Meet The Improver.

We’re super excited to be bringing you some of the good stuff today in the form of the wonderful human being that is our very own Improver – Jono Elliot. Business Psychologist, Leadership Coach & Organisational Development Consultant Extraordinaire.

Jono Elliot is a true embodiment of everything that a revolutionary stands for a wonderful human being through and through he has a heart of gold and a superlative growth mindset. Adept at revolutionising ways of being and doing with his progressive and pioneering approach to realising human potential.

In his thought-provoking debut takeover, Jono shares with us his internal philosophy – Life Takes Effort. A tree planter turned business psychologist, here he offers his wisdom and encourages us to approach life with a long-term perspective. That it takes effort to realise the changes and success we desire and that the twists and turns of life and self-improvement are all part of the richness of the journey.

Life Takes Effort.

I’m trying to build a joyous and delightful life. A life highlighted by strong relationships, meaningful doings, healthy habits and a good understanding of myself. I don’t believe this life appears by chance. No, it takes effort (at least for me!) to know myself, to deliberately work on my habits, and consistently show up in my relationships. My philosophy, Life Takes Effort, means acknowledging the need to put in the time, energy, resources, thought and focus to actively create the lives that we want for ourselves.

Our culture promotes quick fixes and band-aid solutions. We are being offered a torrent of hacks to attain success; headlines shout ‘10 Things You Must Do To Achieve X Y Z’. We expect everything to happen with a snap of the fingers; fast Wi-Fi, next day deliveries, our own personal ability to change, time to destination, etc. We are pruning the leaves and ignoring the roots. I have noticed in myself and in my coachees that this band-aid approach doesn’t work in a lot of areas of life, specifically self-development and soft skills. So, I am articulating this philosophy to encourage you, and myself, to adopt a long-term growth mindset.

Change doesn’t happen in the blink of an eye. Success doesn’t happen overnight. Life Takes Effort.

Pushing Through the Pandemic

I’m in a privileged position. My work has transitioned smoothly to the virtual world. I have a good amount of space at home, as well as strong wifi. I am healthy and fit and I am very grateful for my situation.

I’m also fed up with the ongoing restrictions just like you I’m sure. I am yet to meet my new nephew, who is growing like a wee shoot, and I haven’t been able to head home to help my parents on the farm. The joy and stress release of playing sports, a foundational part of my life, is no longer possible. The monotony of the same walls and uneventful days blur the months together. Excitement for the future is smothered by uncertainty. It’s easy to feel frustration and despair.

It takes effort for me not to go down a constant rabbit hole of ‘What If?’. I’m doing my best to ignore the ‘What Could Have Been’ train of thought and lean into the opportunities which are available. I intentionally work on maintaining equilibrium and finding ways to motivate myself. It takes effort to choose gratefulness over frustration.

Self-Talk & Habits

A brutally cold, wet and miserable tree-planting day springs to mind when thinking about self-talk. It was the middle of July, but the rain was bucketing down on us. My crew had already finished planting in two locations and we had just arrived at a new area. The truck was so pleasantly warm on the drive over and now we had to get out of this oasis and head back into the tempest. My inner conversation remains vivid in my mind to this day – ‘why leave the warmth and go out into that?’ Well, I was the foreman and my habit is to lead from the front. ‘Nothing to it but to do it’ I said to myself. The debate went back and forth in my mind, as I convinced myself to open the door and brave the cold. It took real effort, that inner dialogue, let me tell ya!

Changing our habits and building new ones is not easy. It takes determination, repetition and discipline to overcome our impulses and ignore the path of least resistance. It takes effort to tell myself to exercise in the uniformity of another pandemic day, intentionally stop flicking through Instagram, and not to slouch as I sit at my desk. It takes energy to adjust our habits and to continuously urge ourselves to show up and lead the best life we can. Life Takes Effort.

Strong Relationships

A strong relationship, for me, incorporates vulnerability, commitment, listening, assertiveness, being present, time together, trust and I am sure there are plenty more aspects I have forgotten. Considering vulnerability, this is one of the most effortful aspects of my life!! It is a challenge to share my emotions and inner workings with others, laying out my fears and anxieties – it is not easy for me to show up in this way. I would much rather retain a mask of jovial uncaring, but I know that if I offer a surface level of sharing, then I will only get a surface level relationship. Vulnerability creates depth.

It also takes effort for me to truly be present and listen actively. In this situation, I am consciously removing distractions (mostly my phone) and doing my best to just be, not judge, and seeing the world from the other person’s perspective. I can’t say I am very good at empathising, but I’m practising. On the other side of the communication coin, there is assertiveness, which may even be tougher for me! Expressing my needs clearly and concisely takes thought and preparation. Saying ‘no’ is not easy. The long and short of it is that I find relationships take time, commitment and energy in order to be strong. Life Takes Effort.

Emotional Intelligence

It was 4:30 am and I had just arrived at the bakery. As soon as I walked in, I could tell my boss, who had already been at work for a couple of hours, was not happy. There was deep gloom in the air – I could feel her emotions permeating the space and invading me. Instead of soaking them in and becoming a grumpy boar myself, I chose to ignore her emotions and do my best to remain upbeat. It was a chore and it took effort, but it gave me the autonomy to be myself and authentic to my own emotions.

Being aware of my emotions and expressing them has been a substantial learning curve for me. It has taken me a lot of practice to discern what I’m feeling and be able to express my inner world to others. The rewards have been awesome, as recognising my emotions helps put me in the driver’s seat of my life; encouraging me to choose how to act instead of just reacting to the stimulus around me. That being said, despite the practice, it remains an effort to pause, understand my emotions, and choose how I show up. Life Takes Effort.

Take Away – Food for Thought

Those enticing quick hacks won’t and don’t do our lives justice. It takes real effort to realise the changes and success we desire, to bring these realities to life we’d be wise to work on the roots as well as the leaves. Let’s commit to ourselves, put in the time, diligence, focus, thoughtfulness, rest, reset times, and energy to intentionally build the lives we want.

Wishing you warmth, focus and diligence!

Jono.

Ready to Join the Revolution?

We’re thrilled that Jono, is a part of our mission and our collective and we know you’ll be just as thrilled to work with him too!

Our pioneering programs and initiatives are uniquely designed for organisations to provide the foundations for human flourishing. Are you ready to reimagine your workplace and unleash the unique potential of your people? We’re ready for you.

Book in a free consultation today and let’s reimagine the future together.