"Try to look at your weakness and convert it into your strength. That's success." — Zig Ziglar

There’s not a day that goes by where one of my may weaknesses taps me on the shoulder to lets me know that they are still around.  Heck, every day they really don’t have to let me know, I know they are there.  I know we all have weaknesses and I think many of us know & admit plenty of them that we have in our lives, but how many of us are willing to do anything about them?

Zig reminds us that we should be conscious of them and look to improve them.  Since there are so many of them that some of us have (like me), I guess it’s something of a challenge to turn these into strengths.  The way I look at it, I can become an even better and stronger person when first admitting to my weaknesses and then choosing to improve upon them to become better.
As I am sitting here at our kitchen table with the cold 35-degree morning outside; the sunshine is pouring in on me and our dog (who is sitting here with me too just looking outside) and I am warmed by the sun, my coffee and this whole concept that Zig’s talking about and it puts a smile on my face.   Why a smile you ask?  I have so many areas in my life to get better at, that’s why. 

First, it’s an incredible challenge I think to first admit that we do indeed have many weaknesses. Second it’s an equally important challenge to want to do something to improve those areas of our lives.  I really kind of chuckle as to all the choices I have to improve and get better.  For me it’s easy to identify the areas of improvement, since there are so many.  Now the crucial part is for me to start the action steps to actually do something about them.

The other important element is the time factor.  None of us have the time that we think we do since it does go by fast and there are really no guarantees as to how much we have.  The time is now for us to take those important action steps.  For me, my son has actually helped in that he has cleaned our basement so that the table down there is now usable.  I can do my school work, work on my blogs, my videos, my podcasts, and other projects that I know that I need to work on. 

Cleaning you say? What’s the big deal?  To me, there have always been so many excuses, plus I get distracted when I go through things most times.  For him to do this, he has eliminated a brick wall for me.  Now I not only need to take the lesson from him (action, do something about the clutter in my life) to clean up plenty of things that I know I have to get rid of and I am willing to part with it too.  This also helps set the stage for me to do the things that I want to do and I didn’t have a place to do them.  A simple act by son, has helped me face some of my weaknesses (procrastination, lack of action & focus, etc.)  It’s time to take advantage of this opportunity.

Now, time to feed our dog his breakfast and take him for his walk on this gorgeous morning.  Then another cup of coffee when I come back which I will take with me down into the basement to get some things done today before we head out to spend some time with my parents.  What weaknesses can you take a look at? Who is there to help you with them or is it up to you to take that first step of action? Either way, look at something today to improve upon and then be willing to do it. As always, look to share this part of your story so you can help others. ​

 "You + Motivation = Success"  - Coach Jim Valvano

Since it is our Spring term at school and that means I get the distinct privileged and honor to teach my Principles of Leadership course to the outgoing seniors, this is one session I always show to my students - some of the messages from the great Jim Valvano.  Coach Valvano coached at Rutgers, Butler, Iona, and North Carolina State University - he was a great coach that had a message all throughout his life.  But that message got amplified when he found out he had cancer.

I show my students two video clips of coach.  One of them from 1987 which was about 4 years after he won the national title at NC State.  The other is from the ESPY Awards in 1993 when he had cancer and would shortly pass away after that awards show.  My students are then asked to write about 3 major points they got from watching the videos.  Many of them go overboard writing about more than the 3 along with adding bits and pieces of their own life stories to their responses.   This is where I am usually blown away and find myself in tears more often than not.

You see, this hammers home a point that I've always had as an educator.  We adults learn a lot from our kids, our students.  It happens to me year in and year out along with happening in basketball too for me.  Teaching this course has helped me change my life for the better.  It has given me strength and hope to continue on the path that I am in education to try and make a bigger difference with people.

Coach Valvano had this saying in his office.  I will now be posting it in my classroom too.  "You + Motivation = Success."  Look at the formula pieces.  You along with adding some Motivation = Success.  Success in what you might ask?  I think it's success in anything you are working hard at in life.  I think it means going in the right direction that will open up other doors that could lead to greater successes.  You know, Zig Ziglar and others have always said that Motivation is like taking a shower.  We need to do it often.  We need to have motivational things in our lives in order to go after things along with having some major-league growing and improvement in our lives.   Me + Motivation = Success, many, little and big successes throughout my life.  I don't think it happens just once!  I think the formula needs to be ongoing, all the time. How do you see this equation fitting in your life?

“Beautiful things happen when you distance yourself from negativity” – Zig Ziglar

I got caught.  I was listening to Zig Ziglar’s podcasts the other day and something connected with me about the importance of being positive.  Then Zig caught me checking out Facebook and there was this quote of his that popped up.  It connected right away with me. 

I think this is one of the most important things we can spend our time focusing on in our lives.  I’ve tried hard over the years to have myself stay away from negative things and thinking.  There have been times I’ve been successful and other times quite the opposite.  Negativity takes away from so many things in our lives.  I’ve seen it happen over and over again.  From our health, to our relationships, to our thinking, to everything – negativity affects it all.  The same can be said for being positive.  It all starts with us taking the time to think, plan and put positive things into action in our lives.

I’m finding that not only is it totally worth it to be positive in life, but also the results or the beautiful things that can happen are simply amazing!  Another huge point is that others will notice this too and some very cool things will start to happen to you.  It can all point back to having positivity in your life compared to negativity.

I’ve noticed this a lot lately as I’m listening to my podcasts while working out.  Besides Zig Ziglar’s podcast, I’m also listening to Sam Crowley’s “Every Day Is Saturday” and Scott Smith and “The Daily Boost”  and Andy Stanley’s  “Leadership podcast”.    The guys who put these out are all different, but their different messages  connect with me my heart, my thoughts and ideas on not only what I want to do in my life, but also with the guy I am working on becoming too.

So what is it in your life that is full of negativity and how is it affecting you?  Remember, what affects you affects others.  Spend a few minutes this week figuring that out and then start to make plans to distance yourself from that negativity and start to see what happens.  Don’t be shy, let me know your thoughts, progress or ideas on this.  Make it a GREAT day and an even better week!

 “If there is hope in the future, there’s power in the present.” – John Maxwell

As I was at the gym over the weekend, I was listening to my usual podcasts while I was there.  From Zig Ziglar’s podcast there was something that struck me as connecting  with me right now.  There are most day and most time throughout each day that I do have hope in the future and John Maxwell is right on – that does make me feel there is power that I have in the present.

There are also those few times where I don’t feel very hopeful about the future and I do feel less powerful, less confident, more negative, more down, etc., towards the present moment.  But I also have remembered that I cannot stay in that feeling for very long.  I’ve made a conscious choice in the past that when these sad, negative, down feelings take over, I first tell myself that they will not last and then second, I try and put myself right into the middle of those feelings.  I want to wrap my arms around them, and almost taste what those negative feelings are all about.  Knowing that the quicker I can connect with them, the quicker I can learn and make adjustments from them along with quickly moving on towards feeling better and moving forward.

Looking back throughout my life there have been plenty of moments that I stayed stuck in them and thereby giving up control to those negative, sad, depressing feelings.  I have learned (through reading a few books, listening to some podcasts, etc., that I need to get connected with those sad, hopeless feelings and thoughts to be able to dissect them, learn from them and become better and move on.  When those feeling hit me, I’m not feeling too hopeful about the future and that robs me of my today.  I am working hard at not letting that happen.

John Maxwell also mentions about the size of our hope will determine how far we go in life.  From these episodes that I have been through, I totally agree with that idea.  As Kevin Miller puts it – “You need more hope.  You need to increase it and enhance it and establish it.”  We all need more hope for sure.  We do need to increase it and establish more of it in our lives and in the lives of those that are around us.  That is a very powerful and life-changing thought.  The more we can have hope for others, the more they can have it for themselves.  There are so many people around us that are looking for an example of finding hope in themselves.  Sometimes it’s up to us to have faith in a person, believe in them, stick with them and thereby transferring our hope in them into themselves where they can latch onto to it and start believing in themselves and thereby changing their futures and those people around them.

I find it so awesome and inspiring the ideas and thoughts that can come to me with a cup of coffee, some fresh air coming in the house next to where I’m sitting, time relaxing and focusing in on a thought (or in this case a quote), and then all the ideas that come rushing into my head during this time of solitude.  Just another thought – maybe you can try it out for yourself?   As always, let me know how it goes.

“You can change what you are and where you are by changing what goes into your mind.” – Zig Ziglar

If you don’t know who Zig Ziglar is, it’s about time you found out.  This guy has been helping to make a difference with so many people throughout so many years, it’s amazing.  What’s even more amazing is that he continues to make a difference for so many people and he passed away back in  November of 2012.  Zig has such a huge legacy where his lessons are still being taught today by the people who were working with him. 

This thought that Zig brings up, which by the way is totally true, can be one of the biggest life-changers out there for us.  All we have to do is follow the statements’ advice.  If we change what goes into our mind on a daily basis, we will start seeing different results.  Those things that we let into our heads, affect everything we do. 

The biggest thing for us is to realize that we have total control of what we let in.  Now remember that society and much of the world’s view will try and fight that.  The world’s view is always fighting to control people, and make no mistake about it, it’s doing just that.  The negativity, fear, ideas of judgment, jealousy, victim thinking, etc.; all go against what is good for us and our lives.

We have to be the ones that find information that will uplift us, give us hope, positive messages, confidence, helping others, working hard at improving, etc.; those are the messages that we need to seek out and bring into our heads.  For once ideas come into our heads – we cannot be the same person as we were before the idea got there.  That idea may help us to form new habits and help us get into action to either make ourselves better or worse; depending what we let into our heads.

There is another idea that I discussed with my Principles of Leadership students last week in my first presentation to them.  That idea was everything we do, every choice we make either takes us closer to what we want in life or it takes us further away.  That’s why it’s so important for us to kind of know where we are going to in life.  Think about this last thought and compare it to what Zig Ziglar is talking about.  Then, let me know if you want to share any thoughts, have a discussion or ask any questions about this.  It’s a life-changer.  Only if you let it be.

"The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more things you'll have to express gratitude for." - Zig Ziglar

During the last few weeks I’ve really been focused on expressing more gratitude in my life.  There have been many times during my knee surgery recovery that I have felt a little down about things.  I’ve tried to use some of my own advice that I’ve not only tried to help others with, but I have received the same help from different people too.  That help was the idea about wrapping your arms around the down, sad, anger, etc… whatever those feelings and emotions are, and then learn from those feelings and move on.  I’ve really tried to give it 15 – 30 minutes some time to really get in touch with those feelings and learn from them. Then I add some gratitude to the process and I have found that gratitude will help make those feelings hurt less so that I can move on and not let them hold me back from doing things I have to do and from living life.

We got through a big event at our house this past week.  Both of our kids went off to college.  It’s been a real emotional tug-of-war for me with both of them gone now.  I’m trying to focus on how proud I am of both of them along with being excited for all the opportunities that will come their way too.  When I focus on the gratitude part of them being my kids and all the great memories of them growing up and the many lessons they have taught me; that helps in dealing with them being gone.  This summer especially since I was on the mend from my knee surgery for around half the summer, they both were a big help to me.    Their sacrifices were a difference maker for me and helped me to get to this point of being more self-sufficient and getting around better.

There is also a lot of gratitude for me knowing that my wife and I will have more time for each other and really, more time for ourselves too.  We have been getting in touch with old friends and plan on doing more things with them as time goes on with our kids being mostly out of the house.  School is starting again soon, so I am getting in that frame of mind to get things ready for the start of school after Labor Day.  Again, I’m looking at the start with gratitude since I do enjoy doing what I’m doing along with the fact that I get to work with some great students and staff.

So take a look as to where you are at in your life and if having some more gratitude about things can make a difference for you.  Just try it and I’d be willing to say that you will find things around you looking a whole lot better.  In fact, let me know how it goes as you know, I love learning things from others when it comes to success and leadership principles.

"Never lose hope.  You never know what tomorrow may bring" - Zig Ziglar

When I saw this quote - it of course connected with me coming from Zig.  But it also connected with me from the standpoint that I have been hearing and reading a lot about hope lately.  Zig's right.  We can't ever lose hope in our lives.  It's too important.  With having no hope in life, it becomes hard to be able to look forward to anything.

It's amazing that when you need to have something cross your path - at a time that you really need to see it - it happens.  This quote is that for me.  I need to not lose hope on things in my life as lately, things have been a bit challenging and I tend to get a bit down about those things, I certainly cannot give up hope. There are too many important things I need to work on and accomplish. Too many people I need to help, along with helping myself too.   Those things won't happen if I lose hope and give up.  That would be playing small and that's not  the way life is meant to be.

More thoughts coming soon..... 

"How you see your future is much more important than anything that has happened in your past." - Zig Ziglar

If you haven't gotten a chance to check out Zig Ziglar - I suggest you do.  What a great inspirational difference maker he was.  What a key too - he still is making a difference!

As I was getting ready for the upcoming week last night, I found his quote.  It of course connected with me and I knew I needed to share it for the start of this week.  Especially since we are only heading into the middle of the month of January - it's easier to focus on future things in our life since the new year is not really that old.

The things that have happened in our past have happened for sure.   What we can do with it is the key.  We can certainly dwell on those events, keep thinking about them and what happened so long ago but that is a recipe for causing ourselves problems.

Now - if we do look at what happened in our past, and we learn from it, and we get better from it along with applying those lessons to today's life.  The sooner we can learn from our past and get better for today and our future - the better off we will be along with it will be much better for those people that are around us too.

This is something that I have always struggled with during my life and I am continuing to work on it.  The one thing for sure is that I haven't given up yet, nor do I plan on giving up.  I have found that I need constant reminders of learning from my past, applying those lessons to getting better and looking ahead is the key.  So whether it's a little bit of reading something positive.  Listening to podcasts everyday (of which I will be highlighting some in the near future), taking some quiet time for reflection, meditation, prayer, deep-thinking, etc.  There are so many things that we can do to help us keep locked on our future - with learning from our past and not being locked in the past.

Another key on this point - the younger you are when you get it, the better off you will be.  If you got some insights about this topic, don't keep them to yourself - share them with others.  Drop me a note so I (and others) can learn from you.