Maya Angelou

“You may encounter many defeats,

but you must not be defeated..

it’s necessary..

so you know what you can rise from..” 

~ Maya Angelou

Prepare For 2012

2012 is on it’s way whether you prepare or NOT! Why not prepare and get on the path for a successful year? I will be sharing some things that I’m doing to prepare for a great 2012!

Part 1 of my plan is: Developing a plan for personal growth! I want to get better in my time management, communication & poise. To accomplish these goals, I have to have a plan! My plan for growth is adopting John C. Maxwell’s “8 Step Plan For Personal Growth.” I am committing myself to the process…read it & join me? I hope so…

Remember, this plan DOESN’T work if YOU don’t!

8 Steps Plan For Growth by John C. Maxwell

1. Choose a Life of Growth

• It’s said that when Spanish composer-cellist Pablo Casals was in the final years of his life, a young reporter asked him, “Mr. Casals, you are ninety-five years old and the greatest cellist that ever lived. Why do you still practice six hours a day?” What was Casals answer? “Because I think I’m making progress.” That’s the kind of dedication to continual growth that you should have.
• You need to have an attitude like that of General George Patton. It’s said that he told his troops, “There is one thing I want you to remember. I don’t want to get any messages saying we are holding our position. We are advancing constantly.” Patton’s motto was, “Always take the offensive. Never dig in.”

2.  Start Growing Today

• Napoleon Hill said, “It’s not what you are going to do, but it’s what you are doing now that counts.”
• Why do you need to determine to start growing today? There are several reasons:

i.     Growth is not automatic.

ii.     Growth today will provide a better tomorrow.

iii.     Growth is your responsibility!

3.  Focus on Self-Development, not Self-Fulfillment

• Rabbi Samuel M. Silver taught that “the greatest of all miracles is that we need not be tomorrow what we are today, but we can improve if we make use of the potential implanted in us by God.”

4.  Never Stay Satisfied with Current Accomplishments

• My friend Rick Warren says, “The greatest enemy of tomorrow’s success is today’s success.”
• It’s another characteristic of destination disease. But successful people don’t sit back and rest on their laurels.
• Sydney Harris insisted that “a winner knows how much he still had to learn, even when he is considered an expert by others; a loser wants to be considered an expert by others before he has learned enough to know how little he knows.”

5.  Be a Continual Learner

• The best way to keep from becoming satisfied with your current achievements is to make yourself a continual learner. That kind of commitment may be rarer than you realize. For example, a study performed by the University of Michigan several years ago found that one-third of all physicians in the United States are so busy working that they’re two years behind the breakthroughs in their own fields.
• Henry Ford said, “It’s been my observation that most successful people get ahead during the time other people waste.”
• Frank A. Clark stated, “Most of us must learn a great deal every day in order to keep ahead of what we forget.”

6.  Develop a Plan for Growth

• The key to a life of continual learning and improvement lies in developing a specific plan for growth and following through with it.
• Earl Nightingale, which says, “If a person will spend one hour a day on the same subject for five years, that person will be an expert on that subject.

7.  Pay the Price

• President Theodore Roosevelt boldly stated, “There has not yet been a person in our history who led a life of ease whose name is worth remembering.”

8.  Find a Way to Apply What You Learn

• Jim Rohn urged, “Don’t let your learning lead to knowledge. Let your learning lead to action.”
• Successful people develop positive daily habits that help them to grow and learn.
• “Something in human nature tempts us to stay where we’re comfortable. We try to find a plateau, a resting place, where we have comfortable associations with people, without the intimidation of meeting new people and entering strange situations.” (author and leadership expert Fred Smith)

Plan - to get better

“The Day After The Victory”

I spent Sunday, December 18 at my son, Kevin’s church, No Limits Church (NLC), in Brooklyn NY. His pastor, Ken Bobe, invited me to come and facilitate a leadership workshop at 8:30am, and teach during their 10am service. I accepted, and visualized a successful and blessed outcome…

But what I experienced that day surpassed all my expectations! The people of NLC blessed me more than anything I ever did… Their warm, welcoming spirit, hospitality and genuine love for each other was awesome to see… NLC has a desire to become better leaders and positively impact the people they serve & BEYOND! Pastor Ken is masterfully leading them and I believe they will reach AND surpass their goals! Thank you, NLC! Gracias por todo!

The time spent with them has also inspired me to resurrect this blog and start posting again!

With that in mind — as I reflected on the day and how God just put things in place for ALL of us to be blessed; I have two important principles to share with No Limits Church OR anyone else peeking at this post!

Principle #1 is: “You’re most vulnerable the day after the victory.”

Principle #2“Truth unrehearsed is soon forgotten.” Let me explain…

The “victory” I refer to; in the case of NLC, is that you heard teaching that impacted your life, exposed some areas you need to work on… you even heard something that seemed aimed directly at YOU… That “victory” was followed by thoughts of, “wow, I have some things to work on and improve in my life…right? Principle #1 holds a simple yet profound warning for those engaged in the life pursuit of excellence: ACT ON THOSE THOUGHTS IMMEDIATELY!

If you don’t place value on what you heard and actively process it, rehearse it and find a way to IMMEDIATELY apply it to your life — you will soon forget it and miss an opportunity to grow!! (“Truth unrehearsed is SOON forgotten”…) You become vulnerable to falling back into bad habits, lack of discipline and a “roller coaster” life…

I encourage you to take some time and write down the “bold print” – the things that stuck out to you, and make a plan to implement them in your life. If you can’t do it RIGHT NOW, then make an appointment with yourself — i.e., make an “meeting with me” in Outlook or iCal… I’m serious folks — use technology to YOUR advantage.

Make the time, and attack those areas in your life that need to be improved. Persist through setbacks, persevere through your own mistakes and ask God for the desire and power to become a better leader.

If you are disciplined and do this, you will reap great rewards!!    

Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained. ~Marie Curie

Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance. ~Samuel Johnson

I do not think that there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature. ~John D Rockefeller

Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did. ~Newt Gingrich

Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure. ~Benjamin Disraeli

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. ~John Q. Adams

Self-Discipline: So important in a Leader

As we continue on the journey of learning the mindset of a leader, I have found that ALL great leaders have mastered the art of self-discipline in their lives. Without it, a leader cannot be successful!

In the book. “The Way of the Leader”, author Donald G. Krause, talks about the importance of self-discipline in the life of a leader. Here are some excerpts to stimulate your thinking on this important subject and hopefully inspire you to ACTION:

SELF-DISCIPLINE:

• A leader tends to live by a set of rules or principles that he determines are appropriate for him and acceptable to his constituents (followers or team). A leader does not need external motivation to ensure performance.  
• Self-discipline is the basic ingredient of self-control and the foundation of self-respect. If an executive lacks self-discipline, self-control, or self-respect, even if he is the person in charge he will not, in fact, be the leader.
• Self-discipline means; at the most personal level, means that you do not attempt to deceive yourself. Always be careful what you think and do, but be particularly careful when you believe you are alone.Practice self-restraint in your private life. Remember a person’s opinion of himself eventually shows in his face and is reflected in his outward behavior. A true leader exercises self-discipline through controlling his thoughts and action even when he believes that no one else can see him.
• An effective leader exhibits a poised, self-assured, direct, and controlled demeanor under all circumstances. A controlled manner bestows powerful competitive advantages.
• Above all, an effective leader is dignified without being arrogant. Arrogance comes from ignorance and lack of self-confidence. When a person displays arrogance he is confirming that he knows very little about true dignity and more importantly, very little about true leadership.
• Few people will admit their own failures and ever fewer will acknowledge that the true cause of failure lies within themselves. But a person who practices self-discipline and continuously develops his level of skill seldom fails in the long run. 
• An effective leader worries about his own shortcomings and seeks improvement from within. When a person demands excellence from others, but never corrects problems within himself, he cannot lead.
• Study widely; inquire sincerely; adhere steadfastly to your principles; consider carefully your experiences, what works and what does not work for you. It is in doing these things that you will discover the meaning of excellence. Moreover, find the best leaders and emulate their methods. In this way, you will also discover the meaning of leadership.
• Excellence in leadership or anything else is not something remote or difficult to find. We need only practice self-discipline, and it (excellence) will begin to appear in our lives!

This week set high goals for yourself that will set the bar for the rest of the month.

Remember, you only have to succeed the last time

~Brian Tracy

October 24, 2011

The Practice of Discipline
By: Brian Tracy

Discipline yourself to do what you know you need to do to be the very best in your field. Perhaps the best definition of self discipline is this: “Self discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.”

It is easy to do something when you feel like it. It’s when you don’t feel like it and you force yourself to do it anyway that you move your life and career onto the fast track.

What decisions do you need to make today in order to start moving toward the top of your field? Whatever it is, either to get in or get out, make a decision today and then get started. This single act alone can change the whole direction of your life.

Seven Steps to Success
There is a powerful seven step formula that you can use to set and achieve your goals for the rest of your life. Every single successful person uses this formula or some variation of this formula to achieve vastly more than the average person. And so can you. Here it is:

Decide What You Want
Step number one, decide exactly what it is you want in each part of your life. Become a “meaningful specific” rather than a “wandering generality.”

Write it Down
Second, write it down, clearly and in detail. Always think on paper. A goal that is not in writing is not a goal at all. It is merely a wish and it has no energy behind it.

Set A Deadline
Third, set a deadline for your goal. A deadline acts as a “forcing system” in your subconscious mind. It motivates you to do the things necessary to make your goal come true. If it is a big enough goal, set sub-deadlines as well. Don’t leave this to chance.

Make A List
Fourth, make a list of everything that you can think of that you are going to have to do to achieve your goal. When you think of new tasks and activities, write them on your list until your list is complete.

Organize Your List
Fifth, organize your list into a plan. Decide what you will have to do first and what you will have to do second. Decide what is more important and what is less important. And then write out your plan on paper, the same way you would develop a blueprint to build your dream house.

Take Action
The sixth step is for you to take action on your plan. Do something. Do anything. But get busy. Get going.

Do Something Every Day
Do something every single day that moves you in the direction of your most important goal at the moment. Develop the discipline of doing something 365 days each year that is moving you forward. You will be absolutely astonished at how much you accomplish when you utilize this formula in your life every single day.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do to put these ideas into action immediately.

First, decide exactly what you want, write it down with a deadline, make a plan and take action – on at least one goal – today!

Second, determine the price you will have to pay to achieve this goal and then get busy paying that price – whatever it is.

HAPPY SUNDAY!