|
Maggie Webber had a seemingly ideal life. As wife of professional
golfer Brett Ogle, Webber jetted between five homes around the world
and lived a life of luxury. But the material things weren't enough.
Her journey of self discovery has led to a life in balance, a meaningful
career and lots of lessons for small business owners.
When Maggie Webber met Brett Ogle at the 12th hole of Kingston Heath
golf course, she was running a highly successful sports marketing
business. They married in 1990 and Ogle's career became the focus
of Webber's life. "I was Brett's wife, best friend, sports psychologist
and business manager. It took a long time to realise that some of
these roles were in conflict and that you can't live your life in
someone else's reflected glory."
Golf was a consuming business. Not only were there tournaments to
which they had to travel, but Webber juggled sponsorship commitments,
corporate golf days and media obligations, as well as being a mother
of two young children. And golf was big business. Webber quotes the
statistic that, in the United States, 83% of business deals are closed
on a golf course or at the nineteenth hole!
"I believes workaholism is just as detrimental to your health as other
addictions", she explains. "It's just that it is a "respectable" addiction,
which society condones, but it still numbs you and dulls pain through
constant hyperactivity. And that was definitely me."
By remaining frantically busy, Webber was able to ignore the fact
she was unfulfilled in her marriage and her life. But then the epiphany
occurred. By focusing on Ogle's needs, Webber had neglected her own.
"I realised that to reclaim my own life I needed to look within and
discover my true gifts. I like to use the analogy of the oxygen mask
in planes. Why is it that parents are instructed to put their masks
on before their children's?
"The answer is, that unless the parents are getting what they need
from life, they cannot help give assistance to their children. I had
to learn to look after myself, physically, mentally, emotionally and
spiritually first before I could help anyone else. I had done it the
other way around up until that point. It's when you put yourself last
that you get taken for granted."
At this point Webber read a magazine article about Deepak Chopra and
his Mind/Body Centre. "As soon as I finished the article, I called
the Chopra Centre and enrolled in a course," she explains. In August
1996 she attended a seminar by Chopra in California and learnt about
Primordial Sound Meditation. This was what she had been searching
for. After passing a series of exams, Webber became Chopra's first
meditation teacher in Australia and started her business "In the Zone".
Her marriage did not survive this radical transformation, yet Webber
and Ogle remain deeply connected. "I believe that the basis of marriage
is friendship. The irony is that, because of the journey I have taken,
Brett and I remain best friends. In some ways we are more married
now than when we were under the same roof."
Small
Business Lessons
"Bill Gates used to be called 'the six hour turnaround man'. He spends
just six hours out of the office before he is back. This attitude
can lead to a corporate culture that results in exhausted and unproductive
workers. But as masters of our own destinies, small business owners
have the opportunity to reject this concept."
Webber's advice to small business owners is to:
-
Begin with an honest examination all areas of their lives - career,
family, personal growth, health and finances. If the major focus
is work, it is definitely time to take stock. Lots of money in the
bank is no good to anyone if you lose your health, family or both
in the process of earning it.
-
Learn life-skills that such as meditation to help you deal with
stress.
-
Work smarter, not longer, by setting goals, multi-tasking and delegating.
- ·
Do not have a rigid list of priorities. Life is unpredictable and
we need to be flexible enough to adapt to changing circumstances,
rather than saying "I must do this because I have identified it
as a priority in my life".
-
Don't put your needs last.
A
New Life
Today Webber proudly boasts that she can accomplish more in 35 hours
than she did in her workaholic state. She makes fewer commitments
to extraneous activities and people, and is not afraid to delegate.
The key to it all is Masterminding, she says. "Small business people
often try to do everything themselves and find themselves working
70 hours and becoming ineffective because they are so exhausted. "Remember
though, you're only as successful as the team you have around you.
Masterminding means having good people to whom you can delegate. A
captain can't run a ship on his own."
She
doesn't waste time and energy on trying to change people, or on worrying
about what people think. She surrounds herself with good people who
are not only successful because of fulfilling talent but because they
come from integrity.
Work is on her terms. "As much as possible I work during school hours,
so I can spend time with my children, Christopher, 10, and Rachel,
six."
The four lessons she tries to live by are:
1. Speak impeccably of others at all times.
2. Never judge.
3. Never take anything personally.
4. Whatever you do, do it with passion.
Webber's mission now is to assist small business owners' to achieve
balance in their lives. She runs courses around Australia with the
primary message being, "if you don't go within, you go without." She
is also a sought after public speaker, and is working on writing two
books.
For public speaking, Maggie Webber can be contacted through
Speakers Network International on 02 9953 3399 or by email: contact@speakerseeker.com.
For business workshops, phone 0411 553 341 or email: maggie@bigpond.com.au
|
