Row Your boat

Hello All,

I have found myself recently beginning a new habit of multi tasking in the morning. I often workout to a DVD series in the mornings and since I have been doing the same workouts I have found I no longer need the instruction the entire time as much as just cues of when to change exercises. Since this routine has become very standard for me I found myself feeling like I was leaving something on the table each day in the work out time not being totally productive. The past couple of weeks I tried something new by turning off the volume while doing the workouts and listening to different speakers over audio CD's. I have been finding myself keeping a notepad close by to write down the thoughts or realizations I have while listening to many of my favorite speakers. Speakers like Robbins, Rohn, Maxwell, Ziglar, Dyer etc....

This last week there were several thoughts I heard that resonated with me so much but I wanted to share one thought by Dr. Dyer that I found to be so true. Now understand that my personality tends to lend towards the Ziglars and the Rohns of the world when being communicated to but for some reason listening to Dr. Dyer tends to really capture me even though his style is often monotone from what I typically seek out. On this one day last week I was listening to him speak of his love for his daughter and how he used to enjoy playing with her as a child in the pool or the ocean. He shared how she would often sit on his stomach in the pool and laugh and play and sing etc... He began to speak of a child's song we all know and have sang and then he opened my eyes to one of the simplest truths imaginable!!

He said when my daughter was young we used to sing a song and it went like this......Row.............................Row..................................Row

Don't speed, Don't race, Don't fly but rather ROW!!

and what should we Row???

"Your Boat"

Not your brothers boat, nor your fathers boat, nor your mothers boat but rather YOUR boat.

Now lets pause there for a moment because if this simple children's song never utters another word it has already given us incredible direction. In fact from my experience I would say a large majority of people live their entire lives without finding this truth. I see so many people "Keeping up with the Jones" trying to insure everyones acceptance of them and who they are "supposed" to be. I see so few people from my experience who simply choose to be who they really are. From the moment we are born we are essentially taught to be "good" boys and girls to do the "right" thing without really having the opportunity to determine for ourselves with cognizance what good and right are all about. I understand as children the instruction and discipline needed to protect us and teach us values but at what point in life are we taught to follow the teachings of the great thinkers like Plato, Aristotle and Socrates and search out right and wrong for our own understanding. I see many more people adopting their belief systems of how to build their lives then I do people using the Socratic method of questioning the beliefs they have heard so they can actively choose that which is right for them. In essence if we were created to be clones of each other, our parents, our culture then why were we given free choice?

As I listened to Dr. Dyer speak on this simple illustration it reminded me of how important it is that I search to understand who's boat I should be rowing!! It reminded me of how important it is to help others think of their active choice in deciding what's right for them may or may not be right for those around them. I often think of how exciting it is when my mind is working at actively determining what makes the world around me work. What do I agree with and what do I challenge. When I am in this mode I am truly alive and it makes a huge difference in each and every day and what I feel as a return on those days. On the other hand I have spent many, many days in my life looking up to realize the day has passed and I was on auto pilot for the majority of the time simply allowing it's truest opportunities to escape me.

I believe it is my responsibility to myself and those around me to remove the cruise control button and stay actively in the mode of choosing my directions, my thoughts, my habits MY Boat to row. I think it is all of our responsibility to support those around us in finding their boat to row instead of insisting that their boat look like our boat.

Dr. Dyer went on to make a couple of points further in this song about how the Row should go gently not violently, not struggling not frustratingly but Gently DOWN the stream. Not up the Stream, Not against the current of our inner direction but choosing YOUR Boat and enjoying the Row GENTLY, DOWN the stream.

I have found this year to be extremely rewarding on so many levels but this talk Dr. Dyer did for me at 5:30 in the morning last week while working out was in essence why this year has been so rewarding. I found MY Boat this year. I have spent many years attempting to shape and paint my boat as others around me have done.  I have spent years hoping everyone approved of what my boat looked like or the direction it was headed but this year was different. I looked at my 4 greatest things I love to do and I came back with Lead, Inspire, Communicate and Create. I started searching for anything that did not fit those 4 areas and began to look for ways to remove the items from my life that were not in my top 4. The more I determined this would happen the more it took shape. In fact it has reshaped several times through out this year and as I sit here ready to close the year of 2011 I am closer to being in love with everything I do than I have ever been in my entire life. I have seen people rise up from places I never could have imagined with talents in the areas I wish to removed from and I stand amazed knowing that it was my decision all along. I never understood what power there was in determining what will change and choosing to not yield to the voices telling me otherwise. I have had the same surroundings and people as many others out there who tell me you cannot leave that task you must row that boat no matter how heavy and awkward it may seem it is your to row!! All the while I struggle with their expectations and miss out on a gentle row through life. I listened to another speaker recently who reminded me that there are people who play at what you may have to work to do. Find what you love to play in and do that with every moment of your life! This year I found myself thinking a lot about my talents and things I really loved to do and I made active decisions to change course and go with the stream, gently rowing my boat, I encourage everyone who reads this today to ask yourself these questions;

Is it your boat?

Are you rowing gently down the stream?

Are you willing to know yourself well enough to make changes?

and finally.....

Are you willing to allow others to row their boats and help you play in life while they get to play as well at what you may be working to do?

It is early as I sit in a hotel lobby and the thought of getting others to experience a little of how great this year has been for me was an exciting thought this morning. After all it is one of my favorite things to do which is why I find myself waking up at 4:30 in the morning anxious to row my boat today! I wish to leave you with a simple quote today and I encourage to take 10 whole minutes and read this quote at least 4 times allowing it to truly sink in....

"Our Truest Life is when we are in our Dreams Awake"  - Thoreau

I wish you the very best year of your life in 2012 and I hope ALL of it is spent in your Boat!

You always were

"You always were"

I was reflecting the other day on a story I was told one time by a Young Life director when I was 18 years old. Young Life is a Christian organization that works within secular schools to create relationships with High School kids to share with them the story of christianity. Very often you will find Young Life leaders holding "club" on Monday nights where they will gather a group of students together and socialize by doing skits, singing songs and simply hanging out. The relationships they establish usually fall over to the point that you will also see these Young Life volunteers at High School activities like basketball games, track events, football games etc....

The story this one YL leader was telling me came back to me because of a message I was listening to from a life coach on CD last week. The story was about a person who had graduated some 6 years earlier from a particular High School and was really struggling at this particular point in their life. You may know what I mean, Have you ever been at a spot where you are just really looking for answers? Where you wish you had someone to talk to and be really honest with?

This individual decided to take a trip down memory lane one Friday night by going to their High School alma mater's home football game. As the former student reached the stands he saw his old Young Life Leader and moved to sit down beside him. At first sight there was that typical reunion you might have with someone from your past..

Tell me what your up to these days?

What are you doing for work now?

All of the normal things you could see being exchanged between two past acquaintances. Eventually they reminisced about times and happenings from when the former student was in school until eventually they came to a point where the YL leader realized there was something deeper going on in this former students life. As the YL leader recognized this he started to offer assistance and understanding and the conversation became a very involved one, almost to the point that they were barely aware of any football game being played around them. The former student poured out his heart and his issues looking for direction and the more he became vulnerable it seemed the better he felt about his situation.

There is such a huge point in that last line about having the freedom to open up to those around us and by having security in knowing someone will listen and care we become stronger as a result.

As the game neared the end there was a peace that the former student had found and a satisfaction that the YL leader had from giving and caring. The former student stood to leave and said "Thank you. I knew if I came to talk to you tonight you would be able to help me." Almost caught by surprise the Young Life leader questioned him and said " I am glad I could help but it has been 6 years since we have seen each other. How did you know I would be here tonight?" The former student turned and said with a smile "You always were"

There is such a lesson here in the way we should live our lives not only giving to those around us but giving with consistency. Our opportunities increase as we increase our ability to meet our opportunities. This Young Life leader set such an example in leading a life centered around giving to others but at such a high level that the faith of those who knew him, knew he would always be there. What message do we send with our lives each day?

Is it giving or taking?

Is it consistent or is it dependent on what mood we are in?

I was listening to a speaker the other day that reminded me of this message when he shared the "bookends of his day"

He said that each day he starts off asking himself a very simple but pointed question.....

"Who today can I add value to and how can I do it?"

He has realized that his mission in life is to look for ways to make differences in others lives and that will create his opportunities to succeed. I know that the more I learn in life the more I realize how awesome it is to think of others and how to help them. The more I exercise this option in life the more I find my own challenges disappear in the light of helping others face their challenges.

I loved his first question of the day but his SECOND question was the real awakening for me......

"Who today did I add value to and how did I do it?"
There is such wisdom in starting your day and ending your day knowing that our mission is to add value to those around us. The "BOOKENDS" of our days.

I feel very fortunate to have had both of these stories come into my life and I wanted to share them with each of you today. Know that today your day will be just as great as you make it for those around you!

Zig Ziglar has said for 40 + years "You can have anything you want if you help enough other people get what they want"

Have a great day and a Great holiday!!

Do you Run??

Hello All,

I received a video a while back that made me think about the normal process of life.

I think Life feels as if it is designed as a challenge; A challenge to remain motivated in spite of the routines that "Life" naturally seems to bring us. You know what I mean, we have to have systems and schedules which lead to routines in order to be successful BUT the real balance is not allowing our lives to be controlled by the routines that come along with building the necessary systems.

Let me give you an example.

In building our businesses we work very hard to examine each hour of every day and how to allow those hours to have measurement, goals and accomplishments attached to them. We look at our 3 major Calendars (Marketing, Operations and PERSONAL) and determine what we will put into our lives that will help us reach our goals for our businesses and for each of us personally. We try so hard to follow and refine our system so that we can get GREAT results from what we are doing.

We study the results. We discuss the results with those around us. We make decisions based on what the systems helped us create.  And finally we make alterations to our system so that we create a better system to perform at a higher level moving forward.

All of these things are needed to become better people. I have known people who do not have systems, who do not set goals and ultimately achieve very little professionally or personally in their lives. We must have Jobs and measurements and Car payments and House Payments and responsibilities and structure!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BUT

I want to always push myself to be stronger and I have to remember to PLAN on finding the excitement needed to build these great systems which allow me to truly succeed.

When I was a kid everything I did held excitement, passion, curiosity and the joy of learning. As I grew into adulthood the routines that started taking over seemed to zap some of that Joy. I know that we can have both!

We can set goals, build dreams, develop systems, help other people and remain passionate but this takes understanding. I mentioned that we should all have the 3 calendars in running our Businesses, I capitalized the PERSONAL calendar because I think people understand the reasoning for operations and marketing calendars (Responsibilities) but often take the PERSONAL for granted.

What feeds you?

This calendar should have Your exercise, Your reading, Your time away to re-energize, Your affirmations, Your time for gratitude, Your hobbies! Your Plan for Passion!!

As a kid it was so easy to have time to remain a kid but then it happened, we grew up. Lets make sure that the routine that life delivers as we grow up does not zap the joy and freedom we had as kids to do new things.

The day after receiving this video I had a talk with a friend of mine about how important it is for me to understand me. I need to plan to  make those things happen that feed my spirit. I hope this video means as much to you as it did to me. Systems can be great, Routines can be boring BUT Life should always be exciting.

How do you make this happen for you? Start with a PERSONAL calendar that can feed you with great things and then use that energy to build a great system for you and all of those around you to reach great goals!

Run Video Click here........

How to Be Dramatically More Productive, Successful, and Wealthy

How to Be Dramatically More Productive, Successful, and Wealthy
By Dr. Steve Sjuggerud
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Last night, I was out to dinner with a couple of the most successful guys I know – and they were giving me a hard time.

They were ribbing me about what Porter Stansberry calls "the Sjuggerud Advantage."

Hey, I can take it… The Sjuggerud Advantage, as I'll explain, is a major secret to my life's success.

The nice part is anyone can do it… The Sjuggerud Advantage requires no special skills. Let me tell the story…

We were at the Prime 112 restaurant in South Beach, Miami. It's a hip restaurant today, no doubt. As we were leaving, rap star Rick Ross was walking in, stepping out of his Rolls Royce.

Dinner was great… But my definition of a great dinner is "good times with good friends." I don't need a fancy bottle of wine or an unpronounceable delicacy to enjoy a meal.

Around 9:45 p.m., I started checking my watch… And Porter and the other guys at dinner gave me a bit of a hard time…

You see, I don't drink. I don't normally go out for fancy, three-hour meals. And most importantly, I go to bed early and get up early.

Porter was giving me a hard time about missing out on some of life's finer things. But I know these are parts of what Porter calls "the Sjuggerud Advantage."

I've heard Porter tell others: "You don't see the benefits of the Sjuggerud Advantage across a day or two. But over time, it adds up. The guy gets a lot done."

It might sound silly. But I think the most important part of the Sjuggerud Advantage is simply getting out of bed… but doing it an hour earlier than anyone else…

"Getting to work early is such a common virtue of successful people that I'm tempted to call it the single most important thing you can do to change your life," my friend Michael Masterson wrote in his book Automatic Wealth. Michael's a self-made multimillionaire.

And I agree with him…

I get more done in the first two hours of my morning than I do in any other four-hour stretch during the day. More importantly, I get my BEST work done then – with no interruptions and no distractions, just focus.

I probably take it too far… I've come to like driving the streets when they're empty, before the sun has come up. I think it's partly because I know I'm going to get A LOT done.

And I've found that once it gets past 10:00 or 10:30 at night, I'm not very productive at all. I'm tired, I'm sidetracked thinking about the day's problems, and I'm better off calling it a day and starting up fresh in the morning.

While Porter would likely tell you there's more to it, I think simply getting up early is the big secret of the Sjuggerud Advantage. It's the big secret to getting a lot done.

It requires no special skills to get up a half-hour or an hour earlier than you usually do. And most of the extremely successful people I know get their days started very early. It's a simple thing, but it could have a dramatic effect over time.

As Porter said, you might not see the benefits after a day or two… But they add up. You get a lot more done early in the morning… And ultimately, you become more successful than the next guy.

It costs you nothing, and it could make you dramatically more productive, successful, and wealthy.

It's certainly worked for me. I think it's the biggest part of the Sjuggerud Advantage.

It's so simple. But most people don't do it. Based on what I've described, though, isn't it at least worth giving it a shot?

Good investing,

Steve

9 Guidelines of Life by Steve Jobs

 

Great minds think differently. And it is one of the reasons for their greatness.

When I try to think of a successful person whose thinking and vision was so innovative it shaped the way we interact with the world – Steve Jobs immediately comes to mind. His powerful creative drive, endless search for perfection, and unconventional thinking made him a legend of this generation.
And while Steve Jobs is no longer with us, his ideas, his vision and his personal success story continues to affect and inspire millions of people in every part of the world.
Here are 9 Guidelines of Life that Steve Jobs himself preached and followed, be it when creating his latest iPhone, building multi-million dollar companies or when facing personal and professional setbacks.

1. Do what you love

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.”
“Follow your passion and money will follow” – is advice that has been repeated by so many successful people it almost sounds like a cliché. Yet when it comes to making a career and professional decisions, many of us believe that achieving success is about being practical, not about doing what makes us happy day in and day out.
Frankly speaking, you do not have to love your work to receive a handsome paycheck at the end of the month. But you should love what you do to become exceptional at it.

2. Develop beginner’s thinking

“There’s a phrase in Buddhism, ‘Beginner’s mind.’ It’s wonderful to have a beginner’s mind.”
In Zen Buddhism having ‘beginner’s mind’ refers to an attitude of openness, eagerness to learn and lack of preconceptions when approaching a problem or trying to find new possibilities. This is similar to how children approach the world (and how Steve Jobs approached it too).
Do not let your thinking be hardened by your past experiences or your knowledge. Keep learning as if you were beginner. As Zen masters say, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.”

3. Never fear failure

“I’m the only person I know that’s lost a quarter of a billion dollars in one year…. It’s very character-building.”
About 5 years ago Steve Jobs told Stanford University graduates that his biggest failures turned out to be his biggest blessings. If you look back on your life, you will probably come to the same conclusion – you have learned much more from your mistakes and missteps than you did from your successes.
Do not be afraid to fail. Failure is an integral part of success. It teaches us humility. It strengthens our character. It gives us a rare opportunity to start from scratch and to build something much grander and much more satisfying.

4. Break free from routine

“Kick start your brain. New ideas come from watching something, talking to people, experimenting, asking questions and getting out of the office.”
When we feel stuck and unproductive it is because we are – we are stuck in our office chair and we are stuck in our ‘left-brain’ rational thinking.
Solution? Spice up your routine! Nothing boost optimism, creativity and desire to work more than walking away from your desk and distracting yourself with a cup of tea or a conversation with an interesting person.

5. Say “no” 1000 times

“It’s only by saying no that you concentrate on things that are really important.”
Say ‘no’ to all the distractions that steal your focus and waste your time. Say ‘no’ to unrealistic requests and new commitments that put a strain on you and rob you of your family time. And finally say ‘no’ to the numerous opportunities that lead you away from the worthy goal ahead of you.

6. Believe in yourself

“The ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world are the ones that do.”
Every decision that we make is influenced by our self-perception and core beliefs. If we think that our efforts are wasted, we will never give it a shot. If we believe that what we do makes a difference, not only in our own life, but in the life of others too, nothing will be able to stop us from trying, even if our chances of success are very slim.

7. Persist

“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”
Five years after Steve Jobs had founded “Macintosh” he was fired from his own company by the person he himself had hired. If he had stopped at that, we probably would not remember his name right now. The fact that he did not care about being the biggest failure in Silicon Valley, the fact that he went on and built two successful multi-million dollar companies before returning to “Apple” and becoming its CEO is what made him so extraordinary.
There are always several roads that lead to the same goal. When one door closes, do not turn around and walk away. Look for another way to get in. It might not be the fastest or the simplest road to success, but it will still get you there. And in the long run it is all that matters.

8. Give back

“You know, we don’t grow most of the food we eat. We wear clothes other people make. We speak a language that other people developed. We use mathematics that other people evolved… I mean, we’re constantly taking things. It’s a wonderful, ecstatic feeling to create something that puts it back in the pool of human experience and knowledge.”
Do you work for the money or do you work for the cause? Do you feel people owe you something or are you more focused on offering your help if needed? Are you worried that someone could steal your best business ideas or do you give them away for free, because you know that making others successful is the fastest way to succeed?
We can either focus our mind on taking or we can concentrate it on giving. When you start with the idea of how you can contribute to the world instead of what it is that the world owes you, it changes the way you work, the way you interact with people and even the way you eat your lunch.

9. Live with purpose

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
There is really not much to add, except for – Thanks for the inspiration and following your heart, Steve!

From Dr. John Demartini you get what you call for!

Dear Brian

What you do influences what you have, but what you say has a big influence on what you'll allow yourself to do. What might happen if you spoke differently to yourself?

I once worked with a classical guitarist who had just enough money to get by from day to day, and he thought it was somehow noble to be a 'starving artist'.

One day I said to him, "I know you love music, but if you continue to play without rewarding yourself, your love for playing music could wane. From now on, your conversation with yourself about being a 'starving artist' is not to dominate your life." I had him begin saying, "I am a highly paid professional musician."

You may laugh at that, because it seems so simple, but he began saying to himself, "I am a highly paid professional musician. Whenever I perform, I receive new creative ideas on how to become even more handsomely paid."

About three weeks later he said to me, "An idea came to me last night while I was playing. I'll record my upcoming performance with the symphony orchestra and sell the tapes at the end of my shows. Nobody seems to be doing it, but I'm going to try anyway and see what happens."

The very first night, 75 people paid $10 each for his tape. He said, "It was amazing. No one had the courage to do this before, but I just broke through my psychological barrier because I decided to be rewarded for my musical talent and art."

Most people ask themselves, "How can I afford to do this?" It's much wiser to ask, "How can I become wonderfully paid to do what I really love?" Ask a different question and you'll receive a very different answer to the same apparent situation.

That young man now performs in Europe and all over the United States. He has played at Carnegie Hall, at many other great venues, and with some of the major philharmonic orchestras in the country. Today he's a noted soloist who has published CDs, tapes, and books. He has more certainty, recognition, and opportunities, as well as a great deal more money and fame. He's playing more powerfully than ever and loving it even more, and it all happened for him when he gave up the belief and affirmation, I am a starving artist. You'd have a hard time convincing him he's a starving artist now--he doesn't say that anymore.

Now, besides repeating his original affirmation, "I am a highly paid professional musician," he also says to himself, "I am one of the great classical guitarists. When I play, even the birds and animals stop to listen." That man is certainly inspired, and it comes through in his music. He definitely touches people. You're not alive just to get by or survive. You're here to realize your grandest dreams even if we are in a so called "bad" economy.

The more you're willing to act on them, the more you become of service to yourself and others, the greater your self-worth, and the more you'll spontaneously receive what you would love.

When you're more willing to share your talents, inspirations, and gifts with the world, the desired gifts you receive in return will be even more abundant. Likewise, when you're willing to receive rewards for your efforts, you'll be less likely to lose heart and motivation for doing what you love. The more you're willing to receive, the more you'll be willing to give. You can't escape the two sides of doing and having, giving and receiving, in order to be.

Love and Wisdom
John

Dr John Demartini
Human Behavioral Specialist, Educator, Author, Business Consultant
www.DrDemartini.com

What a Week!!

Over the past week we have experienced a holiday centered on giving thanks and I wanted to reflect upon that thought for just a few moments today. I have been talking to many people over the past week about opportunities seized and opportunities lost. You know what I mean, there are many things we can look at our lives and recognize where we have been in the zone! Things we have excelled in and made an impression on us as an accomplishment we are proud of, a goal met we have honor for or simply a recognition that we did something others see as noteworthy.


All of these events in our lives we should be thankful for but what about the majority of time in our lives when these things are not happening? What are we thankful for during those times?

I was talking to someone this week who was frustrated with their current position in life and what they see as their less than desired outcome verses their absolute belief in what their talents should be rendering. Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt as if you know your talent is not being rewarded fully? Have you ever felt like you are struggling to get back to where you have been before or where you know you should already be? I have and I think about those struggles with great fondness NOW.

At the time it is sometimes difficult to realize how awesome life is and how the opportunity to struggle is just as awesome! I found myself talking to one friend the other day and I felt like Dr. King when I said your real issue is "you have been to the mountain top" meaning he had been as high as most performers could imagine as success and recognition for a job well done. A million dollars or more in a years personal income is a great accomplishment for so many people but it has drawbacks standing on the mountain top as well. It has drawbacks when the people in the valley can look up and give you praise for a job well done. There are drawbacks when we are so high that celebration is appreciated more than the struggle is appreciated.

You see the mountain is a hard climb, rock by rock, step by step, slide by slide it takes fortitude and perseverance to reach the top of the mountain you see in your head. The challenge with feeling on top of the world is sometimes we are now able to lay down and take a rest. I mean we deserve it after all don't we? We busted our butts getting to the top! Let me take a little nap so I can just rest for a LITTLE while and then I will look for new mountains. If the feeling of yourself reaching the top ever sits in, be careful because you are likely to find that when you wake from your nap you have rolled off of the mountain top and are back sleeping in the valley. The people who gave you glory and praise now stand above you in the foothills and you realize your struggle must begin all over. The key to winning any struggle is always in your disciplines.

What does your day look like?
What have you built into your routines that insure your ascension?

Everyday I get up and now know that as much as I enjoy life and like to play and as much as I enjoy using my talents to give to others around me. My number one task is to take care of me!!

I must read daily
I must exercise daily
I must have devotional daily
I must be taught daily
I must be motivated daily
I must be grateful daily
I must celebrate my life daily
then and only then must I remember that...
I must give unselfishly to others daily!

Do you have a structure for your day, your week, your month that says you have dedicated time to you before anyone else?

You get to choose how you spend the hours of your day and I promise that in the course of your day, your week, your month and your life situations will rise and fall that are depending upon you to be your very best. Situations that will cause you to struggle in your climb to the the proverbial top of the mountain. If you have not been preparing yourself for these struggles routinely with discipline you could find yourself in the valley looking up to the foothills. Its up to you! What does your day look like today? Is it busy with tasks to get done? Your number one task in life is becoming a better you so whats your chosen course of development?

If you have been to the top it is sometimes harder to climb the second time than it was the first. The first time it was in conquering and the second time it is in returning to conquer. I have done both and I know that getting there the first time was sweet but getting there the second time was transforming me into an individual of certainty knowing that the decision to win is mine and mine alone. 

If you are one starting the climb today remember your disciplines and be so thankful you are making the climb with every step and every slip and you will surely arrive at the top.

If you have been one who has fallen off of the mountain it can be overwhelming at times, it can be deflating at times but you should be thankful because you have two things many around you do not have....

You have the memory of what it feels like to be on the mountain top and you have the memory of which path you took to get there. If you will learn to have thanks for these two things today you will begin to rise to new heights and hopefully never be completely on top again!

I am thankful for the climb and each and every opportunity I face to hold on tight and grow and I look forward to never reaching the top again!!
Video to showing it's up to me!!!

What an awesome moment and it took so Little!!

What an awesome moment and it took so Little!!

I was thinking the other day about how electronic our lives have become. On one hand I can become a little overwhelmed just like many of you at how fast life is and very often how little it requires human interaction as technology continues to grow. You know what I mean I am sure, things that used to be human interaction have very often been transferred to email, text, instant messaging in an effort to "speed up" the process.


The challenge becomes our responsibility of not using technology to such an extent that we forget the reason we do what we do in life. I guess where I am going with this is that if Human beings were meant to have relationships with computers and cell phones I think we would be destined for a very deprived society. Do not get me wrong!! I use facebook, email, text etc.. as much if not almost more than  anyone I know but I almost accept it as a challenge that I must find greater ways to remain connected to people so that I offset my distancing I have created through these "great" tools.

I was thinking recently of how much opportunity I have in knowing some really awesome people and even the tough time I have staying in touch with so many of them and it made me question, "Is there a better way?" I started thinking about my weekly routines and how many hours I have to reach as many people as I desire to reach and it just did not add up!

It was then I realized why these tools were created for me! Maybe a little ego centric thinking they were created for me but if they are in my life I am going to work on the best way I can own them for my own personal use. In thinking about my daily call routine and email routines I thought what is my daily text routine?? Is there a way I could use this device to stay more connected with people I want to reach but often because of busy lives we keep missing each other??

Could there be a better use for texting than "Don't forget the Milk" or "Where are you?" or "How long before you get here?" I started thinking about the many many names that pop into my head each day as I am doing consults, developing our company, building future strategies and for who? Mainly for people who are popping in my head all day long and I am too "slammed" to call!!

I started thinking is there a way to use these "toys" to really create a positive effect and multi task really getting the most benefit from these possible "tools" in the right hands with the right ideas. I started thinking about how I could develop a tool that would be used to simply further my mission in creating a culture in my life and the lives of those around me. What if I took the time to send real messages each day over text?

Messages like;

I was just thinking about you and I hope you have a great day!

I appreciate who you are, do well today.

I know you are making a difference today.

As I thought about how my day and the days of those people I care about could be lifted through sending a quote over a text message or an encouragement the same way. What spark does that place in each of us to do something better with our lives? How incredible would it be if we could create a culture of people using "tools" to empower the lives of those around them by texting positive thoughts and ideas to each other. I started to do it and on one day I sent a text to a dear friend named Mason and it was as simple as simple could get, I thought!

The question I posed over text message was this; "How awesome is your day?"

I thought I might get back "Really awesome!" maybe even "Going to be great thanks for asking" but it was to my incredible surprise that I got back the following email to the simple text message I sent;

Brian-

When I woke today I was sore as heck from my workout yesterday – it felt AWESOME!
I gave thanks that I could move and enjoy working out.
I walked through my house and looked at each of my three kids sleeping – it was AWESOME!
I gave thanks for my home and my beautiful children and the chance to watch them grow another day.
I made breakfast – eggs, blueberry smoothie protein shake and oatmeal – it was AWESOOME!
I gave thanks for the nutrition I was able to enjoy.
I loaded the kids in my truck and drove Aleasha, my 12 year old to her bus stop where she said “Bye Daddy, I love you” – that was AWESOME!
I gave thanks for her gift of love.
I drove Michael, my 13 year old to his reading therapy where he has gone for the last year to learn to overcome his reading disability – he is AWESOME!
I gave thanks that I can afford to provide him the extra help and for his perseverance.
I drove Julia, my 4 year old to her daycare and as I was leaving stopped outside the window to do a chicken dance and make silly faces for her and her friends – it felt AWESOME!
I gave thanks for her laughter.
I drove to the office and sat in my truck and thought about the two clinics and the people in them and the opportunity I had today to help them achieve more – the responsibility is AWESOME!
I walked into the office and was greeted by a huge smile from Jen as she told me I was just in time to join the TEAM for a huddle – the energy was AWESOME!
I gave thanks for my TEAM.
I then sat down to write a dear friend who cared enough about me to ask me how awesome my day today was – that question is AWESOME!
I gave thanks for the friendship I have found with him

Brian, my life is far from perfect, just as I am – but, I am in the perfect place, exactly where I am supposed to be and that is not only perfect, but it is AWESOME!
My life, Brian is AWESOME!

I am sure that the power we have to change lives is as real as ever in todays technological world. If that did not prove it then read this message again. I am forming new habits in my life using the tools I have at my disposal to remain connected to the people I care about and I hope you will consider developing a routine to do the same. I was thinking about this message and noticed that one day this past week I sent 35 text messages along the same lines as the one I sent to Mason. I have received many responses back but Masons still stands above all at the moment. The way he used technology to impact me a week ago makes me want to work harder at making a positive impact with ANY tool I can find.

What is your routine and how do you stay connected?

Have an awesome day!


Brian

Leadership sinks in!

Hello All,

I remember many years ago when a friend of mine (Dr. Jim Hoven) mentioned to me a book called "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" by John C. Maxwell. I eventually got around to reading the book and found some great principles in the book but I was not quite as excited as my friend had been when he finished reading it. Since that book has been shelved in my library I have been through so many other books and ideas by many great authors. I have encountered so many opportunities to apply the things I have learned and missed many as well. ;-(
I  read a another book released by John Maxwell a year or so ago called Leadership Gold all about holding us accountable as leaders in our lives. The people we affect, The decisions we make, The words we choose.....

It makes me realize more and more every day that my reality and my destiny are created by my daily choices on how I live and how I inspire others. There are times when you are placed in some sort of 
official leadership role that you think boy do I wish I was not the go to person all the time. Have you ever felt that just for a year, a month, a week or maybe even a day I would like to not be the one to 
give the final answer. The reality is that every human being is  a leader. We are affecting and leading the people around us to make decisions every single moment of our lives. As we interact with 
friends, family and strangers alike we make decisions that cause them to react so it is in our decisions that we choose to lead people. The question we must stop and ask is what is the predominant direction we are choosing to go?

What is the Attitude that I project every day?

What is the spirit that I instill in the people around me?

Is it a Positive one?

In reading the book I mentioned above there was such an awakening in me because I could see that my decision to be a good leader was evident in every word I said to ANYONE not just those that I am directly in charge of. If my attitude is on a downward trend there is no way that I can turn that off for just the people who are "in my charge". The decisions begin with me first choosing the effect I have on ALL people. The second is then replicating that same spirit in the people around me. WOW. Is that tough or what? My attitude as a leader will inspire others to make their own choices. It is so easy to say "Well they just don't do it right" or "They did not listen to what I told them to do".
These types of phrases can become "cop outs" or excuses as to why we are not seeing the growth or change in our circumstances that we want.

What effect are you choosing to make?

The next step that I saw John Maxwell overcoming as I read his new book was that not only was he being cognizant of the attitude he was projecting and how he was inspiring others but finally he was putting it all together by learning to listen to those around him. It was obvious he was beginning to trust them to start applying the things they were learning. This is HUGE! If I begin to cultivate the right spirit and then trust others to carry it out I can grow exponentially! 

Instead of me often feeling like Don Quixote stabbing at windmills I can start to feel that I am a part of an army that is accomplishing things by using the culture that I am instilling as a leader. We want 
easy answers but there are none. We want quick fixes but there are none. It is not possible for you to have any marketing, check sheets, measurement standards or magic potions that will alone cause your organization to succeed. While there are some great marketing items out there along with some fantastic check sheets that may bring additional amounts of success it all begins with personal 
accountability.

Am I creating a culture that should be replicated or am I creating a culture that is keeping me where I am? Even worse have I bought into the negativity that is so prevalent in todays world that it is causing me to shrink when I should be growing? It is all about starting with me and the people around me will make their choices based upon my leadership.It does not matter if I am the Business owner Leading my team, If I am the team leading my customers or if I am the customer leading my friends and family. It could be that I am the parent leading my children or the child leading others by what they learned from their parents. It all began somewhere under someone's leadership. Are we leading in a positive direction? Are we leading them to remain the same? Are we leading them in a negative direction?

John Maxwell points out the changes in his leadership style over the years. He points out that he remained open to learning what he was doing wrong so that he could improve upon it. As he shares through out the book it is more than obvious he built some great organizations to great levels of success but what has allowed him to continue to grow is being open to what's next. What can I do different with today than what I did yesterday that will have greater impact on the positive.

I recently made a comment to my friend Dr. Hoven about this last book being such an overwhelming amount of growth in John Maxwell and his ability to communicate through writing. There are so many authors who keep writing the exact same message they found success in over and over and 
over. I was really amazed at how much John Maxwell had managed not to simply repackage the same 21 laws in another format but it was obvious to me that he had really grown. Over the next couple of days that thought stayed with me and I started wondering why was it that this book rang out to me so loud and clear?

The answer was that I really needed it!

There are so many people in my life that are looking to me as a leader to help them reach their goals, it is without any doubt that this book was created just for me. I have really enjoyed applying these 
principles in my own life as much as sharing them with others and it is today that I stand here thanking John Maxwell for his growth as an individual that gave me such a great message to share. With that being said I ask one final question "Was it really John Maxwell that grew so 
much in the past 10 years or was it me?




Cool Leadership Video by General Stanley McChrystal

Thanks for taking the time to Lead!

Brian

No Left Turns

This is a wonderful piece by Michael Gartner, editor of newspapers
large and small and president of NBC News. In 1997, he won the
Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing.
--------
My father never drove a car. Well, that's not quite right. I should
say I never saw him drive a car. He quit driving in 1927, when he was
25 years old, and the last car he drove was a 1926 Whippet.
"In those days," he told me when he was in his 90s, "to drive a car
you had to do things with your hands, and do things with your feet,
and look every which way, and I decided you could walk through life
and enjoy it or drive through life and miss it." At which point my
mother, a sometimes salty Irishwoman, chimed in: "Oh, bull----!" she
said. "He hit a horse."
"Well," my father said, "there was that, too."
So my brother and I grew up in a household without a car. The
neighbors all had cars -- the Kollingses next door had a green
1941Dodge, the VanLaninghams across the street a gray 1936 Plymouth,
the Hopsons two doors down a black 1941 Ford -- but we had none.
My father, a newspaperman in Des Moines, would take the streetcar to
work and, often as not, walk the 3 miles home. If he took the
streetcar home, my mother and brother and I would walk the three
blocks to the st reetcar stop, meet him and walk home together.
My brother, David, was born in 1935, and I was born in 1938, and
sometimes, at dinner, we'd ask how come all the neighbors had cars but
we had none. "No one in the family drives," my mother would explain,
and that was that. But, sometimes, my father would say, "But as soon
as one of you boys turns 16, we'll get one." It was as if he wasn't
sure which one of us would turn 16 first.
But, sure enough, my brother turned 16 before I did, so in 1951 my
parents bought a used 1950 Chevrolet from a friend who ran the parts
department at a Chevy dealership downtown. It was a four-door, white
model, stick shift, fender skirts, loaded with everything, and, since
my parents didn't drive, it more or less became my brother's car.
Having a car but not being able to drive didn't bother my father, but
it didn't make sense to my mother. So in 1952, when she was 43 y ears
old, she asked a friend to teach her to drive. She learned in a nearby
cemetery, the place where I learned to drive the following year and
where, a generation later, I took my two sons to practice driving. The
cemetery probably was my father's idea. "Who can your mother hurt in
the cemetery?" I remember him saying more than once.
For the next 45 years or so, until she was 90, my mother was the
driver in the family. Neither she nor my father had any sense of
direction, but he loaded up on maps -- though they seldom left the
city limits -- and appointed himself navigator. It seemed to work.
Still, they both continued to walk a lot. My mother was a devout
Catholic, and my father an equally devout agnostic, an arrangement
that didn't seem to bother either of them through their 75 years of
marriage. (Yes, 75 years, and they were deeply in love the entire
time.)
He retired when he was 70, and nearly every morning for the next 20
years or so, he would walk with her the mile to St. Augustin's Church.
She would walk down and sit in the front pew, and he would wait in the
back until he saw which of the parish's two priests was on duty that
morning. If it was the pastor, my father then would go out and take a
2-mile walk, meeting my mother at the end of the service and walking
her home. If it was the assistant pastor, he'd take just a 1-mile walk
and then head back to the church. He called the priests "Father Fast"
and "Father Slow."
After he retired, my father almost always accompanied my mother
whenever she drove anywhere, even if he had no reason to go along. If
she were going to the beauty parlor, he'd sit in the car and read, or
go take a stroll or, if it was summer, have her keep the engine
running so he could listen to the Cubs game on the radio.In the
evening, then, when I'd stop by, he'd explain: "The Cubs lost again.
The millionaire on second base made a bad throw to the millionaire on
first base, so the multimillionaire on third base scored."
If she were going to the grocery store, he would go along to carry the
bags out -- and to make sure she loaded up on ice cream. As I said, he
was always the navigator, and once, when he was 95 and she was 88 and
still driving, he said to me, "Do you want to know the
secret of a long life?"
"I guess so," I said, knowing it probably would be something bizarre.
"No left turns," he said.
"What?" I asked.
"No left turns," he repeated. "Several years ago, your mother and I
read an article that said most accidents that old people are in happen
when they turn left in front of oncoming traffic. As you get older,
your eyesight worsens, and you can lose your depth perception, it
said. So your mother and I decide d never again to make a left turn."
"What?" I said again.
"No left turns," he said. "Think about it. Three rights are the same
as a left, and that's a lot safer. So we always make three rights."
"You're kidding!" I said, and I turned to my mother for support.
"No," she said, "your father is right. We make three rights; it
works." But then she added: "Except when your father loses count."
I was driving at the time, and I almost drove off the road as I
started laughing.
"Loses count?" I asked.
"Yes," my father admitted, "that sometimes happens. But it's not a
problem. You just make seven rights, and you're okay again."
I couldn't resist. "Do you ever go for 11?" I asked.
"No," he said, "If we miss it at seven, we just come home and call it
a bad day. Besides, nothing in life is so important it can't be put
off another day or another week."
My mother was never in an accident, but one evening she handed me her
car keys and said she had decided to quit driving. That was in 1999,
when she was 90. She lived four more years, until 2003. My father died
the next year, at 102.
They both died in the bungalow they had moved into in 1937 and bought
a few years later for $3,000. (Sixty years later, my brother and I
paid $8,000 to have a shower put in the tiny bathroom -- the house had
never had one. My father would have died then and there if he knew the
shower cost nearly three times what he paid for the house.)
He continued to walk daily -- he had me get him a treadmill when he
was 101 because he was afraid he'd fall on the icy sidewalks but
wanted to keep exercising -- and he was of sound mind and sound body
until the moment he died.
One September afternoon in 2004, he and my son went with me when I had
to give a talk in a neighboring town, and it was clear to all three of
us that he was wearing out, though we had the usual wide-ranging
conversation about politics and newspapers and things in the news. A
few weeks earlier, he had told my son, "You know, Mike, the first
hundred years are a lot easier than the second hundred." At one point
in our drive that Saturday, he said, "You know, I'm probably not going
to live much longer."
"You're probably right," I said.
"Why would you say that?" He countered, somewhat irritated.
"Because you're 102 years old," I said.
"Yes," he said, "you're right." He stayed in bed all the next day.
That night, I suggested to my son and daughter that we sit up with him
through the night. He appreciated it, he said, though at one point,
apparently seeing us look gloomy, he said: "I would like to make an
announcement. No one in this room is dead yet."
An hour or so later, he spoke his last words: "I want you to know," he
said, clearly and lucidly, "that I am in no pain. I am very
comfortable. And I have had as happy a life as anyone on this earth
could ever have."
A short time later, he died.
I miss him a lot, and I think about him a lot. I've wondered now and
then how it was that my family and I were so lucky that he lived so
long. I can't figure out if it was because he walked through life, or
because he quit taking left turns.
Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who
treat you right.Forget about the ones who don't. Believe that
everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it
changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just
promised it would most likely be worth it."

The Golden Circle

GREAT VIDEO AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS MESSAGE!!

But read the intro first ;-)


Each and every time we get together to host an initial training university in our company we have certain key goals in mind. We are well aware that there are owners of a business and a team that the owner relies on to create an excellent product, deliver it with energy and build passion for the why behind the what. In our business as a Franchisor we start by communicating with the owners in order for them to make a decision to join us and if we do that well the owners return to an initial training with their team. Our key focus at these trainings many people assume is to understand the "systems" learn the "mechanics" of operating a franchise at a higher level. The reality is that our main focus at these training is to teach the why behind the what!

Every single person in these rooms is mantled with making a personal decision to wake up and live a more powerful life, but first they have to WAKE UP!

As we set the stage the first day of our trainings there is a question I often pose as I talk about why we do what we do. I share with everyone the principles of our right to choose our destiny. I am completely aware at this point that people do not do what they do well because of a paycheck but rather.....

People do what they do well because they are inspired to do so.
People do what they do well because they are empowered to do so.
People do what they do well because they know why they do so!

One of the statements I pose at the opening session is that we will spend the first four days learning new, systems, new mechanics, new reporting and new ideas but we are well aware that even if you are not the owner who chose to join our company you now have the right to choose. Every human being has the right to control their own destiny so we want each person to hear why we do what we do and then make that choice for themselves. Our role is to teach people to be better leaders in their world. It is not solely about a product but rather about a direction of life we must all choose for ourselves and then after choosing lead others to the same conclusion that they have the right to choose as well.

I often say that to me Success is two things; First Becoming a better me during the time I have to live on this earth. Maximizing my talents and minimizing my weaknesses creating me into a better human being. Second it is helping others do the same thing in their lives.

Success is learning and then giving it away.

All of the other things that people often associate with a life of success, things like money, homes, cars, trips, freedoms are a lasting result of the two items listed above ALWAYS.

The final question I pose as I often wrap up these introductions to training. Is that after these four days there is a question I will have for you that goes like this; Who is the leader in your office and the answer I am looking for is very simply "I am"

As it is said where the head goes the body must follow. We change minds in order to change lives!

My favorite quote to use in these sessions is from Aristotle when he said "The ability to entertain thought without accepting it is the sign of an educated man"

Education always exists in our ability to keep hearing without the fears that often cause us to shut ideas, people and purpose out because we are just feeling overwhelmed, tired or confused.

The following Video was sent to me by a friend who had watched it and it inspired him. It is presented by Simon Sinek and is probably his best known speech called the "Golden Circle". I implore you to watch this video as the message it contains can be life changing in allowing us to understand the why behind the what!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4


Have a Great Day!   -   Brian

How do I become Weird?

How do I become Weird?

It sounds like an unusual question but in my opinion it is one strong key to all life holds.

I was with a friend this week at dinner and we were going to meet up with his roommate (Tom) to talk about all this crazy positive belief and mastermind stuff. My buddy (Ross) is so much into the ideas of changing himself through learning and searching new ways to grow but his roommate is much more cautious. As we all sat and talked it was clear this was not going to be an everyday discussion about sports and current events. It was almost out of the gate that Ross asked Tom what he thought about a relationship like the one Ross has with me. Now to be clear understand that Ross and Tom have been roommates in college for the past two years and now are doing the same thing in their first year of employment. Tom has known Ross as a guy to hang with, watch TV with and do all the normal things you do as roommates at this turn of life and growing. Ross and I have talked many times that some of his friends have a hard time digesting the desire he has for growing, learning and connecting at a much deeper level. All of these discussions led to the question Ross asked Tom;

"So what do you think of mine and Brian's relationship?"

Tom Answered quickly and politely "I think its cool"

Ross replied quickly "You don't think it is weird?"

Tom said "no it's cool"

Then the turn came which stood out in my mind. Ross said to him " I think it's weird" "I think I like being weird"

As the conversation continued it went down a path of why be normal when normal is not extraordinary? It was a thought process all about not fitting in as much as trying to stand out by doing the things we need to do to be excellent. We often struggle with making room in life for building the disciplines it takes to be successful. We are very often overwhelmed with things, tasks, lists etc. and we have to remember how to control these "things" through our routine of discipline.

In addition to knowing how to have disciplines we must realize how to have the openness to be vulnerable to people in our lives. We are so busy building masks and living up to images of ourselves that we often forget to actually become ourselves. As the three of us talked over dinner it was very cool to discuss the weird people who had gone before us and taught us lessons on how to live life. People like Andrew Carnegie and Napolean Hill who fathered the modern day mastermind. In talking about these people it reminded us that success exists inside of us becoming honest and willing to let others in.

Ross had posed it correctly when he said "I like being weird"

As I journaled after the fact and logged this moment into my writings it made me think about Malcolm Gladwells book "Outliers" A book defining the traits of someone who lies outside the "Norm". In this book he studies example after example of people who seized opportunity when it presented itself. As you read the stories on Bill Gates, The Beatles, and many other well known people it made me realize they were all weird! They went to such extra lengths to try to do something they really loved! They were each in love with the idea of getting up and doing what they wanted to do. This is a huge secret in reaching your potential is in finding what it is about your life you love to do and then being excited each day to embrace that opportunity!

The mastermind concept of allowing people to really know you, accept you and love you for who you are is so powerful. We are all taught form the day we can process thought to be a "good" little boy or girl. I think that somewhere along the line most people forget to become who they are instead of who they think they should be. In the act of becoming who we are supposed to we become normal.

I heard it said recently that only 5% of our population will be able to fund their own retirement without assistance from the government. 95% = Normal, 5% = weird

I heard the statistic recently that only 3% of our country's population earns more than $250,000.00 per annum.

I heard recently the stat that only 1% of the worlds population controls 99% of its wealth.

All of these statistics revolve around financial success and my belief is that success is much greater than finances but finances certainly do return to us over and over when we become powerful enough to make a difference in the world we live in by using our talents at the highest level. I think it proves that the "Normal" people are certainly creating something different than the "Weird" people.

I read allot of Biographies, Autobiographies and business books in general on people who created great success. I watch for trends and common traits that allow these people to play the game at a different outcome in hopes that I can learn something new to implement. I try very hard to share what I learn as I am a big believer in Zig Ziglar's quote 'You can have anything you want if you help enough other people get what they want!"

In my mind there are certain key elements to creating success;

Disciplines which create routines for Growth.
Openness which makes us stronger through our vulnerability.
Planning which allows us to really use the talents we have everyday and enjoy each day to the fullest
Excitement to create a better world through our visions of what we can be and who we can help.

First initials coincidentally spelled D.O.P.E. and that is the best drug I could ever imagine. The drug which allows us to be who we are, do what we love and create a vision and a plan for changing our lives the most when we work to change the lives around us.

A friend of mine (Sean) sent me an email this weekend as he was deer hunting in the top of a tree;

Sean wrote - Three things that make me happy. Family, friends, and experiences... Any world problems i should solve while im 20 ft up in the tree :).

I responded to him;  What do each of us need to do personally to eradicate lack of tolerance allowing every person to feel free to be real and more powerful to make better use of their lives. You asked so that's my outstanding question!        Brian

Sean wrote back;

Get rid of fear. Trust. Love. Understand. Realize there is no perfection. Communicate. Listen. Believe. Stop thinking about only ourselves. Understand our strengths and exploit them not our weaknesses. Look for opportunity to lead others to their goals. Stop demanding. Drop the social restrictions. Be who we are suppose to become not what others tell us to become.  Learn from others failures and celebrate their wins...it would be a better world. I will do my part.

I have confidence in telling you all that Sean is weird and I am very proud to call him a friend. He is focused on his disciplines, his openness, his planning and his excitement each day to make the changes he wants to make. As you read his response you will not see a fear of who is supposed to be but rather a confidence shining through for who he is. My goal is to use my life in such a way that I allow people to be honest with me. If I know who they are maybe I can help them become who they want to be. I hope this message today encourages you to sit down and think about 5 new things you could do this week to make yourself a little bit weirder. If we could all help each other in becoming weird instead of normal the world would most certainly Change for the better!

Have a great week!!

Brian

5 Attributes of Inspirational Leaders

This was a great article by John Maxwell....

5 Attributes of Inspirational Leaders

Dr. John C. Maxwell
The Sahara plays tricks on the eyes of its travelers. As the desert sun beats down on the sand, heat waves rise from the ground. Light bends as it passes through the superheated air, painting illusory pictures on the horizon. To thirsty travelers moving through the Sahara, it often appears as if an oasis looms in the distance. However, as the voyagers journey on, the oasis proves to be nothing more than a mirage.

Unfortunately, the ranks of leadership are inhabited by a host of mirages: people who look impressive from a distance, but end up being disappointments. After being fooled by a few mirages, followers become jaded about leadership. That seems as true now as it ever has been. Our trust in leaders has been shaken as politicians have reneged on promises, CEOs have squandered money entrusted to their firms, and managers have advanced self-interests above all else.

To restore society's confidence with those in power, leaders have to be able to inspire. I'm not talking about inspiring someone to buy into the corporate vision statement, to meet quarterly sales goals, or to work more efficiently. These aren't bad things, but right now, people are looking for a leader attuned to their personal needs. They want leaders who will encourage them, believe in their potential, and help them grow.

5 Attributes of an Inspirational Leader

ATTITUDE OF SERVICE

To be an inspirational leader, you must adopt an attitude of service toward those you lead. This requires laying aside selfish interests to add value to another person. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity." When you serve, you awaken something magnetic inside of you. People are drawn to follow you because they know you'll find ways to make them better.

AFFIRMATION

To inspire means to have a positive view of others. If we're not careful, we become fault-finders, magnifying the flaws in everyone around us. Instead, leaders should emulate gold prospectors - always on the lookout for potential gold mines. When they find traces of ore, prospectors assume there's a rich vein to unearth, and they start digging. In the same fashion, leaders ought to search for the best traits within a person and commit to uncovering them.

One of the best applications of this idea is expressed in what I call the 101 percent principle: Find the one thing that you believe is a person's greatest asset, and then give 100 percent encouragement in that area. Focusing on a person's strengths inspires them by promoting confidence, growth, and success.

ATTENTIVENESS

Great inspirers know the desires of those they lead. As much as people respect the knowledge and ability of their leaders, these are secondary concerns for them. They don't care how much their leaders know until they know how much their leaders care. When leaders attend to the deeply felt needs of their team, the determination and commitment of each team member skyrockets.

AVAILABILITY

Leaders inspire by intentionally investing time in the people they lead. They make themselves available. People cannot be nurtured from a distance or by infrequent spurts of attention. They need a leader to spend time with them - planned time, not just a conversation in passing.

In our fast-paced and demanding world, time is a leader's most precious commodity. While it feels costly to give up, nothing communicates that you value a person more than the gift of your time. In addition, investing time to develop others has a way of reaping dividends. As Ralph Waldo Emerson remarked, "It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."

AUTHENTICITY

To inspire, leaders have to be genuine. More than anything else, followers want to believe in and trust their leaders. However, when leaders break promises or fail to honor commitments, they reveal themselves as being inauthentic, and they lose credibility. Trust rests upon a foundation of authenticity. To gain trust, a leader must consistently align words and deeds, while showing a degree of transparency.

Summary

Inspirational leadership can be confused with momentary charisma. I prefer to think about inspiring as more of a process than an event. More than a brilliant speech, it's cultivating habits of brilliance that manifest themselves daily. By modeling the five attributes of an inspiring leader, I trust that you'll win the respect of those you lead and earn the right to influence them.

Why some people do not get Results

You can have it if you want it!

I came across this video interview with Tony Robbins, Frank Kerns and John Reese and it will make you realize more than ever how much power each and every thought you have can make in your life. Slow down and take the time to watch these two short part videos to think about what thoughts can do to change your reality. The time is now to look for ways to make a difference in the lives of your friends, your Team, your Family and YOURSELF!



Tony Robbins Interview with Frank Kerns Part 1

Tony Robbins Interview with Frank Kerns Part 2

Causing Change for the Better

Hello All,

This article was recently shared with me by a colleague. I believe in what it has to say and I am an active participant in the theory it holds. Please read it and see if you can find reasoning to practice the principles it shares and also learn how to teach it to the people whose lives you lead and affect......
ps.. Great video I posted at the bottom from one of my favorite speakers on Change!

Brian


A man walked into a psychiatrist’s office and said, “Doc, every time I see nickels, dimes, and quarters, I have a panic attack! What can the problem be?”

 “Oh that’s easy,” answered the doctor. “You’re just afraid of change.”

A majority of people go through life virtually paralyzed because they are afraid of change- afraid to try something new or different?

This fear limits our abilities and keeps us from expanding our growth, knowledge, and success in life. To break out of this vicious cycle of fear, we need to understand the meaning of fear in the true sense of the word.

FEAR really stands for:

False Expectations Appearing Real!

So how do we change? And how can we be a change-agent for others?

If a person is satisfied with his life, will he change?

No, a satisfied person will not be interested in changing because he is happy and content with his current situation. If satisfied with their lives, even people who are unfit, overweight, or unhealthy are still unlikely to change.

Most people have the ability to change the instant they become unhappy with their lives. Others have to wait for a stroke or another disaster before they realize the need to change. Where are you on the spectrum?

Somewhere in there, there is a happy medium for you. ActionCOACH’s simple change formula helps understand the process of change and what we can do to affect positive changes in ourselves and in others.

(D x V) F > R

('D' stands for Dissatisfaction, "V" stands for Vision, "F" stands for First Step and “R” stands for Resistance.)

To overcome the resistance to change, what needs to be greater? What can tip the scale to overcome our fear of change? Let’s take a closer look.

The “D” in the formula stands for Dissatisfaction. Before a person can change, he/she has to have a level of dissatisfaction in his/her current life-situation.

What builds dissatisfaction more than anything else? The answer is: “V” for Vision.

Let’s say that you are a kid living in an impoverished neighborhood. You don’t know any better life than that. Are you dissatisfied with your life? Not necessarily; you may be satisfied because you don’t know any better.
Why do people hire a business coach or have a mentor?

This formula applies to businesses and can explain why some businesses prosper and grow, while others remain at the same or lower level of performance.

They do so to help them expand their comfort zone and grow their vision. They need help in order to clearly look at what their next level is and what it can be. A business coach will also equip the business owner with a set of goals and hold him accountable to make the changes required to achieve those goals.

Dissatisfaction is based on a belief that there is something else out there. This applies to business owners because they have to make a choice to change and consider their own business.

One of the things a business coach will explore is the business owner’s level of dissatisfaction or discomfort, because without it you will not do the work required to change. Typically, people don’t like feeling dissatisfied and remain in their current state, instead of progressing.

This psychology applies to the average business owner, who, without a coach or a mentor, stays in his comfort zone, instead of taking his business to the next level.

Dissatisfaction is only the first step in the process of initiating the process of change. A business coach will then help a business owner develop his vision, and also a belief that this vision is possible to achieve.

Those kids living in the impoverished neighborhoods can watch television and they can see other places in the world, but they must also believe that a different life is possible for them.

At this point, a business owner is talking to a business coach because of a vision and a belief that he can have a better business. This meeting is a business owner’s “F”: First Step.

The question is, "How do we raise the dissatisfaction level of where you are now and how do we raise the vision of where you want to go?"

Most of us need both to overcome the “R” - resistance to change. Lee Iacocca, states that the discipline of writing something down is the first step toward making it happen.

Take the time to write out your dissatisfaction and your vision and what you will do first to get it. By doing so, you will begin to break through the barriers in your life and stretch your comfort zone to reach the level of success you have only dreamed about so far.

Use this formula not only to help facilitate change in your life but to be an agent of change in the life of others as well.  Help them understand and qualify their dissatisfaction. Help them build their vision for what they want to achieve, and finally give them the first steps to move toward that goal.

By following this simple formula, you can truly become an agent of change in your life as well as the lives of others, and take your business to the next level.

Nido Qubein Video on Change        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCtenQ-_8h4

Paul, Barnabas, Timothy A message revisited...

I just had coffee with a friend of mine the other day and she was telling me about a principle of life called the Paul, Barnabas, Timothy theory.....

Have you ever heard it???

This was a basically a questioning series that challenges people to look at their relationships in life in such a way to determine if they are being fulfilled and helping to fulfill others.

Although it is not my intention to teach a Sunday School class today I do want to explore the nature of these relationships in the way they are being studied in this series. That means I am going to share a little Bible history today so that you can understand the back ground of these three individuals.'.....

Paul was the leading apostle of the modern day church traveling from town to town to develop and support the structure of Christianity in the New Testament. Think of the list of individuals in the New Testament who were impacted by the apostle Paul.

Timothy, Titus, Onesimus, Luke, and Silas.

Did this take place in a formal classroom??? Probably not. Rather, their foundation was created as Paul led them through visiting and writing to support each of those in his charge.
Who is the Paul you are pursuing? Observation tells us that mentoring is not best accomplished through a formal program. Mentoring takes place best as the one desiring formation pursues what they want.

I am not sure that the question “Will you mentor me?” is the right question. It is not that it is bad but they cannot give it to you as much as if you are willing to take it from them. Mentoring takes place as we watch, listen, serve, follow, learn, read, glean, emulate.

Mentoring is not something someone does to someone else; it is the result of a diligent pursuit of another’s life and principles. So, pursue a Paul. Look around. Key in on someone you respect!!



Barnabas on the other hand was absolutely instrumental to the development of Paul. It is questionable if Paul would have ever succeeded had it not been for Barnabas who stood up for Paul to the other apostles stating that his transformation from being a persecutor of Christianity was a real one. Barnabas represents someone you can truly commune with. Those people you allow into your life who you can trust with those things that the outside world does not know. I think that most people do not only often miss out on these types of relationships I think they RUN from them. Our society today teaches us to always be "fine"

Question "How are you doing?"

Answer "Good and you"

Now I Remember one time a friend of mine told me that when he first came to the United States and had not really mastered the language he would get so confused because people would ask him "How's it going?" and he said I would get so confused because I would start to tell them and they would look at me like I was crazy! AND then even worse they usually walk away telling me they had to be somewhere. He said it was not until I understood that "they did not really care how I was doing" that this stopped frustrating me and I stopped answering.

Knowing that he realized that about our culture frustrates me now even as I recount that story.

Life is way too short to not allow people into your life. People inherently want to give and help others but there is not enough opportunity because everyone is "fine"!

How do we become support systems to each other in reaching our goals, changing our behaviors just simply becoming better people? Barnabas was that person to Paul and I think that the key is we need to have more people willing to be a Barnabas in this world and more people willing to allow a Barnabas into their life.

I watched recently as a MasterMind group I am in started to share their struggles through an email chain and then as soon as people expressed their challenges and hurts an outpouring from those around them took place. This outpouring was incredible for the person in need to see that they had people who honestly cared about them and at the same time it was awesome for those who were able to give and be a support for someone in need.

Just think about Christmas time; after the age of adolescence isn't there much more joy in giving to others as opposed to receiving a gift at Christmas?

This is one of the greatest callings in life is to learn to act as a Barnabas, A person others can really trust and be open and Honest with on an eye to eye level.

I sometimes wonder, Who really knows me, my feelings, my struggles, my failings?


Timothy represents an opportunity to use all that experience, failure, accomplishments, regrets and pride to help shape someones life. I have told many people many times that life to me is like a body of water which needs flowing water including an inlet and an outlet. We must have fresh sources that feed us in life like learning, relationships, role models, goals and this is like that inlet of water into your life. You must also have an outlet where you can give, share, lead and teach others so that you do not become stagnant.

No inlet you dry up.

No Outlet you stagnate.

The choice is yours......

There are Timothy's all around you just waiting for you to care. This relationship is often one sided when you carry that upper hand of giving with no expectation of return but simply a desire to give to these people in your life can be so awesome. In return I can speak from experience that I have taken on a lot of these relationships and there is a lot of satisfaction in just desiring to really help others!


Now lets get real... How does this apply to my life? I think that I have been able to do a great job at finding Timothy's through out my life to give to and I am very thankful to have had all the opportunities I have had and still have to this day. I think I have done well at finding some Pauls in my life by the definition here in this email. They are not typically people I can touch per say but they are real to me none the less. When read John Maxwell and of Sam Walton, Carnegie, Lincoln, Lee, Landry, Truman, Aristotle and the list goes on.... I see Paul's all over in my life and I am still looking for peoples talents I can emulate always!

There are some I knew personally and to this day they stand out in my mind the way they handled life and all that it encompassed.

My biggest Challenge is Barnabas... Not in Being Barnabas to others but rather allowing a Barnabas into my life. I have always been and am still happy to be a support system for people who may be Timothy's but also for people who I often commune with on eye to eye levels. My challenge is I do not open myself up enough to those around me allowing them a chance to give and I have been on this quest lately. Surprisingly the more I approach this direction of my life the more clarity I have. The more peace I find, The more PURPOSE I find.

I was talking with a friend of mine last night and he reminded me of a story I told him that happened a while back in my life..

In High School I had a Young Life leader (Christian group in many public Schools) who had decided to make me one of his Timothy's... I was probably not the easiest choice he ever made but he was relentless and to this day I would hold him as a Paul in my life.

This guy was so popular and well loved. He was the leader of all of the Young Life leaders for 3 states and eventually went on to run a large part of the organization in the United States. I saw people clammer to get close enough just to talk to him on every occasion I was with him.

He made this statement to me when I was 17 and I will never forget it. He said "When I die if I can fill up the fingers on one hand with people I can truly call friends I will consider myself to be very lucky"

I know today that he was talking about Barnabas relationships. People he had learned to commune with and trust.

I think this starts with giving and I encourage everyone of you to find your Paul's, I implore you all to know that you must find the Timothy's you can give to starting this Hour! Your life begins with your ability to give.

The biggest Challenge of all is allowing people to know you and become Barnabas in your life just as you desire to be that for them.

Look around you; Family, Friends, Team members, Other franchises, Patients... Life is full of them as soon as we are ready to make a change!

Be a Barnabas; Pursue a Paul; Train a Timothy


Here is a link to a teleconference I had done recently that entertains this subject... (fast forward about 10 minutes to cut off the silence)


www3.gotomeeting.com/register/160115966