Inspiration and lessons for your leadership journey!

You might notice a recurrent theme from me over the past three weeks.  That’s because it keeps popping up square in my face.  Not only did Wes Hopper keep reminding me this past week about this theme, but my sister posted today’s marvelous video on her Facebook at just the right time for me.  So, I just had to share it with you. 

You see, I was just a little stressed.  I was in the midst of changing jobs, Leah and I found out a few weeks ago that she is pregnant, and the doctor wanted one more ultrasound before we would be in the lull between two jobs and insurance coverage. 

So, we drove forty-five minutes across town through traffic on a very hot day in Houston to get to the imaging center not of our choice because it was the only one that could schedule us on short notice. 

When we got there, the receptionist was less than friendly, our appointment time was screwed-up, and I lost it for just a bit.  I didn’t get terribly rude or ugly, but terrible for me, anyway.  I usually pride myself on being ‘Mr. Positive-Happy-Blessed-Man.’  So, you can understand my disappointment in myself.

Later, when I got home, I saw today’s video (thanks again, Rebecca!) and a few days later, read our opening quote.

They reminded me that it takes continual work to be a new person, to transform your life, to manifest your dreams, and to grow into the person you want to be.  In order to get what you want, you must think new, positive thoughts and change your state of being – who you are. 

But it’s not necessarily in the big moments when we are put to the test – but in the mundane, petty, frustrating ones – like standing in line at WalMart wondering why they don’t have enough cashiers when they know it’s rush hour or when dealing with heat, traffic, and screwed-up appointments.

What are some of the mundane, petty, frustrating moments for you in your personal life or as a leader?

Today’s video, part of a commencement address by David Wallace at Kenyon College on May 21, 2005, is a great reminder for me and I hope you get value from it, too.

Your future results – what you want – are determined in large part by what you choose to think, feel, and do now.  In every now – even the crappy ones. 

Be the change you want to see in the world.  Strive to choose love, integrity, empathy, and peace in every little encounter.

If you like this week's blog, I encourage you to share it with your family, friends, and colleagues and join me on my journey to empower and inspire millions of people around the globe.

Together we can spread words of Encouragement, Inspiration, Empowerment, and Loving Leadership... and wouldn't you agree our world could use a little more "Positivity" these days?

Together we can make a difference...

Have an amazing journey today!

Alan

Inspiration and lessons for your leadership journey!

Have you ever been around someone who is full of negativity, worry, anxiety, and complaints? It’s no fun, right?

I used to be like that. Negative and no fun. That negativity permeated my life and I reaped the fruits of that negativity. That was no fun, too.

That all changed for me when I began using the tools, lessons, and techniques I describe in A Travel Guide to Leadership. 

I gained inspiration from works like the first gold record for the spoken word, The Strangest Secret.  In it, Earl Nightingale compares the mind to the land owned by a farmer. You are the farmer.

You see, the mind doesn’t care what you plant in it, just like the land doesn’t care what a farmer puts in the ground. This analogy is very familiar to Christians.  The New Testament says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

As leaders – or as anyone who wants to be happy and successful – we must take a look at what’s in our garden and how we tend it.

One of the difficulties we face is that many of the seeds planted in our mind were not planted by us.  They were planted by our parents, the environment of our upbringing, our culture, religion, media, governments, corporations, and so on. 

Many of those seeds have fully bloomed and they may no longer serve our higher purpose, growth, success, or well-being.  Some of those seeds that were planted long ago are now actually harmful – choking out or poisoning our mind-garden. 

They may have been planted accidentally, or even on purpose.  Either way, not all of the fruits in our mind’s garden that we reap daily serve us or others well.

One of the most important lessons, if not the most important lesson, on our journey is to realize that we must take control of our mind and our thoughts in order to be happy, successful, and to grow heartily.

Open your mind and heart to the strangest secret.

If you like this week's blog, I encourage you to share it with your family, friends, and colleagues and join me on my journey to empower and inspire millions of people around the globe.

Together we can spread words of Encouragement, Inspiration, Empowerment, and Loving Leadership... and wouldn't you agree our world could use a little more "Positivity" these days?

Together we can make a difference...

Have an amazing journey today!

Alan

Inspiration and lessons for your leadership journey!

Today’s quote is a spin on a quote of Wayne Dyer that opened Part I of A Travel Guide to Leadership:

"And you get there, not by asking for it, because you don’t – and this is really important... this is what The Secret missed talking about the Law of Attraction – you do not attract into your life what you want, you attract into your life what you are… what you are."

Albert Einstein also relayed this message when he said, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

These are some pretty smart folks giving us a common message.

You might be able to change who you’re with or your circumstances, but unless you change your state of being – who you are – you will continue to repeat and manifest the same ole song and dance.

Have you ever said to yourself, “Why does this type of thing keep happening to me?” or “Here we go again… nothing ever changes around here!”

Is so, then you need a change in your state of being.

I’m not saying it’s easy or necessarily fast, but when you use the tools and lessons in A Travel Guide to Leadership you’re making a good start!

One of the most powerful ways is love (and its cousins).  When your state of being is coherent with love, gratitude, and happiness, you make better decisions and are more effective – and you inspire others to do the same. 

Love and other positive emotions and thoughts are a creative energy source. 

Love’s energy has the power to transform; it is creative. 

Use love today to change how you are!

If you like this week's blog, I encourage you to share it with your family, friends, and colleagues and join me on my journey to empower and inspire millions of people around the globe.

Together we can spread words of Encouragement, Inspiration, Empowerment, and Loving Leadership... and wouldn't you agree our world could use a little more "Positivity" these days?

Together we can make a difference...

Have an amazing journey today!

Alan

Inspiration and lessons for your leadership journey!

Mother-child relationships are the first and one of the most important– if not the most important – leadership relationships we ever have. 

The impact a mother and the family environment have during infancy and early childhood on our lives has been clearly demonstrated.  There is also clear evidence that the prenatal environment is equally, if not more important.

If you are a mother, I want to wish you a sincere “Happy Mother’s Day!” 

Your responsibility is unmatched by the impact you make on individuals, our society, and our world.  So, I also want to thank you for your dedicated nurturing, teaching, guidance, and love you show to your child or children. 

What you do and say and who you are makes a difference! 

Keep up the good work! 

Keep up the good love!

Inspiration and lessons for your leadership journey!

The word transform is an amazing word! Trans- means to go across or beyond, like a transatlantic flight. Form is the shape, model, or body of something. So, to be transformed is to go beyond your body towards a more mental and spiritual being.

When I wrote A Travel Guide to Leadership, I was trying to capture and pass on some of the lessons and tools that had transformed my life (and renewed my mind and spirit). I wanted something I could return to time and again to remind me of those things when I needed and to help you on your journey of personal and professional transformation, thus increasing your ability to influence others and lead.

My good friend and colleague, Jack Williams, takes the idea of transformation to a whole new level in his newly released book, 18 Doors: A Journey through Life and Death Row. 

Jack also knows something about transformation from a completely unique perspective – and worth reading about! As a young preteen, he lived through the death of his younger brother who was killed by a drunk driver and a few years later, the murder of his mother – shot through the head while sitting at a stoplight in her car.

In his new book, Jack chronicles how he fell into a life of darkness and crime after these tragedies, how he was transformed by the Holy Spirit, and reveals secret, never-before-known details about the Texas Death Row and its inmates.  Yes, a surviving family member of two murder victims, is now a minister to death row inmates and troubled youth through his ministry, BroJack Ministries! That truly is a testament to the power of transformation!

We all have times and moments when we need to be encouraged, inspired, and even transformed. Jack and I offer you gifts that help you do just that, each in our own way, of course. Remember, you are a creation of this universe and the Divine! I encourage you to take time today – and everyday – to renew your mind and be transformed.

If you like this week's blog, I encourage you to share it with your family, friends, and colleagues and join me on my journey to empower and inspire millions of people around the globe.

Together we can spread words of Encouragement, Inspiration, Empowerment, and Loving Leadership... and wouldn't you agree our world could use a little more "Positivity" these days?

Together we can make a difference...

Have an amazing journey today!

Alan

PS. Don't forget to watch this week's inspiring video at the end!