5 Motivation & Inspiration Poems
by Spencer on March 6, 2010
in Motivation, inspiration
Attitude
by: Charles Swindoll
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude, to me, is more important than facts.
It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes,
than what others think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.
It will make or break a company… a church… a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding
the attitude we will embrace for that day.
We cannot change our past… we cannot change the
fact that people will act in a certain way.
We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude… I am convinced that life is 10% what happens
to me and 90% how I react to it.
And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.”
Success
by: Ralph Waldo Emerson
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty,
To find the best in others,
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child,
A garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
Follow Your Dream
by: Amanda Bradley
Follow your dream.
Take one step at a time and don’t settle for less,
Just continue to climb.
Follow your dream.
If you stumble, don’t stop and lose sight of your goal
Press to the top.
For only on top can we see the whole view,
Can we see what we’ve done and what we can do;
Can we then have the vision to seek something new,
Press on.
Follow your dream.
The Road Not Taken
by: Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Don’t Quit
by: Unknown Author
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
When care is pressing you down a bit.
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns.
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out:
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt.
And you never can tell how close you are.
It may be near when it seems so far:
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.
3C’s of Real Leadership
by Spencer on March 5, 2010
in Leadership
Allow me to state boldly that our world is imperfect. Look at the balance of right and wrong in countries and their leadership. Right here in America, imperfect is creating riffs across the aisle of red and blue politics. Debates are rising over the right leadership style. So who is right and who is wrong? Are we confident in our political leaders?
Business has gone from firing people, to laying them off, to downsizing, and into the new term of repurposing people. To be repurposed sounds very degrading and demeaning especially if you had given your all to the company and now you are considered waste. Waste in a very nice way mind you. We tend to be heading farther into imperfect waters with the absence of real leadership.
There are three key concepts a real leader should possess. They should display courage, be confident, and genuinely care.
A leader who is worth their weight in gold stands courageously for what is right, best, and in the interest of those they lead. Even when the tides of the masses are raging against an idea, a team, a direction, a real leader stands in the storm for those that follow. The real leader has the courage to stay the course if it is right or shift if it is not. They are able to stand by an idea, even against better judgement at times. This is courage. And courage is what separates greatness from average. Are you a courageous leader?
To calm the minds of those who follow it matters a great deal if their leader is confident in their direction and decisions. After all, many are trusting that the leader will not abandon them along the journey. Real leaders speak passionately and confidently about those around them, not only about challenges but also about successes. Real leaders are confident in the followers of make something happen. And a real leader is confident enough to share the credit for success with those that actually did the hard part, the worker or volunteer, and made it happen.
And finally, a real leader needs to care deeply about the mission and the people attached to the mission. Too many times I have seen “smoke and mirror” leadership in this area. The leader speaks of care for the people and does something completely against his or her words and loses the trust of the people. Be a real leader and care for your people. Without them and their hard word, their sweat and toil, you have nothing. You are nothing. Your leadership ability is like a magic act, now you see it and now you don’t.
I encourage you to practice the 3C’s of courage, confidence, and care. If you genuinely practice these concepts of real leadership you will be a hero among those who follow you and trust you. You will be the guiding light that others are willing to follow. You will be respected and revered among those who need you to genuinely lead. My suggestion to you, as a leader, is to go and lead right. Pay attention to the thought of courage, of confidence, and genuine care.
The 10 Best Leadership Blogs Around
by Spencer on February 26, 2010
in Leadership, Personal Development
A part of personal development is about leadership. How do you lead?
I have scavenged the Internet and found the 10 best leadership blogs around. These blog authors are knowledgeable, spot on with their concepts and ideas, and enlightening. I encourage you to bookmark each blog and come back often to learn new insights for yourself and for teams you may lead. There is no substitute for an awesome leader. Why not choose to be awesome and lead change today in yourself or others.
1. The Proteus Leadership Centre Blog
2. John Baldoni Blog: Lead by Example
4. Steve Farber: Extreme Leadership
6. Michael Hyatt CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing
7. Wally Bock’s Three Star Leadership Blog
8. Leadership & Learning with Kevin Eikenberry
9. Great Leadership by Dan McCarthy
10. Making Managers into Leaders Blog
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