Deferred Gratification

Have you given some thought to your potential? Do you know what your potential is? All of us have potential—not all of us maximize our potential. More distressing is that some of us actively destroy our potential with our behavior and the pursuit of QUICK FIXES and an unwillingness to delay gratification. The credit crisis is an example of how instant gratification can destroy your potential! Another way to destroy our potential is to focus on your past mistakes. By looking backwards you will miss what’s in front of you. You cannot change your past but your past should change you—face your failures and correct the flaws that lead you to the failures. Here are some helpful hints:

see yourself clearly;
admit your flaws honestly;
discover your strengths joyfully;
build on those strengths passionately.

You can reach your potential tomorrow if you dedicate yourself to grow today. Remember, to change your world, you must first change yourself. You DO HAVE THE POWER to change YOU.

Hope

One of the traits of a WINNER is the ability to hold on to HOPE. Never underestimate the power of HOPE. Winston Churchill was once asked by a reporter what his country’s greatest weapon was against Hitler’s Nazi regime. Remember, England had to endure daily bombings from Germany that decimated structures and took many lives. For years, England lived under a “Black Out” situation and had to ration food. Families were torn apart as children were sent to the country to live so that they wouldn’t succumb to the bombings.

Without pausing for a moment Winston Churchill said: “It was what England’s greatest weapon has always been – HOPE.” People will continue working, struggling, and trying if they have hope. Your ability to maintain an attitude of hope comes from seeing the POTENTIAL in every situation and staying positive despite circumstances. POSITIVE THINKING will lead to POSITIVE OUTCOMES! Never be discouraged that you can’t see the outcome today, your seeds of positive thinking are growing right underneath the surface.

Know How To Be Positive

I often listen to Joyce Meyer in the morning as I am getting ready for my day. I am always fed and today was no exception.

Her message centered on a period of time in her life that she wanted to put her faith and beliefs into practice and wanted to change her propensity to be negative. She stated that she consciously, daily worked not to be negative as this was her major “speed” when confronted with any challenge. She in other words, would react negatively to any challenge or perceived disappointment. She was convinced that this approach to life was 1) bringing negative events into her life because when you are stuck on your negative channel this leaves you OPEN to negative events; 2) making her less effective in her ministry; 3) not uplifting to others; and 4) preventing positive events and thoughts from blessing her.

After about 6 months of making a concerted effort not to be negative, she was still wrestling with the fact that this new behavior was not bearing fruit so began to question why. It was revealed to her that although she had made a conscious effort not to be negative, she had made no effort to be POSITIVE! She hadn’t gotten stuck in the POSITIVE Channel yet. This principle is so simple and yet very PROFOUND! JUST BECAUSE YOU STOPPED BEING NEGATIVE IS NOT A GUARANTEE THAT YOU KNOW HOW TO BE POSITIVE. You have to work at BOTH. PHEW! WHAT A REVELATION! WHAT AN “AHA” MOMEMT!

If we all practice being positive look at all the possibilities that we will be blessed with. It starts with you and it starts with me!

Roots

When you think about your future what process do you use? Do you take time daily to think about where you want to be with your life’s pursuits next month, next year or tomorrow? When you think about the future you want to provide for your family, what do you picture?

All success starts with your thinking and forming a mental image. During the early stages, your vision for your future is always incredibly fragile. New hopes and dreams are fragile because we haven’t had time yet to let them grow or develop. New dreams, just like new seedlings have to be nurtured daily. When a seedling oak tree is only a year old, a child can tear it out by its roots, but once it’s had some time to become firmly established, even a hurricane can’t knock it down.

Do you notice that if you share your dreams too soon with some folk, they spend their time telling you why something can’t be accomplished? It is easy to deter you in the beginning on your quest, however once your dream takes hold LOOK OUT WORLD. Some times failure is just a matter of not taking the time in the beginning to create good root structure!

Communication

Leadership implies that you have followers! You are not really a leader unless when you look around there are people willing to follow you! People, in my experience, will not follow you if they don’t know what you want or where you are going. Sometimes this is as function of ineffective communication. To improve communication follow these 4 truths:

Simplify the message – BIG words only serve to put a spotlight on the communicator. Keep every message simple and straight forward.
See the person to who you are delivering message. Connect with your audience.
Show the truth—believe in what you sat and then live it!
Seek a response – every time you speak to people give them something to feel, something to remember, and something to do.

As a leader/Winner, it is your responsibility to effectively communicate with yourself, with your love ones, with our customers and with each other. Great COMMUNICATION leads to GREAT results!

Think Outside the Bowl

Did you know that the common Gold Fish will grow to fit the size of the aquarium or bowl it lives in? My husband and youngest son created a fresh water pond for me one year for mother’s day. We stocked the pond with Koi fish and other tropical fish until it got too expensive to keep stocking the pond—these out door ponds serve as dinner and lunch for raccoons and other critters we have in our back yard.

We started putting simple gold fish in the pond and the gold fish that survived got bigger and bigger. One of those gold fish got to be about 10 inches long. Apparently all living creatures will be limited by the size of their environment, including us. If your current circumstance does nothing to help you grow, you’re going to have a hard time enlarging yourself to reach your potential. Your current “bowl” may be your job, your lack of education, a less than supportive relationship, your image of yourself, negative thinking, your dependence on what other’s think of you. Whatever the “bowl” is that limits you, leave that bowl and create an environment of growth around you. We may not be able to define the bowl we find ourselves in but we are all responsible for remaining in that bowl! Live today to REACH your potential. I believe in you today and all days!

Michael Phelps

I hope you have been following the Olympics and especially the Men’s Swimming events. Michael Phelps came to China with an objective – to be the most decorated swimmer in history. No one has to guess his Motivation—it is evident every time he gets into the pool. He swims as if the race he is swimming is his last race. He gives his all and doesn’t hold back for the next race.

On Wednesday night he swan the individual 200 meter breast stroke only to swim 1 hour later in the relay. He won gold and set world records in both. The commentators were all commenting that he should save his strength and pace himself however Michael Phelps has conditioned himself for this time in his life. When interviewed, he indicated that he has lived, breathed, slept swimming for 4 years. He has put everything else on hold to achieve what is unfolding before our eyes. He swam 5 hours every day for the past 4 years and concentrated on molding himself into a SWIMMING MACHINE!

If you ever wondered what it takes to be AT THE TOP OF YOUR GAME we all know. He has left nothing to chance in achieving his goal! He is a WINNER and has taught countless number of young boys and girls that time, commitment and vision will remove all obstacles from your path.

In a recent interview, Michael Phelps indicated that there were days that he didn’t want to swim another inch let alone another mile. He didn’t want to be near anything that smelled or chlorine or saline. He wanted a normal around adult life in which he could hang out with his friends. He then remembered what he wanted to achieve – 8 gold medals in the 29th Olympiad and jumped into the pool to do more laps. We can all experience that level of commitment each day if we examine our motivation.

Book of Job

I am sure that you all have heard the story of Job. As you are aware Job was a Jewish nobleman who had a large family, wealth, and a great life. Many people admired him and he had many friends. A lot of folk assumed that he was a good man because his outward possessions were plentiful and therefore he had to be righteous, correct?

Well then Job hit a bad patch. In fact, Biblical scholars teach that the “Bad Patch” was actually nine years in length. During this nine year period of time Job lost all his wealth, his children, his grandchildren, his health and yes his “friends” because the same friends that support him because of his outward “blessings” now assumed that he was really a bad person because only bad persons have the kind of bad luck Job was experiencing.

To ward the end of this nine year period, Job was left with his own thoughts, his relationship with God and his wife who admonished him to curse God and then die to be released from the misery that Job was experiencing. Job then learned a very important lesson. It was okay to question his circumstances but it was not okay to doubt the love of his Creator. Job learned that he was not defined by his possessions or his family but defined by his beliefs and his relationship with God. When he embraced that concept that we come in the world with nothing and therefore will leave with nothing he understood the ultimate lesson in this life. Prior to his losses, Job never had to ponder whether he was a RECEIVER or a BLOCKER. Job in the end was a RECEIVER and over the next 9 years of his life everything that was lost was restored nine fold. Blessing are always ready to be received!

What motivates you?

Have you given some thought as to what motivates you on a daily basis? What is the first thought you have when you awaken? What is the last thought before you fall asleep? When you are struggling to find an ounce of strength to keep going on, what do you think about? If you haven’t thought what motivates you, today is a good day to start because whatever it is that motivates you will also define your life and your future.

Your motivation can also dictate what path you follow in life; if you are motivated to be the best you can be then your choices will reflect that motivation; if you are motivated by being negative then your choices will also reflect that. If you have no motivation then the vacuum that exists in your life will be filled with the motivation of others and your life will have no compass, no course. My hope and desire for you is that you are motivated toward EXCELLENCE because that is what winners do; that you embrace each day to make the most of it for yourself, your family and the human race. The human race needs more positively motivated people to ensure that we continue on this little rock called planet earth! Embrace motivation today!

Unconditional Love

Families are very important in understanding ‘unconditional love”. Family members will love you through all your ISSUES. They may not like you but they will always love you. Take care of your families today and every day; your families are the foundation that will anchor you through the storms that will come!

You have a Gold Mine inside of you! It’s called potential. Our potential is probably our greatest untapped resource. Many people busy themselves with tasks as opposed to reaching in finding their true calling and therefore their real potential. If you begin today to concentrate on ONE MAIN GOAL and continue to improve to meeting that goal then you will find JOY today. Reaching your true potential is like finding the missing compass in your life—you TRUE NORTH! Don’t settle for just leaving; spend some quite time with yourself to discover and reach to attain your potential. It just takes a minute; it just takes your deciding that today is the day you discover and actualize your potential.

History Was Made

Well history was established last night. An African American accepted the Presidential nomination of a major political party. This is a remarkable event and I sincerely hope each of you and your children were a part of it. Regardless of whether you a Republican, Democrat or Independent; whether you are male of female or whether you are an African American, an American of Hispanic origin or white, this was a historic event and a historic day.

We should all celebrate because less than 265 years since the abolishment of slavery and 45 years to the date of the “I have a DREAM speech” by Martin Luther King, this country put forth the nomination of the most qualified candidate to represent the Democrat party to become the President of the United States and leader of the free world. He is a senator, he is a lawyer, he is a husband, he is a father, he is of mixed racial parentage and in the US is classified by the US census bureau as an African American. We should all be proud to be Americans today and God Bless You and God Bless the UNITED States of America!

Tapes Playing In Your Head

Have you noticed that people are FIRST influence by what they see? This is a human trait and is probably a good protective mechanism and a hold over from our old brain. People’s first impressions are always on what they see which is why both Hilliary Clinton and Barack Obama have had the challenges they have had in their current pursuits. Folk are not used to SEEING either women or African Americans in positions of power.

We also influence our children in the same way. If you have children, then you’ve probably observed this. No matter what you tell your children to do, their natural inclination is to follow what they see you doing. Do you ever wonder why you have some of the negative or positive “tapes” running in your head? Some of those tapes and memories are things your parents gave you – “respect your elders”; “don’t trust strangers”, “Go to work everyday not matter how sick you may feel”; “See how you can get over on people”; “Save your money”; “Live on credit”. At some point we should all evaluate the tapes we have running that prevent us from critically evaluating every person and situation on its own merits. This is the process of maturation and will create “new tapes” that we can call our own. Critical thinking skills are necessary building blocks for success.

Legacy

Have you given some thought to what YOUR LEGACY will be? How will you be remembered? Will people say you struggled all your life or will they say although you seemed to struggle you always had hope in your soul and a vision for the future? Will they say you had money or will they say you used your money to assist others who were less fortunate? Will people say that what they remember most of you were that you always complained or that you were a change agent to improve processes and outcomes? People of vision leave a LEGACY that outlives them. Each of us has the seeds of hope for a better tomorrow if we would allow them to germinate and grow—in fact my belief is that we actively have to stop these seeds from growing because our natural essence is to be positive people of vision. Take some time to think and plan your legacy and contribution to yourself, your family and the greater society. Don’t give in to the negativism that will prevent your legacy from coming forward. You were not put on the earth just to work and pay bills-you are here because you have something meaningful to contribute!

Face Your Flaws

Keeping on the theme of realizing your potential, one of the critical steps you have to take to reach your potential is to FACE YOUR FLAWS. We all have them and the quicker you are to realize them, the quicker you will be able to reach your potential. To face your flaws, follow these simple steps:



See yourself clearly. One of the things I used to do is to wear long sleeved garments because I have fat arms. It dawned on me that I would have fat arms no matter if I hid them or not. If I didn’t want fat arms then I had to do something about it—hiding my arms won’t make them thin or sculpted.
Admit your flaws honestly. When you make mistakes why spend time trying to explain why you made the mistake. Embrace your mistake and move on. Many of us continue to make the same mistakes because instead of embracing our flaws we want to explain them away.
Discover your strengths joyfully. We all have strengths so embrace them and celebrate them. Don’t be shy about your strengths; Lord knows we will all point out your weaknesses so if you are the only person celebrating your strengths, then do so with gusto!
Build upon your strengths passionately and daily. You can reach your potential tomorrow if you dedicate yourself to growth today.


To change our world you have to first change yourself. If you are not interested in changing the world then you will be changed by the world. CHANGE is inevitable so get in front of it so that you are not caught in the vortex of the change itself.

Practice Prosperity

A wise man once said, truth and prosperity is like a gentle wind that will increase your life when practiced. Can you actually practice prosperity? The answer is yes! Most of us practice poverty by over spending but the opposite is also true. Take the first step in your journey to economic freedom and cut up those credit cards!

Historic times

Well we are only 1 day away from the Opening Day Ceremonies for the Beijing Olympics! We are truly living is exciting times. I can remember when China was closed to Americans and you couldn’t get a visa to go and visit. Now thousands of Americans are flocking to China to see young people compete in sports games to be the best in the world. It lifts my spirits to look forward to these historic events. My belief is that as long as you can look forward to tomorrow you have the capacity to succeed. Although tomorrow is never promised to us, that doesn’t stop us from looking forward and not backwards. Enjoy today for yourself and make a plan for tomorrow; treat each other with respect and support so that our customers can continue experience the excellent customer service they have grown accustomed to.

Reacting

All of us have on occasion “reacted” to less than positive information, especially when the information of dis-information is directed to you. When faced with that situation, I often reflect on the INFORMATION to evaluate whether there is truth that can be gleaned because information is neither positive or negative; information helps us to put situations and events in context and allows us to be better people and make better judgment. Information is also a MIRROR that reflects the content of character of the person providing the information and if it caused you to react or act inappropriately then has exercised power that it would not have had if you had not reacted inappropriately. When I get negative information, especially about myself or feel that I have been misunderstood, I have to remind myself to take my “BIG GIRL PILL” and move on. The old nursery rhyme is appropriate, “Sticks and stones my break my bones but words will never hurt me”. There is truth in this statement; it takes a mature personal to embrace the principle.

Remember that when you are participating in negativism against someone else, the boomerang of gossip and negative information will always find its owner. We can all stop the power of negativism by being Positive Thinking People.

Fear of Success

Did you know that SUCCESS is FEARED by the majority of the human race? Those that are not successful FEAR those that are and FEAR that their success will continue to be the mirror of failure through which the unsuccessful are defined. Successful people FEAR losing their success and being among the ranks of those that have not gained the success they wanted. Most of us don’t understand how to receive and use success.

The truth, and it really is the truth, is that YOUR SUCCESS is only limited by your thinking. If you think small you will always reap small. If you THINK LARGE you will reap large. Success is only a matter of changing your thinking. Farmers understand this cycle of sowing and reaping. Generous people receive generosity; petty folk receive pettiness in return; negative thinking folk receive negativism; positive thinking folk are successful.

Change your thinking today and become successful. If you don’t know how to think positively just re-read the Morning Messages you receive from me. If you think about the message, the positive thinking and encouragement will make you successful.

Bonding

Teams that don’t bond can’t build. These teams never become a cohesive unit. For a team to be successful, the teammates have to know that they will look out for one another. When a team member cares about no one but him or herself, the whole team suffers. This principle is operative whether you are talking about families, teams at work or an athletic team.

Relationship building is a CORE requirement for teams to be functional versus dysfunctional. You have to know each other to give each other the benefit of the doubt. The longer you stay together as a team the more positive impact you will make. I am always puzzled by people that leave a team just because the situation is difficult. Difficult periods during the life of a team actually give the team character. Unless a relation is abusive, it’s probably worth working through and in. Going to a new team involves the same commitment and perhaps more because it will take building new relationships. Don’t throw away a relationship just because it’s difficult. Stick to and through all relationships to preserve the investment you have made.