After an hiatus of about 4 months from blogging today I share the six step to discovering your authentic swing.

1. Authentic Swing
“Inside each and every one of us is one is a true authentic swing. It is something we were born with. It is
something that is ours and ours alone. It is something that can't be taught or learned. It is something
that got to be remembered. Over time the world can, rob us of that swing. It gets buried inside us under
all our “wouldas” and “couldas” and “shouldas”. Some people may even forget what their swing was
like” This is quote is from the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance starring Will Smith, Matt Damon and
Charlize Theron. It is based on the 1995 book of the same title by Steven Pressfield and takes place in
the U.S. state of Georgia in 1931.
What is your authentic swing? What do you consider to be yours and yours alone?
Over the past year or so I have dedicated my time to mentoring a number of young graduates from the
University of Toronto. Marc S. who is a member of the City Centre Toastmasters Club is one of my
mentees. He would like to be a dentist and over the past year or more he has spent his time focused on
preparing for entrance exams and interviews with dental schools in Australia.
Two weeks ago while I was away working in Trinidad and Tobago I received a call from Marc S. He was
very excited. He informed me that he had just received offer of acceptance to prestigious dental school.
I was elated. Last week I received another call from Marc S. He was even more excited this time as he
informed that he had a second offer of acceptance to second prestigious dental school.
I am extremely happy for Marc S. His excitement was like a magnet with a momentous gravitational pull
that almost brought me to tears. I remember clearly the first time he told me that he wanted to attend
dental school. I told him that with a clear vision, goals and plan his dream will come through. I love when
others succeed because it inspires me. I believe that I have a natural knock for keeping others inspired
and motivated. My authentic swing is to inspire and motivate others.
Marc is reaping the benefit of power of belief. He did not need me to plant the seed of the importance
of self-belief to be convinced that he would eventually get accepted to multiple dental schools. He
needed reassurance. He needed a seal of approval or a vote of confidence. It is almost mystical and
magical when we belief in our abilities as it manifest things we once considered impossible into possible
and possibilities. Our authentic swing comes first from the power of belief and turning our dreams in
realities. This not faith but we may be considered so. However, it is by far the most powerful and
creative force in the universe. According to Albert Einstein, “imagination is the greatest creative force in
the universe”. Your authentic swing begins with a dream and the power of belief.
A good example of the power of belief is world record of sprint 100m. Remember 50 years ago the
100M world record was around 10.25. Today it is standing at 9.58 held by Jamaican Usain Bolt in at the
World Championship in Berlin, Germany on August 16, 2009. Here is an even better example. On July
30th
, I had the opportunity of listening to young Malala Yousafzai at the National Academy of Performing
Arts in Trinidad. In October 2012, Malala boarded her school bus in the northwest Pakistani district of
Swat. A gunman asked for Malala by name, then pointed a Colt 45 at her and fired three shots. One
bullet hit the left side of Malala's forehead. She was attacked because of her passion for education of

2. girls. Today, Malala travels the world as education activist. She is known for her activism for rights to
education and for women, especially in the Swat Valley, where the Taliban had at times banned girls
from attending school. Throughout history there are several example of mankind progression to greater
things by merely the power of belief, dreaming and taking action.
Below I share six steps to developing your authentic swing:
1. Have a vision and a plan. Visualise what you want and how to achieve it. Ask yourself, where am
I now? Where do I want to be? How can I get there? Email me at mastbmckenzie@gmail.com and I will
send you a copy of my developmental plan template.
2. Be proactive and actively seek opportunities.
3. Think outside the box. Do something new every day. Be innovative. Rekindle your childlike
qualities and take some risks. Don’t fail because of inaction but rather because of your determination
and courage to try.
4. Be passionate and enjoy what you do. This will increase your motivation to work hard and drive
up your creative energy for great ideas. Consider: What do you enjoy doing? What are you good at?
What do you dislike doing? Where can you improve?
5. Broaden your horizons and add new skill sets and competencies. The best way to increase your
capacity and exceed your potential is to invest in your own personal and professional development.
Network and connect with like-minded people. Sound your seductive siren. Read about me in Share
News.
6. Most importantly, believe in yourself.
What is your authentic swing? Have you discovered your authentic swing?
Mark McKenzie is a leading Subject Matter Expert in financial services regulation and supervision as well
as a professional motivational speaker, corporate trainer and youth mentor. He can be contacted by
email mastbmckenzie@gmail.com or by telephone 647-406-4622. Read my blog
http://mastbmckenzie.blogspot.ca/ and always write me a comment and share. Follow me on Twitter
@mackynacky. Connect with me on www.youtube.com, Google+, Facebook and Linkedin.