MMM - Smile and Move

Make the most of your Monday's. Set a productive, high paced, energy packed tone for the week.

For some great Monday Motivation check out Smile and Move.

Also, see these great videos for a quick pick-me up.

Rev up
Think Different
Wake Up

Harness the Fire to Soar Higher

MMM

Leadership...it is all about knowing how you can bring value to each situation.

As a leader we find ourselves in a variety of situations. Most people spend their time trying to fit this cookie cutter format that they think others are looking for. The more effective approach would be to look at the skills, strengths and unique perspectives that you bring to the table then figure out how you can add value to the situation based off of what you already possess.

How do you add value?

Reflection

The mirror, we use them all the time. To see it that shirt goes with those pants, to see the progress we are making at the gym (or lack there of), or even making sure we got our hair just right before walking out the door (like I did this morning...and let me tell you it looks phenomenal). Yes, we spend time on a regular basis looking at our reflection in the mirror but how often do you put a mirror to your life?
This time of year is a big change for many young leaders. Fall brings a new school year which brings the transition to a new grade level or even the big life altering change of moving out on your own and heading off to college. This means that fall is the perfect time to check out the reflection of your life. Take some time to really examine who you are, what you bring to the table and more importantly who you want to become.

This last part is especially true for those students who are going off to college. When you move away from home to a whole new scene, whole new classmates and out from the watchful eye of your parents it is a chance to start over and be who you really are. Be who you want to be.

I know this was especially true for me. In high school I was always considered more of a jock then anything else. I was the one who was always out for a sport or getting ready for the start of the next sports season on my calander. While there is nothing wrong with athletics and I still really enjoy weightlifting and running, that is not what I wanted my life to be based on anymore. The start of college was a chance for me to start over and discover what I was truly interested in.

Taking the time to examine and evaluate yourself is extremely important no matter what age you are. At the very least we all should evaluate who we are, finding our goals, strengths and passions.

The next step is to figure out who we want to be. What values are important to you? What is your personal mission and your vision for your life?

The most important step is to take action to close the gap between where you are currently and where you want to be. Take the time now to create an action plan. Your life will NOT wait.

Reflect and take action.

The Bucket List

The Bucket List. If you have not seen it, it is a great movie about these two men who make a list about all the things they want to do before they kick the bucket. Actually, my nickname Ray Ray came around because of this movie but that is another story.

I can remember back during my senior year of high school when my Agricutlure Instructor Ms. Jumbeck had our class do this very same activity. As a senior getting ready to make one of the most significant changes in my life up to that point (moving out and going to college) just doing this activity had an incredible impact.

I still have my Bucket List. It has already changed slightly since that intitial draft, some items were added, others deleted and a few accomplished. I keep my current list posted right next to my desk, where I can see it everyday as a reminder of what I want to achieve and the adventures I want to have. It is by no means an extensive list but it is ever evolving.

So, here it is. The moment you have all been waiting for.

My Bucket List:

-Start a presenting company
- Get married
-Explore a rainforest
-Visit all of the National Wilderness Areas
-Visit all seven continents
-Go bowhunting in Kenya
-Own a house on a lake or an ocean
-Own some woodland in Buffalo County WI
-Go back to Eluethra and go snorkeling
-Run in the Ironman Triathlon before graduating college
-Go to the Olympia competition
-Study or work abroad
-Go to the Super Bowl
-Have kids (2-3)
-Invest in the foreign stock market
-Invest in reality
-Go to a college bowl game
-Go to Jamacia
-Pay off college debt before I graduate
-Go rock climbing (the real stuff)
-Go sky-diving
-Go White water rafting
-Lobby
-Help to change the structure of our educational system
-Help others realize their potential and fulfill their dreams

That is my list. Just one question.... Have you made yours?

MMM - The Sandals

A pair of old worn out sandals...What can they teach us?

A simple pair of sandals, used to protect our feet. On the beach they are used to keep our feet from getting burned by the hot sand and any sharp rocks.

On our journey to our goals and our dream we need to have some sandals in our life. At times these sandals can protect our dreams from the sharp and jagged obstacles we face or from the harsh words of critics. The sandals allow us to be safe. They help shield us from the harshness. they allow us to stay motivated. In our lives the sandals could be people who support us, that picture representing a past success or proven ways that we feel comfortable with. These help us to ward off the doubts, the uncertainties and the fear.

But when we are at the beach we don't want to run into the water of our dreams with our sandals on. That would only ruin them. No at some point we must kick of the comfort and safety of our sandals. We must face the hot sand on our own in order reach the vast, cool and limitless water which is our dreams.

Sandals, they help protect our dream when we face obstacles and keep us moving in the right direction. Helping get us closer to our goal so that we can take off running.

Do you have your sandals? Are you finally ready to kick them off and make your run towards the ocean?

Go after your dreams.

Monday's Motivational Morsel - Bubbles

“Ideas are like soap bubbles floating in the air close to jagged rocks on a windy day.”

- John Maxwell

That statement is so true in many ways. Just think how many times you have ever had a great idea but were so caught up in the moment that within a matter of hours or even minutes that idea was lost...a bubble that never even had a chance to completely form.

Of those few ideas that we do manage to capture and start pursuing they are often like those bubbles being blown towards the jagged rocks. Other people are constantly putting down our ideas. These ideas, especially when they are in the early stages, are so fragile that a few unsupportive words from the wrong person can cause them to pop, never to be seen again.

Our job as true leaders is to be that gentle breeze that takes those ideas away from the jagged rocks and out into the grassy fields where they can have a chance to soar to the sky.

We need to encourage those around us to pursue and further develop their ideas. We need to help them strengthen their idea so that they will be able to handle a harsh wind or obstacle that they will face sooner or later.

Now ask yourself, whose ideas are you helping protect? What are you doing to Develop Others?

Monday's Motivational Morsel

"Strong motivation is the most important factor in getting you to the top."
- Edmund Hillary

What is it that gets you out of bed in the morning? What makes you so excited that you can't sleep at night? Asking yourself simple questions like those will help you discover where your motivation comes from.

Find it and go after it.

Dare to Dream

I was sitting in church this morning and the choir was singing. I was not paying too much attention to what they were singing when I heard the phrase, "To satisfy a hungry heart." That immediatly got me thinking. What is it that satisfies a persons heart? What is it that gives us a sense of purpose?

The answer is simple, we get that feeling of purpose when we are pursuing our dreams. Having and pursuing your dreams is the nurishment to our days. They fill them and make them worthwhile. They become the driving force that gets us out of bed in the morning.

Of course the key word is pursuing, it is the process of actually going after those dreams that bring you that sense of fulfillment. This can only happen when you turn that dream into a goal. When we make that transformation is when we truly hit the ground with our feet running.

Over the next few weeks we will discuss some strategies for helping turn our dreams into reality. We will take an in depth look that the goal setting process and more importantly how we can be sure to follow through on our goals.

Now, I just have one question....What is your dream?