How to Get and Keep Respect – 4 Practices
I believe one thing people want in life is respect. We want to feel valued, listened to, and called upon to do ordinary and extraordinary things. It is about self-worth, and it is about using our talents. Respect is such a simple thing in concept. In practice, since other people are involved, respect gets more…
A Pendulum of Freedom and Responsibility
It is a pendulum of freedom and responsibility. In tandem, both keep us moving in the right direction. It is a choice of evaporating or creating momentum.
On Stamina: Three Principles and Two Supporting Thoughts
Stamina. The power to endure. We need stamina, just as we need a backbone. The two, in a way, are related. They hold us upright and keep us looking straight ahead. When we look at people, we wonder how they survive certain events. When the unexpected headline lands on someone’s lap, we gather around in…
How to Toughen Up – 4 Steps
How do you toughen up yourself? Simple answer: Get out there and do something! If you have read anything about me, you know that I grew up on a family farm. A farmer’s life teaches you many things, and one of them is that no one is going to do the work for you. This…
Lead from the Middle: The 9 New, New Leadership Principles
There are several solid leadership chats and discussions that happen through social media. Tuesday nights, there are two tweet chats that bring people together — #leadershipchat and #leadfromwithin. Earlier this week, I participated in both. It was leadership conversations in stereo, streaming continuously in 140 characters! Perseverance was the topic in one, and next generation…
Are You Living a Life Sentence?
What thought enters your mind when you read – are you living a life sentence? Most likely, an image of being imprisoned or incarcerated is envisioned. In the United States, we have the highest incarceration rate with about 2.3 million people in prison. This has grown into such an industry that CNBC is running a…
Is Your Soul Flow Open or Closed?
Are you trying to live a meaningful life, a spirited life? How does it really happen? It is a question we wrestle with – some do it successfully, others do not. When talking about life as a warrior dash, part of the conversation was around our soul or spirit, mind, and actions. It is not…
The Toothpaste Test
Do you think that how you treat certain things relates to how you are as a person? I do. Take toothpaste, for example. Here is a short (fun) test to take to determine what type of person you are and the approaches you may take in life. The Toss Test Do you squeeze every single…
Scaling Point A to Point B
Last week, I spent some time with my brother, helping with his life transition and steps forward. I believe there are life lessons all around us, if we care to take note and soak it in. Each of us has some type of destination we may be planning or contemplating. Getting started is always the…
Breathe in Your Independence, Exhale with Inspired Actions
As this Independence Day begins, take the time to really appreciate your independence and what it should mean in what you do every day. Below are three summary thoughts and related posts. Independence Thought 1: In America, we are free from oppression. It is our individual responsibility, now, to embrace our freedom to live an…
“I Want You to Push Me”
“I want you to push me.” You don’t hear that statement often. It is one of self-challenge. Living this statement can change many things. It is different than pushing ourselves. When we push ourselves, we do it sometimes fairly, and other times, unfairly. We can be our own worst, or best, “pusher.” Asking others to…
What Can You Let Yourself Off the Hook for?
Nothing. This is my initial reaction to this month’s Reverb question. There is nothing we should let ourselves off the hook for. What happens when we do? We ignore our core conscience (Think Congressman Weiner). We sacrafice our principles (Think Coach Tressel). We take wrongful actions (Think Teens bully others). When we let ourselves off…