Don't Just Look Forward – Look Behind You

Written by: Steven N. Adjei, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

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We always think we have more to learn, more to offer, people to look up to, but sometimes we forget that there are people behind us, looking up to us, waiting to jump into our footsteps, just waiting for us to give them a little helping hand…

Better do the work, if you ain’t looked in the mirror yet

I don’t wanna live my life being a silhouette

You only see the silhouette, but don’t hold your breath…

• Silhouette – Little Simz – British Grime and BRIT award winner.
  

There were two things I dreaded going to when my kids were a lot younger.

Kids' birthday parties with clowns. And yes, Pantomimes.

Especially that ubiquitous annoying phrase...

‘’It's behind you…’’

In these times, we've become obsessed with learning what we think we don’t know. Self-help. Coaching. Continuous Professional Development. Training. Downloading popular podcasts. Books. We are all always striving to be better, learn better, become more successful, whatever that means.

We hear an awful lot about self-love: choosing ourselves first, and looking after ourselves.

Is this a good thing?

Absolutely.

But like all good things, there is a danger of losing our balance, resulting in forgetting what is behind us.

How about we took a different tack now and again? We talk about our purpose, our ‘why’ in life and how to help people and make people’s life better. How about making lives better for people who cannot afford our services?

I had a chat last week with an entrepreneur in the real estate and construction business. He told me the story of how he purposefully and actively goes into prisons to hire ex-offenders, just to give them a second chance and how some of his best employees have been ex-convicts. He pays them well, gives them fantastic training, but most of all, helps them to restore their dignity. Yes, he was intent on building a successful business, but he had not forgotten to look behind him in the process.

There are people with needs all around us. Some people just need a helping hand. A quiet word of affirmation. A handshake. A smile. A few hours of your time.

If you're a coach, could you donate maybe an hour or two every month to coach someone who desperately needs your services, but cannot afford it?

If you're a popular top podcaster, could you give a new entrepreneur, author, musician, or coach a lift by offering to bring them on your show as a celebrated guest maybe 3-4 times a year?

Denise Dixon did that for me on her popular podcast Pivot By Faith – my first time being a guest on any podcast. The opportunity she gave me was career-changing. It opened doors for dozens of other podcasts and gave me the confidence boost I desperately needed.

If you are an influencer, could you review and share a book by a new author to help them on their way? Share their music? Repost their story? Promote their product or service? That could make the difference between failure and success for them.

Sir Myles Wickstead and Christian Stadler did that for me. By agreeing to endorse my book Pay The Price on its front cover, it gave the book credibility which is a large reason it became so successful.

In my case, just giving young kids and adults a 7-day apprenticeship stint in a healthcare or consultancy setting has proven revolutionary in their life trajectory. Little for me, but huge for them.

We must remember, as we are looking in front of us to better ourselves, and have ‘heroes’ we all look up to, there are people also looking up to us – we are their potential heroes.

They are waiting for us to look behind us – eagerly waiting to walk in our footsteps that we leave behind.

And I don't mean our kids, friends or loved ones. I'm talking about the 'stranger on the street'.

So, it's good to look forward, but it's also good to look behind once in a while.

No matter where you are in life, there are people behind you that could do with a little bit of help. And I don't mean just throwing money at them, but real, tangible, timely, individual help.

Is there anyone behind you who could do with a little free, altruistic, helping hand, especially in these tough, tough times?

I bet there is.

We just need to open our eyes.

I certainly have had to open mine.

Three things to share:

1. I had the privilege to look behind me last week to share some insights into my world and the principles of my book, with some MBA students at Warwick Business School at the Shard, London. I was overwhelmed by their response, and humbled.

2. I was recently featured on the top podcast for business books in the UK, the extraordinary Business Book Club hosted by Alison Jones. You can listen to it here.

3. I’ve upped the pace of writing my next book, Chasing Permanence which talks about how your small business can thrive in the midst of accelerating change. I forgot how tough and time-consuming writing is! I could do with some shout-outs of encouragement or thoughts on the above article – hit me here. I’d love to hear from you, and I reply every single email.
   

And as usual, the links to my book, Pay The Price are below. I've had some brilliant reviews from readers all over the world, and I'd love to see yours too!! Click here.

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and visit my website for more info!

Read more from Steven!

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Steven N. Adjei, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Steven N. Adjei is a British-Ghanaian author, poet, healthcare consultant, entrepreneur, and pharmacist. He is the founding partner of BlueCloud Health (part of the Emerald Group), an advisory and consulting firm with offices in London, Dubai, and Delhi with clients all over the world. He has an MBA from Warwick Business School, and his first book, Pay The Price, is set for release on 30 August 2022.