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Archive for the category “Leadership”

20 Apr 2013

the importance of relationships

Why Epiphanies Don’t Work | by Jacob Sokol
With no shortage of wisdom, biz-strategies, and life-advice, why aren’t we all already living the lives of our dreams?
Does the problem lie in our inability to find the right balance between *knowledge* acquisition and actual *implementation*?
Epiphanies can be life-altering, but in reality, most are short-lived and fade away within days or weeks.
So, how can we effectively translate epiphanies into lasting change?
In one of my all-time favorite interviews, that’s the exact question I asked moral psychologist Jonathan Haidt for our upcoming WTF Should I Do w/ My Life?! virtual conference.

What Jonathan shared was shocking…
Epiphanies are thrilling but they’re cheap. They fade away. And then months later, nothing ever happens.
Here’s a HUGE insight: Unless you change your *environment* or your *relationships*, change will not last.
This is why community is SO important. In order to utilize the information you’re learning, you need to make changes in your life that will allow you to sustain whatever insights you have. If you want to change yourself, change your peer group.
So, how can you stop hanging out with the knuckleheads and start hanging out with people you admire?

http://www.entheos.com/?c=3673

Posted in awareness, Becoming Yourself, community, connection, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Freedom, friendship, inspiration, Leadership, People, Relationships | Leave a comment

20 Jan 2013

The Ascent

Grab hold,
and take this hand that
reaches out to you.

Look up
into my eye;
my spirit
cries out to you:

Friendship is my thought.

Let us climb the jagged cliff of life
and fight the ascent of Opposition together,

if I can lift you today,
you will look back
and grab the hands of a thousand more.

– Howard Rainer,

Posted in action, attitude, awareness, community, compassion, courage, Encouragement, find art at pinterest, inspiration, Joy, Leadership, Life, Love, People, Poetry, Quotes, Relationships, soul and spirit, strength, success, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

10 Dec 2012

make today the best day of your life!

Everything is My fault
by Derek Sivers
http://sivers.org/

I cut two chapters out of my book because they were too nasty.

They vented all the awful details about how my terrible employees staged a mutiny to try to get rid of me, and corrupted the culture of the company into a festering pool of entitlement, focused only on their benefits instead of our clients.

Afterwards, I spent a few years still mad at those evil brats for what they did. So, like anyone feeling victimized and wronged, I needed to vent – to tell my side of the story. Or so I thought.

So do you want to know the real reason I cut those chapters?

I realized it was all my fault.

I let the culture of the company get corrupted.
I ignored problems instead of nipping them in the bud.
I was aloof and away instead of managing or training managers.
I confused everyone by sharing my daily thoughts before they had cemented into decisions.
I announced decisions, then assumed they were being done, without following-up to ensure.
I whimsically delegated to the wrong people, avoiding the mental work of choosing wisely.
(I could list another 20 of these, but you get the idea.)

It felt so SO good to realize it was my fault!

This is way better than forgiving. When you forgive, you’re still playing the victim, and they’re still wrong, but you’re charitably pardoning their horrible deeds.

But to decide it’s your fault feels amazing! Now you weren’t wronged. They were just playing their part in the situation you created. They’re just delivering the punch-line to the joke you set up.

What power! Now you’re like a new super-hero, just discovering your strength. Now you’re the powerful person that made things happen, made a mistake, and can learn from it. Now you’re in control and there’s nothing to complain about.

This philosophy feels so good that I’ve playfully decided to apply this “EVERYTHING IS MY FAULT” rule to the rest of my life.

It’s one of those base rules like “people mean well” that’s more fun to believe, and have a few exceptions, than to not believe at all.

The guy that stole $9000 from me? My fault. I should have verified his claims.
The love of my life that dumped me out of the blue (by email!) after 6 years? My fault. I let our relationship plateau.
Someone was rude to me today? My fault. I could have lightened their mood beforehand.
Don’t like my government? My fault. I could get involved and change the world.

See what power it is?

Yes, the word “responsibility” is more accurate, but it’s such a serious 6-syllable word, whereas “everything’s my fault” is a fun rule-of-thumb, and gets me singing Nirvana’s “All Apologies”.

Try it on. Stand up, open the window, look out at the world and shout, “Everything is my fault!”

Think of every bad thing that happened to you, and say it again.

Cool, huh?

That power looks good on you.

Posted in attitude, awareness, Becoming Yourself, Change, Choice, commitment, confidence, courage, create, determination, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, inspiration, Leadership, Letting Go, Life, People, power, Respect, strength, success | Leave a comment

05 Nov 2012

Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t. ~ Jerry Rice

For the past 5 years I have published a newsletter called Songs from the Valley. I really had no idea how to do it, or what the result would be, I just enjoyed creating the first issue so much I committed to creating it for one year.

The first year was a time of figuring out what this publication would become. In March, of 2008, I featured my first artist, in April, I decided to publish two issues a month. By May, it began to take shape around a subject, rather than putting in random hodge-podge inspiration and in December, I decided that I would continue to create and publish it – that it truly was one of the best things I had ever done in my life. In 2010 I started a website and on March 18, 2011, I started this daily, poetry and quotes blog, to go along with the 2 issues a month.

I have been asked many times how I do it, how I find time. As I look back over the past five years, I see the actions that are reflected in the quote above. I made it happen by living my life in a way that others haven’t. It’s not about me being right or wrong, it’s just about what you want. I want to be all I can be and not aim low. When I started the newsletter, I wanted to create something good that my children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren, could find one day, and know who I am, what I loved, how I live my life, what I stood for and what I learned about life. As I look back over the body of work, I am so blessed by how I have spent my time, the hours were well worth the effort! I am extremely grateful for what I have accomplished.

As this year of 2012 comes quickly to a close, I feel the time for something new is happening. It is time for things to shift and I am not sure the newsletter will continue to be the same. There are new things being born, and I feel the end of this particular publication may be ending, to make way for something new and exciting. I am not sure exactly what it will be, as of yet, but I feel things stirring around in my heart, in my imagination. Inspiration is bubbling and brewing and my music is coming to the forefront of this next phase of life upcoming. It is exciting and feels important. I ask for your prayers as I figure these things out and begin to incorporate new areas of discipline into my going, and begin to accomplish my highest calling from a heart of love.

www.songsfromthevalley.com for current issue on Place featuring artist Beverly Erschell http://www.beverlyerschell.com/

Posted in attitude, awareness, Becoming Yourself, Choice, commitment, confidence, courage, create, determination, do, find art at pinterest, Growth, Habits, Happiness, inspiration, Leadership, Life, Love, Newsletter, People, power, Quotes, Reality, Songs from the Valley, strength, success | Leave a comment

31 Aug 2012

Give our leader your justice, O God,

and your righteousness to those in power.

May they judge your people with righteousness,

and your poor with justice.

May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,

and the hills, in righteousness.

May they defend the cause of the poor of the people,

give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.

—Psalm 72.1-4

God of eternal justice and mighty grace,

may your gentle healing and fierce compassion

overthrow those in power, and fill them with your love.

May your care for your littlest ones

invade our desires, sweep up our leaders,

overtake all greed, and transform the power in our hands.

May justice be our passion and love our courage.

May our leaders guide us in generosity

with gentleness, humility and truth.

By the self-giving of your grace,

may we overthrow all greed and oppression,

that none, in using power, may cause another’s suffering.

We give ourselves to the healing of the earth,

that we may be tender with even the mountains and hills.

God of mercy, may justice prevail:

not that we decide one another’s deserving,

but that we defend one another’s needs,

that all may have life, and have it abundantly,

in the spirit of your almighty tenderness and grace.

Amen.

_________________

Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Unfolding Light

www.unfoldinglight.net

Posted in Choice, compassion, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, Freedom, Leadership, Love, Peace, People, Poetry, politics, power, Prayer, Relationships, Respect, soul and spirit, strength, thankfulness, Thoughts, time | Leave a comment

28 Jul 2012

Fear is the thief of dreams – unknown

When nothing is sure, anything is possible. – Margaret Drabble

Posted in attitude, Becoming Yourself, Beginning, Beliefs, Career, Choice, commitment, compassion, determination, Dreams, Encouragement, Faith, find art at pinterest, giving, Gratitude, Growth, home, Imagine, inspiration, Leadership, Letting Go, Life, Love, Passion, People, power, Relationships, soul and spirit, strength, success, thankfulness, Thoughts, Today, Winning | Leave a comment

22 Jun 2012

do all things with love

Yes….ALL things!
“Love the Lord with all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself” – Jesus
Love is truly all we need.
Not love the way our world protrays it, most of the time.
A love that takes us higher and higher.
Love that brings freedom and fuels our passion and purpose.
Love that builds our world and changes hearts.
He leads us by example.
His words are life changing.
I know – it happened to me!
He loves us beyond anything we can comprehend.
Yet just a glimpse brings our souls and hearts to life, flaming the passion to give, and receive, this love.
It is real and it is available for everyone.
We are all his beloved.