I present this motivational (hopefully) presentation on lessons that life and good people gave me to learn. And it keeps on.

1. From Surviving to Thriving:
Personal Attitudes and Professional
Strategies for Success!
Erwin Schwella

2. 2nd June 2010
Erwin Schwella
2nd June 2012: Possible Scenario 2nd June 2012: Reality
• Chair Elect of the Public Member Interest Group of the
International Leadership Association
• Professorial Fellow at the Leiden Leadership Centre of
Leiden University, the Netherlands
• Member of the Statutory Training and Development
Board of the Namibian Institute of Public
Administration and Management (NIPAM)
• Convenor of he SPL Public Leadership Forum
cooperating with the Mayor of Cape Town to support
urban renewal with knowledge
• Member of the Board of the Stellenbosch University
Security Institute for Governance and Leadership in
Africa (SIGLA@Stellenbosch)
• Academic and community activism
• Numerous international travels, presentations and
publications on leadership and innovation
• Spiritual, personal and professional growth
• On the way to Norway via Amsterdam at 23:30 on
official University business

3. First Things First: The Essentials
• If you are going through hell, keep going!:
Winston Churchill
• Positive thinking will let you do everything
better than negative thinking will: Zig Ziglar
• If you don't program your life, your life will
program you!: Les Brown
• It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult
task which, more than anything else, will affect
its successful outcome: William James

4. Never Give Up

5. Live Life to the Fullest: The Value of
Happy Music

6. Live Life to the Fullest: The Value of
Humour
• Good humour is a tonic for mind and body. It is
the best antidote for anxiety and depression. It is
a business asset. It attracts and keeps friends. It
lightens human burdens. It is the direct route to
serenity and contentment : Grenville Kleiser
• A lesson: Do not Focus too Much on Yourself
– Rather gaze at the stars than at your navel!
– Viktor Frankl: Do you still have something significant
left to do?

7. Live Life to the Fullest: Be and Become
More
“There are two big forces at work, external and
internal. We have very little control over
external forces such as tornadoes, earthquakes,
floods, disasters, illness and pain.
What really matters is the internal force. How do
I respond to those disasters?
Over that I have complete control.”
Leo Buscaglia

8. Live Life to the Fullest: Be and Become
More
• You have been given so much, are you making the
most of it?
• Only you can make a difference!
• “There are scores of people waiting for someone
just like us to come along; people who will
appreciate our compassion, our encouragement,
who will need our unique talents. Someone who
will live a happier life merely because we took the
time to share what we had to give.”
• ― Leo Buscaglia

9. Live Life to the Fullest: Never Stop
Learning
• Individual and Institutional Learning:
– What happened?
– Why?
– What can I/We learn from this?
• Empowerment
– How can we build the learning back into the
system?
• Capacity building

10. Parables of Mice and (Wo)Men
• The value of parables as collected and collective Wisdom
• The challenge of parables: find the meaning and the
motivation
– Teaching children
• Two- or maybe three stories about “inspection”
– The Impact of attitude:
• We create our own reality story
• Yitzhak Perlman story: “- "You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to
find out how much music you can still make with what you have left."
• A marble boy and sweet girl story
• Throwing starfish in the sea story
• Alfred’s legacy story
• The Gambler story

11. Lessons About Strategy from a
Gambler
• Listen, Learn and Share

12. Advancing in Life Irrespective of Age:
Stay Graceful
A Prayer For Growing Old Gracefully
Lord,
Thou knowest better than I myself that I am growing older and will someday be old. Keep me from the fatal
habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and on every occasion.
Release me from craving to straighten out everybody's affairs. Make me thoughtful but not moody; helpful
but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom, it seems a pity not to use it all; but Thou knowest, Lord, that I
want a few friends at the end.
Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point.
Seal my lips on my aches and pains; they are increasing, and love of rehearsing them is becoming sweeter as
the years go by. I dare not ask for improved memory, but for a growing humility and a lessening cock-
sureness when my memory seems to clash with the memories of others.
Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be mistaken. Keep me reasonably sweet, for a sour old
person is one of the crowning works of the devil. Give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places
and talents in unexpected people; and give, O Lord, the grace to tell them so. Amen.
Author Unknown

13. Go Out and Do it Now!