What I Stand For

Meet Lawrence

My Purpose & Dream

I am in the business of inspiring greatness in others. I know this can sound rather grandiose, but basically this means helping others to unlock their talents for making their goals and dreams a reality.

My own dream is to liberate & inspire thousands of business owners, leaders & creative people to step up and step out in the direction of their most dearly held dreams. The reason that these groups matter to me is because of the positive impact they can have on the kind of community and country we can become.

My hope is to help create a future NZ where:

1. Everyone gets to be who they potentially can be;
2. There is more cooperation and collaboration; and where we
3. Secure the future for the next generation and the next.

My Core Values

The core values driving my vision of possibility are:

1. Impact – making a meaningful difference, quickly
2. Collaboration – working together to open up the opportunities for synergy
3. Inspiration – exciting others about what is possible for them and those around them
4. Audacity – being ambitious in the scale of goals attempted
5. Faith – trusting that there is always a better way even if it is not immediately obvious

My Roles & Goals

When I was yournger I took the advice of others and tried to focus on one thing and be come outstanding at it. The trouble was, I would become unhappy because there were so many other things I also wanted to give life to. I somehow felt incomplete and dissatisfied.

In the end I realised that I had to learn how to achieve in multiple domains at the same time. I wasn’t always successful (and I am still not), but I am always happier attempting to give life to multiple creative projects. I  just to focus on learning how to make this work.

Anyway, my  roles and goals to help realise my vision are:

1. Infopreneur

Goal: to generate online income, around my areas of expertise, to support my various passionate and creative projects.

This is my toughest goal area. It has taken me a long time to understand what is required for online success and even longer to change my business model and paradigm so that I could begin to succeed more easily. My main priority each month is moving forward my e-book and membership site projects while attending to business as usual with my mentoring and training programmes.

2. Entrepreneur

Goal: To grow the number of business owners on my mentoring programme so I can support the success of a larger group of Kiwi business owners.

This year I am focused on laying the foundation for growth in 2011. I have spent 3 years experiementing with various formats for the programme as well as creating an online community and resource to support the programme. Basically, I have been seeking the best way of meeting my business owner needs and goals. Getting together with this group of business owners is definitely right up there in terms of the most fun I have every month and I am looking forward to reaching more people.

3. Speaker/Thought leader

Goal: To become proficient in using web 2.0/social media to get my ideas out there and open up the opportunity to reach larger audiences.

This year I am focused on getting going with Linkedin, Facebook & Twitter as vehicles for getting my ideas out to more people and connecting with people in the way they want to be reached. It has taken me a while to get going with this but I am beginning to get my head around it. What excites me the most about web 2.0 is the way it puts the publishing of ideas back in the hands of every day people.

4. Author/Publisher

Goal:  To publish 4 titles on entrepreneurship and business success in November 2010.

During Global Entrepreneurship week in November, I plan to launch four new books on business success related to  starting a business, selling with integrity, using leverage effectively and turning your business around. I plan to make them available as free downloads to anyone on the planet during that week so I can get them in the hands of as many business owners as possible.

5. Arts Leader

Goal: To deliver my first koha-based leadership programme, for arts leaders, as a basis for taking it around the country in 2011.

I was fortunate, from 2006-2010, to deliver a series of leadership programmes on behalf of Creative New Zealand, to help grow leadership capacity in the arts sector.  I now want to take leadership training out into the arts community and reach those individuals and communities that have been unable to access what CNZ has to offer (like any government agency CNZ has a limited resource). There are fantastic people in the Arts trying to ‘make things happen on a shoestring’ and I want to support their success.

6. Artist

Goal: To exhibit another body of satirical work by the end of 2010.

I began exhibiting my work in 2008 and while most of my focus has been on writing the last 18 months, I want to get back to working visually. As an artist, my goal is to create work that invites people to:

1. Think differently about their lives, their relationships with others and the world they live in;
2. Participate in this process through playful laughter and debate; and to
3. ‘Step up’ and ‘step out’ and be more of who they really are and to give life to their most dearly held dreams.

7. Singer

Goal: To complete a regular programme of voice training as the basis for having a stronger foundation when I record my second CD in 2011.

I recorded my first CD in 2009. It came about more by accident than design. I had been going to Greek school and had become frustrated with how much time was spent teaching me grammar. I dropped out and decided to focus on learning some of my favourite Greek songs. I then thought ‘What the hell’ why don’t I record an album of love songs in Greek for my wife Maria.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, the project took me so far out of my comfort zone that my life changed. I realised that, as a form of creative expression, singing took me places that nothing else in my life did. The result was that I decided I needed to take what talent I had seriously and see what I could do with it. My 2011 project will be a jazz album but in English this time!

8. Golfer

Goal: To start developing my game in a disciplined way as the foundation for getting down to single figures in 2011.

I first grew to love golf from my work as a sports psych with elite players. I love the challenge of managing my limited playing ability around the course and controlling what is in my control. I would like to play better… but I never seem to make golf a big enough priority to actively improve. I want to do something about that so that I can play more consistently and be more comfortable on the course.