Make It Great - David Galbenski

David Galbenski, Founder of Lumen Legal, calls himself a “Thought Leader” and I think that’s as accurate description of him as possible for someone so engaged and involved in his business, community and family. There are many David-isms that have crept into the entrepreneur lexicon and even my vocabulary over time and there’s no surprise – he’s consistently making great thoughts and turning those great thoughts into action.  In fact, he’s so consistent that it may come as a surprise to some that he has “bad” days and rough times and needs to ensure that he aligns himself each day for great things to come. He exudes so much confidence and thoughtfulness that it’s surprising to some that he sometimes can start the day with the same sort of entrepreneurial, leadership or other personal fears that we all do from time to time.  He chooses to focus on something each day, however, and it positions himself intentionally in a place to make a difference and leave a positive legacy on all who encounter him. His contribution to Paper Napkin Wisdom follows this thinking: “Have Less Fear, Make More Love. Legacy = Cumulative impact of each NOW.” David humbly suggests that this kind of wisdom is a reflection of that which he has received from others. As such, he has created a mental exercise of mindset shifts that he enacts everyday. The first focuses on viewing the world from a place of more instead of less, or what David calls “abundance vs. scarcity.” The second concentrates on shifting from a sense of the world happening to him to making things happen” (the have vs. make part of his napkin). The final piece is about minimizing goals because of fear - approach from love instead. Another aspect of David’s mindset is the concept of four letter words - the “dirty” words in every entrepreneur’s vocabulary that must be changed or removed. Have less fear; make more love - each of these are deliberately chosen to help change your four letter word habits. The second part of his napkin focuses on legacy. The natural tendency of all entrepreneurs is to endeavor to define their legacy at the outset and attempt to control that legacy. In reality, however, legacy - you can only control each “now” - the accomplishments and moments that occur in your life. Be present in each now and your legacy will ultimately be the accumulation of all of these moments.  Entrepreneurs chart their own path and have an impact in myriad ways, but also must recognize that what you leave behind is, for better or worse, unlikely to be viewed the way you originally intended. This concept of legacy is also about authenticity, which must be practiced every day to ensure true presence in each moment . Authenticity is a part of being present - if you’re fully present, you’re bringing your true self to the moment. As David says, the magic happens in life when we are simultaneously vulnerable and authentic. When you are present in the now, you have also unloaded any baggage from the past or any unnecessary fear of the future. Fear can be the ultimate driver, but it can also hold you back from accomplishing the kinds of daily goals that David discusses. Envision a long corridor, standing from it’s precipice: the end of the corridor is your vision, but you might be paralyzed by fear in traveling down the corridor. Turn the metaphor from a corridor of fear to one of opportunity by taking one step at a time further into it. In most cases, once you start to progress, you gather more information from areas that you would not have seen if you remained at the original starting point. This information will help you to confirm your vision, or perhaps allow it to evolve into something greater. Listen to the podcast here: