Going Somewhere?

There is a great scene in the movie Sister Act 2, where Sister Mary Clarence (Whoppi Goldbert) is teaching a class and trying to get them to understand the connection between the decisions they make now and the impact it can have on their lives. She does this first be repeating a mantra over and over. Finally, the students turn it into a song. It goes like this: “If you’re gonna’ be somebody, If you’re gonna’ go somewhere, you better wake up and pay attention.”

For more on this check out the short video below:

You are a Steward

The Bible says that you and I are created in the image of God. While the actual implications of that are vague, the significance can’t be overlooked. I want to add to being created in the image of God an intersection with this quote: “with great power comes great responsibility.” Whether you attribute this saying to Voltaire, who said it first, or Peter Parker, who is most famous for the quote in current times, there is an obvious burden that exists when taken in light of our creation in the image of God.

For more on this check out the short video below and be sure to subscribe to my podcast Proverbs for Living a Fulfilling Life.

Taking the Easy Road

So, I was talking with a young lady the other day. She is an LPN and working for a home care agency. I asked her about her plans for her future. She responded that she was applying for nursing school. When I asked where, she mentioned a school that was over an hour away. I asked about other schools that were closer and why she chose that particular school. She responded, “I know it is farther away but everyone says it is a lot easier than any of the schools nearby.”

For more on this check out the short video below and be sure to subscribe to my podcast: Proverbs for Living a Fulfilling Life

 

Don’t Sell Yourself Short

I’ve just started distributing an expanded version of these Proverbs through my podcast Proverbs for Living a Fulling Life which can be found wherever you get your podcasts – enjoy!

Have you ever noticed that throughout history it is the right person, at the right time, in the right place which has made all the difference? It is true! Not only is the Bible full of examples like that, e.g. Noah, Moses, David, Paul, and many, many others, not the least of which was Esther. In fact she was at a key point in the history of the Jewish people that was literally life and death for the entire Jewish race across the known world. Her uncle, Mordecai told her “Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”

For more on this check out the short video below:

Saying No

I’ve just started distributing an expanded version of these Proverbs through my podcast Proverbs for Living a Fulling Life which can be found wherever you get your podcasts – enjoy!

In 2014 CVS Pharmacy said NO to carrying tobacco products. Their announcement included this sentence: “The sale of tobacco products is inconsistent with our purpose – helping people on their path to better health.” Their decision was definitely controversial and cost the company $2 billion a year in direct sales. Having the guts to say NO to anything can be difficult, saying no to $2 billion dollars requires a laser-like focus on your core principles. Saying NO, and meaning it, comes more easily to some than others, but it can be easier for anyone if they know their core values and place them before any other consideration.

For more on this check out the short video below:

Do You Really Need a Policy?

Sometimes a policy is exactly what you need. Policies can provide valuable guidelines for corporate behavior that help keep everyone on the same page, and moving in the same direction. Of course, having a policy but not enforcing it can be worse than not having a policy at all. But, not all situations require or are best served by having a policy. There is a tendency, especially among new leaders, to try to manage by policy.

For more on this check out the short video below:

 

What are You Waiting For?

It has been said that if you put a frog into a large pot of water, and slowly bring it to a boil, the frog will make no effort to escape, eventually dying even though escape was readily available. Actual empirical evidence indicates this story is not true; but it makes a great leadership example about how easy it is for us humans to remain in our ruts, that is, our patterns of behavior, even when they are detrimental to our stated goals or health, and even when we could change our behavior and improve our situation.

For more on this check out the short video below:

 

Handling the Flood

Handling the flood of information that comes at you on any given day can be challenging, or even overwhelming. You receive an email or file attachment you want to keep, but then forget where you have saved it. You place an important document or object in a “safe” place only to forget where that is. It is not just you; it is all of us. It isn’t because we are getting old and forgetful, although that may be true, but more likely because there is simply more to remember and keep track of in our lives than ever before in history. This isn’t likely to change, so we need to accept this as the new norm.

For more on this check out the video below.

Exceed Expectations

It is a little known fact that everyone forms subconscious expectations regarding EVERYTHING and EVERYONE! This might not be so bad, except that our expectations are rarely accurate, and almost always predispose us to place people, and everything else, into boxes. We form an expectation of a coworker or employee that they are consistently late, or make the same kind of errors over and over again, or lack competence in certain areas, etc. Before you know it, our expectations become the label for that person, event, or thing in our mind.

For more on this check ou the video below:

Inertia

Newton’s first law of motion, also called the law of inertia, is often stated as “An object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in motion, and in the same direction unless acted upon by an outside force.” Newton’s law was directed at physical objects, however, there is a lesson here that applies to processes and people as well. For instance, any process may eventually become so routine and formalized that it turns into bureaucratic dogma. When this happens, changing the process can be difficult, or nearly impossible.

For more on this check out the video below: