“No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit.”

~Helen Keller

This is a call for optimism and hope.  In a time when so much negativity rules the media and many human interactions, it is often difficult to maintain one’s positivity.  This week, as we enjoy the positive and hopeful nature of the holiday season, I ask you to reflect on these feelings and plan now on how you will push away the negativity and pessimism which so often dominates our lives.  Only by maintaining your optimism and hope will you achieve your potential.  I choose hope.  And I am optimistic that you will too!

Happy Holidays to you and yours no matter your faith or customs.  We are all one human spirit and we can make our lives and the lives of those around us a little better every day.  Thank you for sharing a bit of your journey with me twice each week.

 ”Whenever an individual or a business decides that success has been attained, progress stops.”

~Thomas J. Watson Jr

It is a strange truth that nothing kills success like success, because the normal human reaction to success is to become complacent.  The only way to continue or to replicate success is to maintain the level of passion and interest and focused activities that led to the original success.  This does not necessarily mean repeating the exact formula.  One must remain curious and determine what adjustments must be made to ensure new factors are taken into account.  What mustn’t change, however, are your passion, interest and focus.  These factors will always serve you well.

“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather up the wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”

~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Today’s thought is about leading with a compelling vision.  Too often, leaders focus on managing operational details which has the opposite impact of their intentions.  They think that by managing the details, they will ensure predictable excellence.  While this may hold true in the short term, it fails in the long term.  Your followers are ready to use their skills and intellect to accomplish great things.  They were hired for their unique talents and skills in execution.  You were hired to inspire them to bring all of themselves to work each day.  Do this by creating a compelling and hopeful vision of the future and the purpose of their work, including operational excellence.  If you have hired well for the talent needed to execute, you will find that operational excellence will occur naturally without your micro-management.  You, however, are completely responsible for supplying the vision and purpose.  Are you doing your job?

“All glory comes from daring to begin.”

~Eugene F. Ware

There is no glory in a great decision or idea if it isn’t accompanied by action.  The world is filled with the potential for extraordinary advances in all aspects of life – relationships, business processes, inventions, societal change, and more.  And the architects of such potential are all around us – and may even be you.  Such advances usually start with a small move.  Take a chance that the glory belongs to you and move forward with an action that improves or changes something for the better – even a little bit.

“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.”

~Marianne Williamson

Most human beings suffer from a tendency to see the negative in people, situations, and most damaging – themselves.  If you remember a moment of joy in your life, you will realize that your joy stemmed from noticing, accepting and embracing the good around you.  Joy is a choice:  choose to see the plentiful examples of good in you, in your life and in the world; embrace it with gratitude, and experience the joy.  As joy begets joy, you will impact not only yourself but those around you.  Choose joy.

“Imagination grows by exercise and, contrary to common belief, is more powerful in the mature than in the young.”

~Paul McCartney

Every day is an opportunity to use your imagination to reinvent yourself and the ways you approach people and processes.  Look at today’s calendar and to-do list.  Pick one appointment, meeting, or project.  Reflect on it and imagine the best possible outcome.  What could you do to impact the people and processes involved to help secure a better result?  Pick at least one thing and try it.  Afterwards, assess the result.  More than likely you will be energized by your positive impact and be motivated to try something with tomorrow’s calendar!

Exercise your imagination daily and discover its power.

“When you put positive energy and productive effort into the world it will come back to you. Occasionally in ways you might not immediately understand and on a time frame you didn’t expect. Look. Listen. Learn. Stay open. Your destiny is awaiting you.”

~Jillian Michaels

So often we get discouraged when things don’t go as we’d like.  Even when you make efforts, take action, and focus on your strengths, you may not achieve your goal.   Don’t despair!  The key is to ensure your goals and their attendant actions are aligned with your core values.  When they are, it is only a matter of time until you receive dividends from your efforts.  Persistence will be your ally as you move toward your eventual rewards.

“A real decision is measured by the fact that you’ve taken a new action. If there’s no action, you haven’t truly decided.”

~Tony Robbins

You know what you need to do to move forward in some aspect of your life.  You’ve “made the decision” to act on that knowledge.  Months later, nothing has changed.  What happened?  You didn’t really decide.  You merely came to the conclusion that a decision should be made.  Until you make a move, actually do something, nothing happens.  Today, show true decisiveness and take an action on one of your goals.

 “Life is always going to contain a little darkness, but we get to decide whether or not we recognize and appreciate the light.´

~Lori Deschene

Happiness and satisfaction in our lives is often dependent upon how we choose to perceive our circumstances.  Your life with all of its challenges would be a dream life for millions of others who face true misery.  The point is not to ignore challenges, but rather to see them in context and with gratitude for all that is good and right in your life.  It is through the lens of gratitude that we can work through most challenges we face.  Choose to see the possibilities and take action to better your situation despite the darkness.

“If your why is clear, you will bear any challenge and beat any odds to get where you want to be. When the why excites you, you will find a how, solve the what and trust the when. Why is intimately related to who you are. Rest in the why that creates a frame for all your whats, wheres, whos, whens and hows.”

 ~Ian Lawton, SoulSeeds

“Why” is always the most important consideration.  Without a clear purpose, all other elements of potential forward movement will fail to motivate.  Before embarking on any project, mission or goal ask the “why” question.  When your vision is clear, the rest of the elements will fall into place.