“Be enthusiastic as a leader. You can’t light a fire with a wet match.”

Posted on by

“Be enthusiastic as a leader. You can’t light a fire with a wet match.”

-Author Unknown

Photo from Flickr by Mark Tighe

Photo from Flickr by Mark Tighe

Take a moment to generate a list of great leaders you have seen and been inspired by over the course of your life.

Fundamental to all of these individuals is the passion of their beliefs and convictions – the enthusiasm that helps them ignite the flames within themselves and those they lead.

EXERCISE:

Give yourself a rating from 1 (a wet match) to 10 (a blazing bonfire of passion) for both your professional and personal worlds.

What can you do today to find the fuel that sparks your passions and enthusiastically brightens up your world, and that of others?

“The Quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.”

Posted on by

“The Quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.”

– Ray Kroc, American businessman who made McDonald’s famous

Photo from Flickr by JFXie

Photo from Flickr by JFXie

Are you a leader or a follower? This is a bit of a trick question in that the answer is almost always a combination of both at different times and under different circumstances.

We are leaders when we speak of the future and inspire others through our words and actions.

We are followers, or in some cases co-leaders, when we share and act consistently with the vision and behaviors demonstrated by the people we admire and respect.

EXERCISE:

Examine the qualities, behaviors and overall standards set by those who inspire you to follow.

Map your own course toward a new level of leadership by setting, pursuing, and even exceeding your own standards or those of people you admire.

“Awareness is the greatest agent for change.”

Posted on by

“Awareness is the greatest agent for change.”

-Eckhart Tolle, Canadian Author and Spiritual Leader

 

Photo from Flickr by Miguelanger Guedez

Photo from Flickr by Miguelanger Guedez

Although we live in a world that is constantly changing, I would suggest that much of our internal worlds remain the same.

Examine your own attitudes and beliefs about the world around you and you will likely notice that most have remained relatively constant for years, and perhaps throughout your entire life.

Examination and internal exploration are key in enhancing our journey of self-awareness. This  allows us to determine if and to what extent our long-standing beliefs and perspectives serve us optimally.

In the event they do not, this new awareness can act as an agent of change as Eckhart Tolle suggests.

EXERCISE:

What daily habits, rituals, behaviors, and practices can aid you in the development of your awareness muscles, that support positive change in your professional or personal life?

Here are some strategies to consider:

  • Journaling
  • Meditating
  • Prayer
  • Reflective walks in nature
  • Reflective forms of exercise, such as Yoga
  • Deep Breathing

Feel free to reply to this message to share your own self-awareness practices.

“Life’s strongest glue is being happy to be you!”

Posted on by

“Life’s strongest glue is being happy to be you!”

-Author Unknown

Photo from Flickr by Sam-Catch

Photo from Flickr by Sam-Catch

Have you ever heard someone say another person “has it all together”?

What exactly does this mean? If we look at attributes that could pertain to this statement, we might include the following:

  • Professional Success
  • Quality Relationships
  • Health
  • Good Looks
  • Intelligence / Wisdom

This quote points to self-acceptance as an important factor, providing the foundation and adhesive that helps us have a fulfilling life.

EXERCISE:

What are your strongest inner qualities that most support your having a full and happy life?

In what ways can you expand or enhance these attributes to further strengthen your life?

“Be there for others but never leave yourself behind.”

Posted on by

“Be there for others but never leave yourself behind.”

-Author unknown

Examine all the roles you currently hold in your personal and professional worlds. If you are like many people, you may have to use toes as well as your fingers to count everything.

In what percent of these roles are you serving and supporting others? If you find the number approaching 80, 90, or even 100 percent, consider how much energy you have at days end for the most important person in your life – YOU!

There is wisdom in the flight attendant pre-flight instruction:
 Please put on your own oxygen mask before you assist others.

EXERCISE:

Take some time today to be a bit more “Self-ISH” (not selfish) by taking care of your own well-being and not leaving yourself behind, so that you can be your very best as you serve the people and organizations in your community.

“To strengthen the muscle of your heart the best exercise is lifting someone else’s spirit when you can.”

Posted on by

“To strengthen the muscle of your heart the best exercise is lifting someone else’s spirit when you can.”

—Author unknown

Photo from Flickr by tiff_ku1

Photo from Flickr by tiff_ku1

Did you know that your heart beats over 100,000 times in one day, and over 35 million times in a year? If you live an average lifetime, your heart will beat more than 2.5 billion times.

Each beat of your heart has about the same force as giving a tennis ball a hard squeeze. This force circulates approximately 5.9 quarts of blood through your body, three times every minute.

Through this constant effort the heart pumps the equivalent of about one million barrels of blood during an average lifetime, which is enough to fill more than three super tankers.

EXERCISE:

How can you exercise your heart today by being a coach, mentor, or friend to others, and lift their spirits higher?

“You have to believe in yourself.”

Posted on by

“You have to believe in yourself.”

– Sun Tzu, Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher

Photo from Flickr by Jennifer

Photo from Flickr by Jennifer

I am writing this post on a Sunday – the day many people practice their faith by attending church or another religious institution.

Many faiths believe that God created man and at the same time gave us free will and the ability to create our own lives through our beliefs and actions.

Central to our ability to manifest our world, Sun Tzu might suggest through this quote that a deeply held faith and belief in ourselves is essential.

EXERCISE:

Take note of the areas in your life where you have the strongest belief and faith, and notice what results you have achieved.

How would an even greater belief in yourself make the biggest difference in your personal or professional life?

“Patience is the ballast of the soul, that will keep it from rolling and tumbling in the greatest storms.”

Posted on by

“Patience is the ballast of the soul, that will keep it from rolling and tumbling in the greatest storms.”

– Charles Hopkins, Irish poet and dramatist

Photo from Flickr by

Photo from Flickr by Mary Harrsch

I went grocery shopping with my dad Sunday morning. The store was packed with shoppers. We chose the shortest checkout line, with the intention of making a quick exit. Our strategy was thwarted by the very nice lady ahead of us, who had about 50 small items in her cart, one of which required a price check that took what felt like a century to complete.

Fortunately, dad and I knew this experience was simply an exercise in patience. We took it in stride, smiled at one another, and were amused in watching others work through their issues with the delay.

EXERCISE:

Where would demonstrating greater patience help you sail through the big and little storms of your soul, to enhance your personal or professional life today?

“Habits are first cobwebs, then cables.”

Posted on by

“Habits are first cobwebs, then cables.”

– Spanish Proverb

Photo from Flickr by Koen

Photo from Flickr by Koen

As a new year approaches, many people make resolutions to achieve various personal and professional goals. Research points out that well over 90 percent of their objectives never come to pass.

Most experts tell us it takes three to six weeks to create a habit. A new attempt at exercise, diet, and getting into better shape is like the first filament in a cobweb – delicate, unsupported, easily torn.

If, however, we continue the positive behaviors over longer periods of time, the filaments become cables that hold our lives together, strong enough to endure the challenges that might pull the weaker filaments apart.

EXERCISE:

Do a personal assessment of both your most positive and negative habits.

What will you need to do to support and strengthen those that serve you best?

What is necessary to break the strong cables of your undesirable habits, and replace them with the cobwebs – and eventually cables – of the behaviors you most desire?

To Conquer Ourselves

Posted on by

”It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.”

– Sir Edmund Hillary, the first climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Photo from Flickr by Popeyed

Photo from Flickr by Popeyed

Sir Edmund Hillary is one of the world’s most famous mountain climbers. His adventures to the top of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, are legendary.

Hillary knew that we must first face and climb our internal mountains if we are ever to surmount the challenges we face in our outer worlds.

EXERCISE:

What external mountains do you need to face or climb? How will you summon the courage to conquer the internal barriers that appear to keep you safe and limited at base camp?