Nigel Cumberland wrote the book "100 Things Successful People Do" to provide guidance to clients on changing behaviors and mindsets to achieve their goals. He discusses lessons he learned from spending time in an Indian ashram about focusing positive thoughts and controlling ego. Cumberland believes basic life skills like career planning should be taught in schools but currently people are unprepared. He advises readers to reflect on their dreams, strengths and how to pursue their passions.

1. 4 6 ESQUIRE SEPTEMBER 2016
M A H B BOOKS
Learning
isforlife
BUSINESS
COACH NIGEL
CUMBERLAND
ON 100
THINGS SUCCESSFUL
PEOPLE DO
ESQUIRE: Why did you write this book?
NIGEL CUMBERLAND: Well, I’ve written books before, but
in the course of helping clients that I coach I’d been searching
for a tool that would guide them to change behaviours, actions
and mindset to help achieve their goals. These could be things
as small as losing a little weight or learning to drive, through to
being promoted at work, buying a house or retiring at the age of
50. People often have blind spots or are in denial. We do not easily
accept problems and aren’t open to asking for help.
ESQ: These seem to be universal and timeless lessons
NB: Yes, about 20 years ago I spent three months in an Indian
ashram after resigning from my job as a finance director in Hong
Kong and not knowing what to do with my life. I learned then
that it’s all about creating energy and connection. What you focus
on can become reality, if you learn to have positive thoughts and
live in a positive space. And of course controlling the ego is so
important — not rushing to react to certain situations. These
lessons that you learn in an ashram or from
Confucius or Buddhism, or whatever, are
all linked.
ESQ: Why aren’t these basic life skills
taught in school?
NB: They should be, and one day I’d like to
teach younger generations. I’ll give you an
example of where children aren’t prepared.
I was a headhunter for 10 years and I was
amazed at how badly people planned their
careers. It’s something that kids should
be taught early on, because they’re more
open, whereas, as adults, we don’t find it
easy to seek help.
ESQ: What advice would you give to
anyone who wants to make a change?
NB: It’s about being able to put all the
pieces together. What are you going to do
with your life? What are your dreams?
What are you strengths? Think about that
first because, whatever you do, money will follow if you are really
passionate. My book, and other books like it, help you brainstorm
and make those choices more effectively.
ESQ: How relevant is this to Gulf expats?
NB: I think we are forced to address these questions because
we don’t have a social safety net. Also, many of us have costly
lifestyles so we really have to get a handle on our money, our
career, what we are doing with our day, how much we are saving
and where we are heading. And life is much harder generally for
today’s generation in many countries than it was for our parents,
in terms of house prices, job uncertainty and pensions. So these
kind of books are much needed. We all need to review how we
are doing.
ESQ: What books should we read next?
NB: There are certain technical skills we all need, which might
pertain to finances, job-hunting or being a good parent or partner.
But we also have to be aware of the bigger picture, so books that
talk about the meaning of life are useful,
whether it’s Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist
or Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard
Bach or Robin Sharma’s The Monk Who
Sold his Ferrari. Different books work
for different people, but the point is that
people tend to make linear decisions
without ever seeing the whole picture.
ESQ: And what is that bigger picture?
NB: The first line of The Road Less
Travelled is “Life is difficult”. And that’s
so true. It takes effort, focus and planning.
And we’re not perfect, so don’t beat
yourself up about things, because that
impacts on how you come across to people.
All we need to do is improve by a few
percent. The last page of my book says,
“Whatever happens, life goes on”. We
shouldn’t be disappointed when things
don’t work out. But life does go on!
YOUR NEXT THREE
SELF-IMPROVEMENT BOOKS
FOR HAPPINESS AND
PRODUCTIVITY
The Slight Edge,
by Jeff Olson
How small, daily simple
disciplines will guide you
to greater success and
happiness.
The 4-Hour Workweek,
by Tim Ferriss
How to beat the nine-to-five
system by using time more
productively and learning
how to ignore and delegate.
FOR LEARNING HOW
TO MAKE MONEY
Rich Dad, Poor Dad,
by Robert Kiyosaki and
Sharon Lechter
A snapshot guide to how
rich people think about
money. (Tip: invest in
assets, not liabilities.)
About the author Nigel Cumberland is an author, leadership coach and the founder of Silk Road Partnership, a Dubai-based global provider for executive
coaching and training solutions to some of the world’s leading organisations. He graduated from the University of Cambridge, has held senior corporate positions
across the world and is a certified Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coach. His new book 100 Things Successful People Do is out now
Self actualisation,
Don Draper style
INTERVIEWBYJEREMYLAWRENCE