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Significance Begins HERE

Character Growth Determines the Height of Your Personal Growth!

Achievement to most people is something that you do…to the high achiever, it is something you are – Doug Firebaugh

Professors James Kouzes and Barry Posner have administered their “Characteristics of Admired Leaders” survey to over 75,000 people on six continents. The results all point back to one common trait without hesitation is HONESTY! Causes and Posner write that in almost every survey conducted, honesty has been selected more often than any other leadership characteristic.

Bill Thrall suggests that people often focus on their professional capacity without developing character, and it will almost always cost them in the end. It costs them in their personal relationships and often in their career. He suggests that it is like climbing an extension ladder that is not secure. The higher you climb the more it wobbles and it eventually falls.

Let us use the picture of climbing a ladder and that the various rungs represent character qualities.

I will focus on being better on the inside than on the outside – Character Matters

• The inside influences the outside. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. However, if you focus more on the outside than the inside, you will get into trouble. What we fail to do in privacy impacts who we are.
• Our inside development is totally within our control. When we fail to make the correct character choices – we are giving away ownership of ourselves.I will follow the Golden Rule – People Matter
  • Here is a simple rule of thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them – The Message

  I will teach only what I believe – passion matters

  • Borrowed beliefs have no passion, therefore no power!

  I will value humility above all virtues – perspective matters

  • Playwright and author J.M. Barrie observed that the life of every man is a diary in which he means to write one story and writes another; and his humblest hour is when he compares the volume as it is with what he hoped to make it.
  • Andy Stanley observed that while nobody plans to mess up their life, the problem that few of plan not to. That is we do not put the necessary safe guards to ensure a happy ending.I will strive to finish well – faithfulness matters!
    • If you take control of your behavior, emotions will fall into place. Radio preacher Tony Evans said once that if you want a better nation that is filled with better counties, better churches, better neighborhoods, and better families, then you will have to start with yourself.

    Pulitzer Prize winner Alexander Solzhenitsyn went into prison for criticizing Joseph Stalin and came out a believer. He declared about this experience “I bless you prison – I bless you for being in my life – for lying their on rotting prison straw, I learned the object of life is not prospering, but the maturing of the soul.

    Senator Dan Coats once stated that habit is the daily battleground of character.

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START TODAY

Every problem introduces a person to himself – John McDonnell

Cheryl McGuiness, wife of co-pilot Tom McGuiness, the 1st plane to hit the World Trade Center 9/11/01 has lived through difficult days. In her book, Beauty Beyond The Ashes, she writes, “As unfair, unreasonable, and impossible as it seems, we still have work to do after a tragedy occurs. We still have roles to fill. We still have a responsibility to family and friends. The stuff of live may pause for a while, but it doesn’t stop. Fair or not, that is reality.”

1.Everyone has bad experiences – Life is FILLED with ups and downs. No one gets to pass on bad experiences. Here are some great quotes: “I try to take life one day at a time, but lately several days have attacked me at once.” “ Dennis Wholey television host stated that “Expecting the world to treat you fairly just because you are a nice person is a little like expecting a bull to not charge you because you are a vegetarian!”

2.No one likes bad experiences – Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman stated that before his fame he was a waiter, Gene Hackman worked for a moving company, and Robert Duvall worked at the post office. If you manage days of struggle wisely, there will be a day when you can talk about your bad experiences with a smile.

3.Very few people make bad experiences positive experiences – Do not become like the bumper sticker mantra which read; When the going gets tough, it is time to take a nap.”

There are many things that can cause us pain. Consider some of these issues:

The Pain Of…..

• Inexperience
• Incompetence
• Disappointment
• Conflict
• Change
• Bad Health
• Hard Decisions
• Financial Loss
• Relationship LossesSo how do you turn your pain into gain? Frank Hughes once stated that experience is not necessarily the best teacher but it sure serves as the best excuse for not trying to do the same silly thing again.Consider the following….
  • Choose a positive life stance – a “life stance” is the sum of your attitudes, assumptions, and expectations that people hold about themselves and others. Develop a better set of guiding presumptions on life.
  • Embrace and develop creativity – Author Donald Walsh stated that life begins at the end of your comfort zone. Don’t whine about the circumstance, get creative about the solutions. Dig in and finish strong!
  • Embrace the value of bad experiences – Charles Kettering head of research at GM once stated that you will never stub your toe standing still! Stated another way, where there is no struggle there is no progress!
  • Make good changes after learning from bad experiences – Writer Charles Baldwin suggested that not everything can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced. Authors John Kotter and Dan Cohen states that changing behavior is less a matter of giving people analysis to influence their thoughts than helping them to see the truth to influence their feelings.
  • Take responsibility for your life – In Winning Life’s toughest Battles author Julius Segal suggests that people who overcome bad experiences avoid the label of VICTIM and take responsibility for moving forward.

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START TODAY

Year-end Review

We are approaching the end of another year. 2015 will be in the rear-view mirror within weeks of of this podcast. This is the time of year that we should begin to evaluate our performance past and our goals future. Taking the time to reflect is vital for all successful leaders. Flip the pages of your calendar to see if your goals actually showed up in time slots on the calendar.

Consider these four life lessons.

1. Life really is simple – keeping it that way is difficult. I believe that our digital lifestyle has complicated our life instead of simplifying it. Do not allow the distractions of our digital age to crowd your living and your goals. Consider the following in developing a life strategy; Can I personalize if where it transform my soul. Can I repeat this activity quickly without extreme effort. Will this transform other people of various ethnicities.

2. Designing your life is more important that designing your career. Reese Witherspoon stated that people worry too much about managing their careers but rarely manage their life. She states that I want to make my life – not my job!

3. Life is not a dress rehearsal – Life is not about a dress rehearsal for a grand performance someday. Today is the show – there are no do-over’s. Do not live with a mentality of the “some-day maybe’s!” Today matters!

4. Multiply everything by two – We tend to over estimate the end result and under estimate the cost. Double the price tag to stay grounded in reality. This truth is important to comprehend that growing yourself will take twice as long as you anticipate. Double the time expectation to grow.

Consider some insights regarding systems that can assist us in achieving extraordinary results.

Effective systems help us to see the BIG PICTURE of life

Effective growth systems make use of priorities

Effective systems are measurable

Effective systems include application

Effective systems employ organization

Effective systems promote consistency

“If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plans will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us!” – Jim Rohn

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Start Today

There simply comes a time in all of our lives that our environment needs to change in order for growth to go to the next level. Lasting change depends on your choices. You may be familiar with the equation that says “Growth = Change. Realize that it is possible to change without growing, but it is impossible to grow without changing.

You see whether you are a success or failure in life has little to do with your circumstances; it has much more to do with your choices – Nido Qubein. What choices do you need to make so that you are in the midst of conducive surroundings that allow for growth. Consider the following choices that will place you into a growing environment.

1.Assess your current circumstance – Consider whether you are looking forward to what you are doing or looking back to what you have done. If the future looks dull and boring or confining you may need to start looking for a change of environment.

2.Change yourself and your environment – When you sense that a change of environment is going to occur the first consideration is to change yourself. John Maxwell suggests that if you change yourself but do not change your environment – growth will be slow and difficult. If you change your environment but not yourself growth will be slow and less difficult. But ultimately if your change yourself and your environment growth will occur faster and will be more successful.

3.Change who you spend time with – According to social psychologist Dr. McClelland states that the people that you associate with habitually are called your reference group. These people will determine as much as 95% of your success or failure in life. King Solomon of Israel stated that if we walk with wise we become wise, for a companion of of fools suffers harm. Speaker Charles Jones states that you are right now who you going to be five years from now with the exception of two things: the people you associate with and the books you read. Jim Rohm states that we become the average of the five people that we hang with the most.

4.Challenge yourself in your new environment – One thing is certain, when you get into a new growth environment you can spread your wings and start flying as never before. When you get into a new environment as these questions: What are the strengths of those around me in this new environment? What are these people learning that I need to learn right now? What are they reading that I have not read?

5.Focus on the Moment – Harvey Firestone Jr. stated that today is when everything that’s going to happen from now on begins.” Do not worry about the past, live fully in the present moment. Mother Teresa would say that yesterday if over, tomorrow has not arrived therefore live fully in this moment. Shirley Temple Black learned to live fully in the present from her mother-n-law. The end result should be to not worry about your past, do not dwell on your future because you cannot control it, focus on this moment and participate fully.

6.Move forward despite criticism – Growth always comes from taking action and taking action almost always brings criticism. Whatever path you choose there will always be someone to tell you that you made a mistake. Remember that someone’s opinion of you does not need to become your reality. When you take charge of your life you do not need to gain permission. When you do that you give them veto power. Do not misunderstand my line of thinking. When making big decisions seek wise council from trusted people, but at the end of the matter you male the choice.

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Motivation gets you going – discipline keeps you growing!

If you want to be more consistent and disciplined in your performance you must become more consistent and disciplined in your growth. Consider these thoughts; 

• Do you have any idea what you need to improve? Journalist and author George Lorimer stated that you have to get every morning with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction. In short you must develop yourself to be successful
• It is not good enough to just have purpose, you must be consistent in your progress. You can have ambition and yet not move forward in your life.
• Said another way, your future is dependent upon your personal growth! Your daily growth assures that your future if filled with great possibilities.
• E. M. Gray states that successful people have a habit of doing the things that failures don’t like to do. The truth of the matter is that successful people do not like doing certain things but , their dislike is subordinated to the strength of their purpose.
• Do you know how you are supposed to improve? Here are some suggestions:
  • Match you motivation to your personality
  • Start with the simple things
  • Learn patience
  • Value the process and enjoy the journey
• Do you know why you want to keep improving? The how and why will only take you so far. It is the WHY that will keep you motivated long after the rush of enthusiasm wears off. Vince Lombardi stated it best; “Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit!”
• The more reasons that you give yourself to grow the more likely you are to follow through.
• In his book The Compound Effect author Darren Hardy writes that the Compound Effect is the principle of reaping huge rewards from a series of small smart choices.
• Author Hardy goes on to write that the rewards are massive the steps in the moment do not feel significant.
• Do you know when you are supposed to improve? The most obvious answer is right this very moment. A wise professor once stated that a life lived for tomorrow will always be a day away from being realized. You will never change your life until you change something that you do daily.
• You need to develop habits and disciplines that act as bridges between goals and accomplishments. Cross that bridge enough times and you will see new habits being formed.
• Ask yourself the question; “What are you doing daily that needs to be changed. Remember a bad habit never goes away by itself. It is an undo-it-yourself project.What are you willing to change today in order to change what you will be doing tomorrow!

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Learning To Pause Allows Growth To Catch Up To You!

Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more affective action – Peter Drucker

The Power of Pausing

1. Reflection Turns Experience Into Insight – It is said that Julius Caesar was the first to state that “Experience is the best teacher.” Perhaps the better way to state the case is that “Evaluated Experience” is the best teacher. I wonder how many industries could have survived the horseless carriage era if they would have paused and evaluated the trajectory of their company in the face of the automobile revolution?
2. Everyone Needs A Time and Place To Pause – If someone is going down the wrong road they do not need motivation to speed up. They need to stop! Stephen Covey states that we are all living in the noise of “White Water” where there is a constant churning and boiling of sound and chaos. We all are busy and need to created a place where we can go to just THINK! When and Where will we go to a place to reflect on “life markers” that have change the direction of our life. A life marker with careful reflection should turn into a like maker!
3. Pausing With Intention Expands and Enriches Thinking – Leaders tend to be action oriented in the normal busyness of life is factored by ten. They are often so busy they do not take the time to reflect. Henri J M Nouwen stated “When you are able to create a lonely place in the middle of your actions and concerns, your successes and failures slowly lose some of their power over you.”
4. When You Take Time To Pause, Use Your “I’s”
   1. INVESTIGATION: Galileo stated that all truth is easy to understand once they are discovered. The point is to discover them. That takes investigation.
   2. INCUBATION: This is about taking life’s experiences and slow-cooking them through a mental process of thinking and reflecting. For example wit the use of the notes app or other devise you can record ideas and thoughts that can stay with you for days to ponder and reflect upon. For example “If you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there.” “If you are not at the table, then you are on the menu.” “If you aim at nothing you will hit every time.”
   3. ILLUMINATION: Jim Rohn states that you should replay the tapes of the day’s performance. The results should either applaud you or prod you!
   4. ILLUSTRATION: Good ideas are like skeletons that need meat placed upon the frame. Illustrations only come from careful observation of life. Many people see but few are looking!

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You must see value in yourself to add value to yourself

Personal development is the belief that you are worth the effort, time, and energy needed to develop yourself – Dennis Waitley

So what is it that keeps people from being successful? You see I believe that the seeds of success are within each person. All we need to do is cultivate those seeds, splash some water on them, feed them, and they will grow. That said, I believe that the single most important leadership goal to achieve is to add value to other people – help them see, reach, and obtain their potential!

So the question remains – “Why do people fail to reach their potential? I believe that one answer is that people do not believe in themselves. They have unlimited potential and yet never cultivate the possibilities!

Low self esteem puts a ceiling on our potential

John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable laws of leadership discusses the “Law of The Lid.” Imagine that you desire to do something great in your life that will impact a lot of people. Listen closely here as non-profit leaders influencing other people with eternal messaging. You see that desire, no matter how great, will be limited by your leadership. Your potential is hindered by the lid of self worth.

Look at this way – if my potential is a 10, but I see myself as a 5, I will never lead others to their 10. At best I can only lead people to a 4. Here is the dirty secret on life: “People will never be able to outperform their self image!

10 Steps to Build Self Image

1. Guard Your Self-Talk – In their book The Answer, authors John Assaraf and Murray Smith state that by the time you reach your 17th birthday you have heard “NO YOU CAN’T” 150,000 times. You have only heard “YES YOU CAN” 5,000 times. That is 30 nos for every yes! That makes for a powerful belief system of “I CAN’T!” Learn to become you own encourager and cheer-leader.
2. Stop Comparing Yourself To Others – Comparing yourself to others is a needless distraction. One of 2 things happen: either we become discouraged because we believe that others far ahead of me and I will never catch up or we see ourselves far ahead of everyone else and allow pride to dominate our perspective.
3. Move Beyond Your limiting Beliefs – Charles Schwab stated that when a person has put a limit on what he will do, he has put a limit on what can do! Author Jack Canfield offers four steps to transform limiting beliefs into empowering beliefs…
   1. He states to Identify a limiting belief that you want to change
   2. Determine how a belief limits you
   3. Decide how you want to be, act, or feel
   4. Create a turnaround statement that affirms or gives permission to be, act, or feel in a new way.
4. Add Value To Others – It is hard to feel bad about yourself when you are doing good for someone else. Adding value to other people repels low self worth. It creates a positive cycle of good will from one person to another.
5. Do The Right Thing, Even If It’s The Hard Thing – Always doing the right thing encourages positive growth. Being true to yourself and others builds positive self worth. You will begin to act your way into a positive attitude on life.
6. Practice A Small Discipline Daily In A Specific Area Of Your Life – Do not allow things to pile up at the last minute. This creates an almost impossible “Mount Everest” feeling that is stressful and hard to overcome. Discipline yourself to practicing small disciplinary steps to avoid the last minute push to conquer mountains.
7. Celebrate Small Victories – This is a follow up from the previous step. Do not under estimate the power of celebrating a victory – it encourages you. Simply stated learn to smile and celebrate more often.
8. Embrace A Positive Vision For Your Life Based On What You Value – In the words of June Carter Cash – “I am just trying to matter!” That is it in a nutshell – we all want our lives to matter. What prompts you to see a positive vision for your life? When you realize your potential and you see a vision of what can be – you will begin to take to steps toward becoming a new version of yourself.
9. Practice A One Word Strategy – If you could pick only one word to describe yourself, what would it be? I hope that it is positive because that will move you into a brighter tomorrow.
10. Take Responsibility For Your Life – We tend to get in life what we are willing to tolerate. If you do not have a plan and purpose for your life, you will most likely become part of someone else’s plan and purpose.

LINKS

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You must know yourself in order to grow yourself!

No one can produce great things who is not thoroughly sincere in dealing with himself – James Lowell

So here is the million dollar question: Are you in truly in touch with yourself in all levels – Physical, Mental, Spiritual?

• In order to know where you want to go in life, you need an awareness of yourself.
• Do you really know what you want and where you are going? Without this information you will likely get lost in the noise of life. Generally there are three types of people in life:
• CLUELESS – totally lost in the noise of life. When all else fails throw a party!
• KNOW but REFUSE – people that know what to do and how to get there and yet refuse to do it is sad. Perhaps the price is to high for them or they are gripped in fear.
  • Doers – these people have counted the cost and are willing to move beyond their fears because the end is worth it. These are the people that are fulfilled in their living.

  Quote 1907: We live in an age disturbed, confused, bewildered, afraid of its own forces, in search not merely of its road but even of its direction. There are many voices of counsel but few voices of vision; there is much excitement and feverish activity, but little concert of thoughtful purpose. We are distressed by our ungoverned, undirected energies and so many things, but nothing long. It is our duty to find ourselves. Commencement Address at Princeton University by future President Woodrow Wilson

  Psychotherapist Nathan Branden states that the first step toward any change is awareness. The second step is acceptance – if you want to change and grow, then you must know yourself and accept who you are before you can start to build anything in your life.

  Here are 10 key questions to ask:

  1. Do you like what you are doing presently? Philosopher Abraham Kaplan stated that if Socrates stated The unexamined life is not worth living, then the unlived life is worth examining. Self examination is worth the examination!

  2. What would you like to do? You are never going to be fulfilled in your potential destiny by doing work that you despise. Passion gives you an advantage.

  3. Can you do what you like to do? – the answer to this question is additional questions: Do you know the difference between what you want and what you are good at? Do you know what drives you and gives you satisfaction? Do you know your core values and priorities?

  4. Do you know the answer to the WHY you want to do something? – is earning a paycheck or a calling in life?

  5. Do you know what to do so that you can do what you want to do? Picture where you are and where you want to be – the first step is awareness!

  6. Do you know people who are presently doing what you want to do? – Connect with those people for learning purposes

  7. Should you enter a coaching relationship with people who are already doing what you want to do? – This requires a teachable spirit and learners heart!

  8. Will you pay the price to do what you want to do? – The is always a COST involved to accomplished your dreams. Are you willing to pay?

  9. When can you start doing what you want to do? – START NOW!

  10. What will it be like when you get to do what you want to do?

  To summarize this podcast, there are three words that come to mind

  1. Awareness

  2. Action

  3. Accountability

  LINKS

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Growth Does Not just Happen – Life Is In Session Are you Present?

• Being intentional in a growth strategy is not natural for many people. The real question is: “Do you have a plan to grow to your fullest potential? Can you articulate that vision of your fuller self by putting pen to paper? If not, then the old adage is true – we are only day dreaming if we cannot write it down.
• What is the difference between goals and growing? The difference is one of intentionality!
• There are a number of misconceptions about personal growth. John Maxwell has listed eight. Let us explore these together.1. I assume that I will automatically grow
  • If one assumes he/she will automatically grow, what is the likely outcome?
  • How can one know if they are growing or not?

  2. I do not know how to grow

  • Not knowing how to grow can be a powerful reason to simply not try to grow.
  • If one does not know how to grow, then one needs to ask those who do.

  3. It is not the right time to begin

  • What happens the longer we wait to begin our journey
  • List some of the reasons (excuses) one might offer for the timing of personal growth not being right4.I am afraid of making mistakes
    • Learning is not always a neat and clean pursuit in life
    • Mistakes are at times an indication that we are moving in the right direction

    5.I have to find the best way before I start

    • You cannot wait until you have the perfect plan to begin anything or nothing ever will begin

    6.I do not feel like doing it

    • You are more likely to act your way into a feeling instead of feeling you way into an action

    7.Others are better than I am

    • There is always someone better than you!

    8.I thought it would be easier than this

    • If Rome was not built in a day, how long are you willing to give yourself?

Make the transition to intentional growth

1.Ask the BIG question now

1.Where do you want to go in life?

2.What direction are you taking in life?

3.What is the farthest you can imagine going in life?

2.Do it NOW

1. The greatest danger facing you this very moment is that you are going to decide to reach your         full potential TOMORROW!

3. Face the FEAR factor

1.Fear of trading security for the Unknown

2.Fear of being overextended financially

3.Fear of what others will say or think

4. Fear of failing

5. Fear that success will alienate you from friends

4. Change from accidental to intentional growth

ACCIDENTAL GROWTH  INTENTIONAL GROWTH

Plans to start tomorrow                                       Insists on TODAY

Waits for growth to come                                    Takes responsibility for Growth

Learns only from mistakes                                  Learns before mistakes

Depends on good luck                                           Depends on hard work

Quits early and often                                             Perseveres long and hard

Falls into bad habits                                              Fights for good habits

Talks big                                                                     Follows through

Plays it safe                                                               Takes risks

Thinks like a victim                                               Thinks like a learner

Relies on talent                                                       Relies on character

Stops learning after graduation                     Never stops growing

Eleanor Roosevelt once stated – One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run we shape our lives and we shape ourselves!

LINKS

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Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast

Mission True organizations are fanatics about rituals and practices.

1. R. Biggs was a freshman along with many others that was being led blind folded through a rowdy group of seniors in preparation for their freshman orientation. The cheers became louder and more intense. They were led to a lake on campus and seated on a bench. Their blind folds were removed. Instead of being greeted with beer cans and humiliating dares – they were greeted by seniors with buckets who knelt down and removed their shoes and socks to wash the feet of the incoming freshman. AMAZING

Peter Drucker is the one that stated “Culture eats  strategy for breakfast.

Little Is Big

Beyond policies and procedures Mission true organizations recognize that culture is composed by the little things.

• The Crowell trust Trustees read aloud their the charter of their foundation at the beginning of each board meeting
• Taylor University gives towels, along with diplomas to signify servant leadership of foot washing
• Young Life has new staff members sit with storied leaders to learn the history of their organization
• Jobs for Life puts high level trust in their regional staff members. They set high expectations and ambitious goals with flexibility to accomplish them
• InterVarsity reviews their vision statement piece-by-piece at their Annual Leadership Conference. They discuss this vision at the smallest points.Business Consultant Shawn Parr states that culture is a balanced blend of human psychology, attitudes, actions, and beliefs that combined create either pleasure or pain, momentum or stagnation.Mission True Culture – 4 Things1. SMALL THINGS MATTER – Minor things go a long way in setting the cultural tone of an organization – Ill. Chick-Fil-A’s famous customer service comment “My Pleasure!”2. CONSISTENCY COUNTS – Faithfulness to repeatable practices trump glossy brochures.

  3. EXEMPLARS SHOULD BE CELEBRATED – Celebrate staff members that mimic the qualities that you desire. This is a means of positive reinforcement that ensures others will strive to achieve these goals as well

  4. EMBED SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES – Seek to build prayer, scriptures, communion, and devotions into the rhythms of the organization.

  LINKS

  Shepherds Advantage Leadership Podcast is now on iTunes – SUBSCRIBE

  FREE GIFT – “The Art of Balancing Candor With Care” – Click on the icon at the bottom of the page

  Executive Coaching Premier Service – Private message me for details on this customizable service

  Music: “Gratitude Mood” by David Arivett. You can learn more about his music by clicking on his name. THANKS DAVID!