To do two things at once is to do neither. – Publilius Syrus The Pursuit of Excellence As the swimmers came down the stretch for the last 25 meters, photographer David Ramos captured an iconic photo. In it, you see le Clos looking to his left, watching Phelps as he is pulling away. And Phelps? He’s staring directly at his target: the wall. (copied from The Pursuit of Excellence by Ryan Hawk, page 36) ONLY ONE GOAL What you may have forgotten about the story above is that Le Clos had beaten Phelps in the previous Olympics. Phelps admitted his preparation wasn’t his best for those games. Lesson learned. I have one goal every day, one goal every week, one goal every month, and one goal every year. I always have ONLY ONE GOAL. BUSY IS A BAD FOUR-LETTER WORD What do you often hear from others when you ask, “How

Strategies for change: Invest time in yourself and your business LOOK UP. My mission is to inspire you to work ON your life and ON your business. I know you work hard IN them, but you will do better if you invest time working ON them. Working ON is different from working IN. To do this, you must lift your head so-to-speak. When you are working hard, your head is down. Your vision is directed narrowly. You must pull away from your work. Not just to rest but to consciously exist at a higher level, a different dimension. PERSPECTIVE. For what purpose? To gain perspective and evaluate. Think about the soul you want to be while considering the habits you must acquire on a daily basis to become that person. Evaluate your business away from urgent demands, to see what you cannot see when you’re in the trees. Reserve time

“Blessed [Happy] are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Jesus of Nazareth Life is a gift This morning, I was updated on the condition of my grandnephew, Leif, a newborn lying in a Seattle hospital. The situation is more than desperate as he has been removed from the heart transplant list. He has an infection, a growth. His chest cavity is open, and his heart is connected to a machine. But his eyes and the squeeze of his hand around your finger tell you he wants to live. Life is a gift, and he is fighting for it. His mom and dad are there. Can you imagine? Choosing Happiness in Difficult Times All I can say is that love and happiness is a choice. I believe life is a gift. For as much as my capacity allows, I choose to be grateful. I choose to be happy. I

In a world often consumed by self-interest and personal gain, it is refreshing to discover the timeless wisdom that lies within ancient texts. James 4:6 serves as a poignant reminder of the power and significance of serving with humility and courage. These virtues, when embraced, have the potential to bring about profound transformations in our lives as individuals and as leaders. In this blog, we will delve into the depths of what it truly means to serve with humility and courage. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” James 4:6 God is in charge. You are not. For some, that’s a tough pill to swallow. While for others, it becomes an excuse. It’s a tough pill to swallow for those who are self-sufficient problem solvers. I like self-sufficient problem solvers until they make it clear by their words and behaviors that they don’t need anyone and they

A friendly warning to those working in the marketplace Be cautious about taking advantage of others in lopsided markets. It’s important to be aware of our inner pride, greed, and selfishness and avoid being short-sighted. The stock market is weird. Additionally, the real estate market is crazy, the job market is hot and haughty, and politics is as ugly as ever. Furthermore, everyone has demands, and independence is in vogue like never before. However, “united” is not the strongest word in our United States of America, as demands are high and, in many cases, unreasonable. It’s like an adolescent movement against “the man”. That’s the bad news. But on the bright side, those who prioritize doing the right thing will ultimately prevail. By exhibiting traits such as showing up, being reasonable, and using their character as a guide for decision-making, individuals can avoid falling into the trap of personal gain

As a busy individual, you are constantly faced with decisions that impact different aspects of your life. From providing guidance to your team to supporting your family, managing finances, planning for the future, and keeping in touch with friends and neighbors, you have a lot on your plate. It’s no wonder that you’re always on the run, trying to make the best use of your time and resources. To elaborate, the decisions you make in your daily life have a significant impact on how much time you have. Making good decisions is crucial because they can add valuable time to your life. As the saying goes, “measure twice, cut once.” This means that taking the time to make a good decision will ultimately save time in the long run. On the other hand, poor decisions can cause you to lose time because you will need to spend additional time correcting

We live in a world of mistakes and offenses, the creator has implanted a redeeming quality inside us, which we call Conscience. However, some people are destroying their conscience. But how do they do it? Silence They Silence it. They ignore the conviction, push it aside, and make no corrections. When individuals want to avoid confronting their conscience, they may choose to silence it by ignoring its convictions and pushing it aside without making any corrections. Corrupt Additionally, they corrupt their conscience by changing the rules. They redefine what is known as right and wrong for their benefit as an offender. They Sear it. The seared conscience is like a hot iron that flattens or cuts off the flow, resulting in a lack of sensitivity to what is right or wrong. Your healthy and active conscience is a redeeming friend In all aspects of life, such as morality, relationships, transactions, and leadership, a healthy

Last Monday We delved into the inner workings of the soul, and it was truly fascinating. When we have a better understanding of how our soul functions, we can transform the way we process information, make decisions, and act with boldness and confidence. Soul health is vitally important for all of us By being consciously aware of your emotions, rationale, and behaviors, you will be better equipped to lead yourself and others effectively. Furthermore, soul health is crucial for all individuals, and it can be achieved through intentionality, which we will refer to as Soul Shaping. Here’s how to begin: 1. Margin Creating margin represents the time and space you need for rest, healing, and growth. Living at the mercy of your calendar’s demands can be harmful to your soul, so it’s important to engage your emotions, intellect, and willpower by intentionally setting aside essential margins in your calendar. 2.

If you want to practice better self-leadership, learn about your soul. Understanding YOUR SOUL IS NOT your ghost. Your soul serves as your command-control center and understanding it is crucial for successfully navigating life and leadership. The more you understand your soul, the better equipped you will be to make effective decisions and lead yourself towards success. It’s important to note that our soul is not separate from who we are, but rather it is an integral part of our being. By understanding our soul and its components – emotions, intellect, and will – we can tap into our inner wisdom and lead ourselves with purpose and intention. This kind of self-leadership can have a profound impact on both our personal and professional lives, allowing us to live more fulfilling and successful lives. Understanding YOUR SOUL IS where decisions are made. While there is a close relationship between body and soul,

It’s interesting how easy it is to become a judge of others’ behaviors while being a defense attorney of our own. A friend recently shared the following concept with me, and I thought it might be of help to our Lead Today Community: Created by John Morgan As you can see, the image illustrates the decline of a relationship. It starts with Honor. We smile, respect, defend, and we do it all publicly and privately.  Honor declines when we allow ourselves to devalue another person and their position as their shine wears off. That’s when we allow our experience of their humanity to be the excuse we use to be sloppy in mind and behavior toward them. Being familiar with another’s weaknesses Being familiar with another’s weaknesses should not cause us to dishonor but to remind us of our own weaknesses and shortcomings. Frankly, when we are not humbled by

As the sun has yet to rise at 6 AM on this chilly winter morning in Colorado, a few of us have already gathered to start our day. Some are savoring the warmth of their coffee while others are seeking refuge in a cozy corner of the hotel restaurant. Despite the early hour, there are those who have already immersed themselves in a good book, while others are diligently working on their laptops. They call us early birds. They call us early birds, which refers to the well-known phrase “The early bird catches the worm”. However, have you ever actually taken the time to watch a video of a bird pulling a worm out from its hiding spot? It’s truly a fascinating sight, but also not an easy task. Many achievers start their day by cleaning up the previous day’s undone tasks. If they are Type A achievers, they could

Steps to Overcome Tough Seasons Tyler is a husband, father, and technology professional, he called me as he sometimes does, upset and maybe even miserable, to describe his situation with a boss who might qualify as one of the world’s worst. Among other things, he demeans his employees in public. Despite working for a cutting-edge company with over 1000 employees, his pay is 30-40% below market. Knowing Tyler has always been known as a hard-working achiever, he asked me what he should do. Here’s what I said: Step One: Step back and seek counsel. James, Jesus’ brother, wrote: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him (1:5, ESV).” Where does this spiritual conversation happen? In your soul, which is the seat of your emotions, intellect, and will, you’ll find where your emotions set off alarms, your

No matter who you are and what you do, you need to FILL UP. When a leader gets better, everyone benefits! You can’t get better if you’re not filling up with good stuff! Pay attention to what’s filling you! Water is good in many contexts but not in your car’s fuel tank! What are you allowing in your tank that doesn’t serve you? Many aspects of leadership are demanding… Draining. Therefore, it’s crucial to constantly fill yourself with good fuel, including good mentors, books, coaching, nutrition, exercise, rest, laughter, and friendships. However, be careful. When you are tired (what I call red-lining), you’ll be tempted to reach for what’s convenient: addictions, gossip, negative people, fear, junk food, stimulants, and shortcuts. To make a positive change Start by identifying one poor fuel choice and replacing it with a healthy one. Then, trust the process and understand that results may not be immediate. Remember

Leaders’ Calling: Radiating God’s Power to Bless Others Leaders have a calling to bless others through their life and work. They are not only problem solvers but also people developers and providers. Secondly, they are not gods but radiate the power and intention of God by aligning their motives, skills, and courage to bless others. The Power of Inspiration and the Impact of Skilled Leaders I’m amazed by the talent God disperses. From the advances of medicine to technology, skyscrapers, music, authors, athletes, and coaches, the list is unending. Such skills displayed at the highest levels inspire us, and relentless effort, regardless of the outcome, inspires us even more. Being inspired increases our breathing and heart rate, and it sharpens the mind. As a result, our body temperature jumps, and our inner person moves toward the things worthy of our existence. Finding Inspiration in Aligned Motives In particular, many leaders

Almost all organizational leaders recognize the importance of strategy. You have a vision but how are you going to achieve it? The answer you think is found in your strategy. It’s the HOW question. However, most often, the HOW question is more effective when you transform it into a WHO question. When you start with the HOW before the WHO, you enter the “doers” path. Though it is common to ask HOW; we should be asking WHO. If you invest yourself in the lower strategy of HOW, you will be consumed by the task. If you invest yourself in the higher strategy of WHO, you will start to scale and increase the capacity of your efforts. You will be creating exponential power. Here’s how it works: 1. Believe more is accomplished with and through others than on your own. 2. Know where you want to go (WHAT). 3. Recruit skilled and aligned individuals (WHO).