Tag Archives: personal-development

Ever outward.

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“The first act of leadership is coming to grips with yourself, who you are, where you are, and what is of value to you, and shaping yourself by acts of conscious will into what you want to become.”

FENWICK W. ENGLISH 

To lead others, it is necessary that you are first able to lead yourself. A task that can get the best of most, if you are not quite sure “who” exactly it is that you are leading. 

Coming to grips with yourself – each facet that makes up the “who” you are – demands a high level of self awareness, unvarnished honesty and a measure of forgiveness. Once you have completed a thorough, yet loving,  self assessment then you are in a better position to begin the work that is needed to make a present reality meet the future vision. 

Each of us is a work in progress.   

For there is always capacity for growth, improvement and actualization. Besides, becoming what you were intended to be isn’t an overnight affair. Never.  It takes time, guts, perseverance and a measure of “want to” to will yourself into becoming the best version of that person you see in  the mirror. 

As time goes by, it won’t just be you seeing that reflection. Others will be drawn in  to take a  look too and see what the fuss is all about. 

Through seeing you, witnessing and experiencing your efforts, they will want to try to embrace a glimpse of what could be them should they choose to follow your lead. They will want to learn, understand and then share in that very process. So that they know from the source  how one can shape and will oneself into that best version of themselves. 

They will welcome and  benefit from seeing you fail and learning from your mistakes so that they may do the same.  They will relish and  appreciate the wisdom you provide on your journey  as they work towards their own goals on theirs. 

Leading yourself first in an open and honest fashion ultimately leads others to do the same.

Shaping all by acts of a conscious will into what you choose to  become. 

So they may as well. 

Forever spreading ever outward.

It just is.

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“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” 

— Leonardo Da Vinci

At some point, action is required.

It just is. 

And you must “do.” 

It is a trait of leadership to be able to not only recognize this vacuum but pour yourself into it. That singular  moment that must be met and filled. With effort. Commitment. And character. 

There is no manual, class or team dinner game sheet that will tell you when. 

You just have to be fully embraced in it, be aware of it, and respond. 

You may fail once, twice or ten times. 

But simply knowing when the moment arrives and knowing what to do will not suffice. 

It is not enough. 

You must simply do. 

It just is.

Focus.

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It was once said that courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the choice you make in the face of fear. Similarly, focus does not exist in the absence of distractions – it exists in spite of them. 

Focus, then, also represents a choice. The decision you make to maintain and hold fast to your “vision” regardless of the situation, temptation or challenge.

It is highly unlikely that you will ever find yourself in an environment totally free of distractions. You can always count on something to be there to draw your attention, pick away at your resolve or make you second-guess your intentions, abilities and actions. 

Distractions – especially now – are going to be more than abundant.

Some of these will present themselves as the self-inflicted variety. Usually born of doubt.

The ones you create and then tell yourself. You know, those little white lies that excuse the failure you are ultimately setting yourself up for. The rationale you use to lessen expectations, dim the light of your talents and diminish your purpose. The fiction that only serves to deflect attention from performance. 

The prose that is generated to soften the blow when you tell yourself that you are not quite up to the challenge, because you think it might require too much of you. All because you choose to allow doubt to wedge its way into you.

Then there are those distractions that will act to divert your focus from the outside in. Perhaps it is your peers chipping away at your self imposed discipline, sacrifice and commitment. Or the press and the punditry that look to fill their space with copy and your head with nonsense. The chirping opponent looking to draw a flag.

A hostile playoff venue to take you out of your game. If you allow yourself to succumb to these types of “noise”, your eyes may come off the ball. You might lose your way. Failure may appear.

You have the ability to overcome these distractions, maintain your focus and relentlessly pursue your vision.

But this talent needs to be exercised regularly. Your ability to choose to remain focused in the face of distraction can become powerful – but only if you consistently challenge yourself to do so in all cases.

Confront every distraction and put it in their place. Recognize their origins and intentions. See them for what they usually are – self-doubt.

Keep your eyes on the prize, your head in the game and your heart full of purpose.

Focus.

Thinking your path

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“As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.”

  Henry David Thoreau 

Perhaps you find yourself at a crossroads. And by gaining a sense of this, feeling its tug and gaining an awareness of gravity, do you regroup?  Engage in a course correction?  Some element of self transformation?   

Consider how the mass of  your collective thoughts, words and deeds have led you to this instant. How they came to impact oneself.  Make you  something.  Leading you somewhere.

They all matter.  And even now, in this moment, both they and you are still being shaped.  

Taking all that you have been up to now and making you into what you are to become. The embodiment of all that is the best in you; character, excellence, perseverance and leadership.  

Your intentions can finally and irrevocably become reality.  A convergence of age, ability, experience. The confluence of discipline, desire and dreams.

In something altogether new.  That will stand  alone and the test of time.  That will never happen precisely in this fashion ever again. 

Long ago, you may have entertained the smallest germ of a thought.  A glimmer of a dream. 

At that moment, you decided.  You chose a destination. 

A path was needed.  Direction determined.  A pace to be set.   

So you let go.  Abandoned yourself, while exerting the will to expend yourself in all aspects of your being. Succumbing to a level of  self- discipline that ultimately created this extraordinary circumstance. 

Creating a singular vision, originating from a common perspective. Led by the thoughts we chose to dominate our life.  Following the deep mental path we walked along and through.  

Guiding  us to who, what and where we always imagined.

Attitude

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To epitomize attitude is often easier said than thought, understood and applied.  

But attitude truly is everything.  

In the right hands, a coach, mentor or leader can make attitude a powerful weapon of mass instruction. Instilling in others an awareness of its impact and how it can promote achievement and success.  How it ripples ever outward.  And ultimately, creates unanticipated growth.  

Of all the things that we seek to control and temper throughout the course of our daily lives, attitude  tends to be the one thing that is overlooked or taken for granted.  Perhaps because it often requires more effort and perseverance than was  ever anticipated.  After all, it is not something that can be held, defined or KPI’d. It is only just attitude.

But then again, attitude is EVERYTHING.  It alone belongs to and answers to us. It is a personal, business and life changer. If we can fully recognize and honor that.  

However, more often than not, we choose to cede our authority to it.  The wrong one.  Allowing it to run rough-shod over us and others when we allow it.  Attitude alone has the ability to transform any adversity into opportunity. Attitude provides one with the proper perspective regardless of the severity of the situation.  It is our ally when we understand its goal.  Enemy when we do not. 

Attitude – good or bad – can go viral.  It can become  a highly contagious element. For good.  And, for bad. 

You must be willing and able to become  the relentless source of a positive attitude for all.  Not just for you.  But for all.

And then? 

Be willing to administer the vaccine should all negativity happen to turn it into a bad  infection. 

And be the cure.  

Through your attitude.