their struggles. So the book is about that. And the main message is about how we can come back from tough times, be true to ourself and hopefully find that everything is actually on track and everything was meant to be the way it is. And yeah of course – I highly recommend you read it! Totally worth it!
[BONUS] Name one to three books that helped you to become a better leader?
The Science of Being Great by Wallace Wattles
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Life Is by Patrick Hamilton Walsh
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Happy Monday!
Stoyan
#MondayProductive #perform #productivity #author #backpacker #consultant
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