Eric Rush was one of the keynote speakers at an Entrepreneur?s conference that I attended last week in Auckland.

As an Australian girl, originally from Melbourne, brought up on AFL, a Rugby Sevens – then All Black player was not someone that I had ever come across.

What a fantastic message he had. Inside a very entertaining personal story, I was left with two things.

• It is not the technical skill, knowledge or ability that makes the real difference in succeeding? he said. Knowing ‘Why?’ puts meaning into why you do what you do.’This made sense for me…knowing ‘why’ I am so passionate about changing gifting forever (so people no longer get or give stuff that people neither value nor use) has made it easy for me to work how hard I do. Having a purpose drives me.
• The other thing he said in the face of many knock backs his father always said ‘That’s just one man?s opinion’. Even when he finally made the All Black team his father said ‘That’s just one man?s opinion’ -another words you better keep playing really hard so you don’t get thrown off the team.I must concur, standing up for what you believe in, no matter how many knock backs you get, without taking it personally is key. And then when you are finally successful this does not mean becoming complacent…that is the time to keep reinventing yourself to continue to pursue greatness