Inspiration and Motivation: January 2012

Friday, January 27, 2012

"Do Something"

"The only thing that causes evil to prosper, is when good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke

Dr. Norman Vincent Peale documented in modern times, "The Power ofPositive Thinking". A protégé of Dr. Peale, Dr. Robert Schuller, built the incredible Crystal Cathedral Ministries on the philosophy of "PossibilityThinking".

Both men published books on those respective philosophies, which, along with the Holy Bible, have had a profound impact on my thinking, my life, and how I live.

I believe that's why I am a positive possibilities person, and I live a positive possibilities life, and I speak a positive possibilities language. We all encounter plenty of negative possibilities everyday. Just ask someone how they are doing. Positive possibilities have an empowering effect on people, because people would rather succeed than fail. They would rather be happy than sad. They would rather laugh than cry.

Do you notice all of the positive possibilities in your life, but, more importantly, do you notice the positive possibilities in the people around you and the people you meet everyday?

It begins with "The Power of Positive Thinking", and YOU.

"Know Thyself"

I knew at an early age that I was driven to not just survive, but to thrive. Maybe, it's in my genes. I also knew that I was willing to follow the advice of Mr. Johnson, my high school mathematics teacher. Work a little harder, and work a little longer, if you have to.

I knew I would have to make some sacrifices, be inconvenienced and, at times, take some risks. Not all or nothing sacrifices and, not all of the risks were do or die. But I had to make sacrifices and take risks, which I felt good about. I had to know myself.

Success is the pursuit of your goals, following your path, and at yourspeed. As the Greek philosopher and teacher Socrates said, "Know thyself."

Know thyself.

"It's Right In Front Of Your Eyes"

Have you ever been looking for something and could not find it, only to be told that it's right in front of you eyes.

We not only overlook the obvious when we are in search of the little things, we sometimes miss the obvious when we are trying to solve a problem or find an opportunity.

A problem may not seem so hard to solve if you break it down into smaller pieces. And there may be a bigger opportunity for you if you look at all the little ones right in front of your eyes. You build a house one brick at a time. You learn to read one word at a time. We learn to love one heart at a time.

That old saying, "the best things in life are free", may not be true anymore. But, the best things in life might be right in front of your eyes. Look around and see what you can find.

"Be There"

In our very busy lives, death or personal tragedies do not make appointments to fit into our schedules. We often have to attend the funeral services of family or friends, as I have done many times recently.

If it is a close family member, we have to be there. If it is close friend we want to be there. In other instances, we might be there.

As I observed the families of the friends I lost, or reflected on the loss of my father and brother years ago, I was reminded of just how important it is to just be there. Be there to let them know you care. Be there to let them know they are not alone. Be there so they might find a smile in the midst of their grief.

Dr. Robert Schuller made the observation that we are not human beings having a spiritual encounter. We are spiritual beings having a human encounter. Even when you are at a lost for words, your presence can be spiritually uplifting. Just be there.

"If You're Stuck in Neutral, Do Something!"

A business associate was addressing a Board meeting concerning an issue that the Board had to deal with, when he reminded them of the obvious. "If you are in a hole, stop digging." In that same sense, if you feel your life is stuck in neutral, do something. Success starts somewhere.

Fear of making a wrong step is worse than not taking any steps at all. How would a baby ever learn to walk if they never took that first step? It may be a wobbly first step, but it is the first step of the rest of their life.

You may not remember the first step you took as a child, but you instinctively knew that you did not want to crawl for the rest of your life. If you are stuck in neutral, carefully evaluate the situation, then do something.

"Patience and Prayer"

Following a recent speech at a well-known university, a student approached me and asked "How do you deal with big dreams and goals when it seems as if things are moving too slow in getting there?" I told him it takes patience and prayer. It takes patience because noble goals are on a Divine timeline, which may not be the same as the one you would like. It takes prayer to find the strength to be patient, especially when setbacks occur.

As Rudyard Kipling reminds us "If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters the same." Success is temporary. Failure is temporary. Patience keeps you from celebrating your successes too early, or whining about your failures too long. Prayer helps you to count your blessings first, so your problems won't seem so bad.

Remember, it's not our will, but Thy will be done.

"Be Good at Something"

None of us are expected to be good at everything. But we should strive to be good at something, because to be good at something we must believe passionately in something. Believe in a mission. Believe in a cause. Believe in an idea. Or, believe in yourself. When you believe in something and add a large dose of motivation, it's called inspiration. When you are inspired, you can maximize your potential as one person. As the closing song to the 2000 Olympics says…

"Life can be a challenge. Life can seem impossible.

It's never easy when there is so much on the line.

But you can make a difference.

There's a mission just for you.

Just look inside and you will find,

Just what you can do.

The power of one begins with believing

That you hold the key to all of your achieving."

Be good at something.

"A Motivation Crisis"

It was over twenty-five years ago when I first heard Dr. Peter Drucker say, "you can't motivate people, people must motivate themselves." This means that leadership is about removing barriers, which prevent people from being self-motivated. Recently, I saw some research results by the Gallup Organization, which quantified this fact, showing that 70% of the U.S. workforce goes to work everyday unmotivated… seventy percent! That's sad. But more importantly, the Gallup research identified the 12 critical barriers, if they are removed, which can drive motivation up in an organization for greater productivity and better business outcomes. What are the barriers to self-motivation in your business, or with your kids, or in your life? A motivation crisis is a barrier removal crisis.

"Focus, Focus, Focus"

Focus is the ability to block out the unnecessary "stuff", so you can concentrate on the necessary.

That means eliminating or minimizing distractions, which do not directly contribute to bottom line performance of your business, or your personal happiness, especially when times are tough.

When I became president of Godfather's Pizza Inc. in 1986, we had too many types of crusts on our menu, with different flour formulations, with different mixing procedures, which made product consistency nearly impossible. I made an executive decision and eliminated three of the four crusts, so we could better execute the original Godfather's crust. Our business got better.

What are the unnecessary crusts-s-s (metaphorically) in your business or life, so you can concentrate on "what brought you to the dance".

The essence of Focus is sacrifice. You don't add "stuff" when times are tough. You eliminate "stuff". That's Focus.

"Life is about Choices"

Life is about choices. If it's your life, it's your choice. The question is, who's making the decision?

Life is filled with conflicts.
Work hard, but take some time off.
Eat healthy, but don't eat too much.
Spend some quality time with the family, but succeed at work.
Speed up but slow down.

Life is about the choices that you have to make to balance the priorities in your life. And remember, there are still only 24 hours in the day.

"A Better World"

When my first grandchild was born and I held her in my arms for the first time, I looked at that little fifteen-minute old face and the first thought that came to my mind was NOT "how do we give her a better start in life?" My first thought was "How do I make this a better world?"

As I looked at that little face, I couldn't help but think about all the other little faces born into the world THAT day, and what type of world they would inherit. We face many challenges as a nation, and as a world of nations. Everyone is blessed with different abilities. But when we allow ourselves to dream and empower ourselves to use our God given abilities to make a difference in the lives of others, we make this a better world…One little face at a time.

"The Road to Success and Happiness is not Straight"

Many people have a desire to succeed, and to be happy. But people are also frustrated because success does not come easy, and sometimes, it seems as if life is not fair.

But the road to success and happiness is not straight.

There's a curve called failure,
A loop called confusion,
Speed bumps called friends,
Caution lights called family,
Red lights called enemies,
And jobs that sometimes go flat.
But with a spare called determination,
An engine called perseverance,
Insurance called faith,
And a driver called God Almighty,
You will make it to a place called success and happiness.

The road is not straight.

"The Other Side of Winning"

In every competitive sport the objective is to make more good shots than bad shots. But, the one who ultimately wins is the one who also makes fewer mistakes. That's the other side of winning.

As a champion, Tiger Woods has raised the level of play so dramatically in professional golf that people who can't even spell "golf" will watch him compete. He recently did something that no other professional golfer has ever done. He won four major tournaments successively. When he did it, even his closest competitors made the observation that he not only made great shots, but that Tiger Woods also made fewer mistakes.

Success in life or business is not about achieving every goal perfectly every time. It's about having goals, and making fewer mistakes each time. That's the other side of winning, and the other side of living.

"Ten Cans"

You CAN have a dream, without knowing how to get there.
You CAN have a life, just start somewhere.

You CAN make a difference, one person at a time.
You CAN make things happen, don't expect a straight line.

You CAN be happy, if you have a hope inside.
You CAN have love in your life, but look beyond the outside

You CAN solve your problems, but FIRST, count your blessings.
You CAN find the strength, like an eagle, waiting, and resting.

You CAN make this a better world, but life is just a minute.
God CAN lead you through it, if all your heart is in it.

HERMANATOR

"Making a Living and Making a Life"

Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, late President of Morehouse College, reminds us that we make our living by what we get, but we make our life by what we give. Everyone must find their mission in life, but they must also find their meaning in life. You can find meaning in your life by focusing on your "CANS" instead of your "CAN'TS".

Yes, we all lead fast and busy lives, and they're getting faster and faster and busier and busier. But as Emerson says in one of his poems,

To know that one life has breathed easier because YOU have lived, This is to have succeeded.

We make our living by what we get. We make our life by what we give.

"Entrepreneur means r-r-r-Risk"

So, you want to be an entrepreneur, OR you think you are already an entrepreneur. Before you conclude that you are, consider how GEORGE GILDER defines an entrepreneur:

"He who casts aside his assurance of forty-hour weeks,
Leaves the safe cover of tenure and security…and
Charges across the perilous fields of change and opportunity.
If he succeeds,

His profits will come NOT from what he takes from his fellow citizens,
But from the value they freely place on the gift of his imagination."

That's an entrepreneur.

"Life is Just a Minute"

When we think of our lives on that timeline called "eternity," our years are just a speck. The objective is to make a difference while we are here. My grandmother lived to be a hundred and four, and she made a difference, with 11 children, 38 grandchildren and 62 great grandchildren, in her speck of eternity. As an anonymous writer put it…

Life is just a minute, only sixty seconds in it.
Forced upon you, can't refuse it,
Didn't seek it, didn't choose it.
But it's up to you to use it.
You must suffer if you lose it.
Give an account if you abuse it.
Just a tiny little minute,
But eternity is in it.

Think about your minute.

"The Million Dollar Question"

The million-dollar question everyone must answer: Are you happy? That's the question. If your answer is an unqualified, "yes", then congratulations, you have something to do, you have some love in your life, and you have something to hope for.

But if your answer to the question is "maybe" or "no", then you have some work to do, and it starts with your dream. What is your dream? What do you hope for in your heart?

If you want an excuse for not being happy, you can find one. Happy people do not look for excuses. They look for hope to find happiness. But first, you have to ask yourself the million-dollar question: "Are you happy?"

"I just want to be Happy"

Most people just want to be happy. They may not always know how, but they want to be happy.

But, first, you must be able to recognize it when you find it. I believe happiness is three things…something to do, someone to love, and something to hope for.

Now, most people have something to do, even if it's not what they prefer to do. Most people have someone to love, because everyone needs a little love in their life. But, with most unhappy people, the missing component is hope. What do you hope for? What do you look forward to?

Hope comes from within. It is uniquely your hope. Hope is the key to happiness, and happiness is the key to success.

"Impossible Dreams are Possible"

Dreams in life might seem impossible, but they don't have to be. Impossible dreams are possible if you pursue them one goal at a time, because goals are just destination points on the way to your dream. They can be big or small, as long as they are YOUR dreams, AND you are willing to put yourself in position to get there. Dreams have to start somewhere, sometime, and with someone… and that's you.

One of my dreams was to become President of something, for somebody, somewhere, someday. In order to get there, I worked for four different companies, and had to move my family five times before I was asked to become President of Godfather's Pizza, Inc.

Impossible dreams are possible, one goal at a time.

"The First GREAT Leader I Knew"

My father was the first great leader I ever knew. Before I had even heard the word "leadership," I saw in my father the self-motivation to succeed. Here was a man who, at the age of eighteen, walked off of his father's very small dirt farm to pursue his dreams. He didn't have a car, a job, or a degree … but he had his dreams, and the desire to succeed.

Raising a family in Atlanta in the fifties and sixties was not easy, especially considering the economic and social conditions of that day. But he still wanted to give his sons a little bit better start in life than he had. He worked three jobs to make it happen.

Dad died at the young age of 56. But he had achieved all of his dreams. As time goes by, some things grow dimmer and dimmer, but Dad's inspiration grows brighter and brighter. Thanks Dad.

"It's a Calamity to have NO Dream"

One of the greatest leaders I have ever known was the late Dr. Benjamin E. Mays, the unforgettable president of Morehouse College. Dr. Mays used to challenge the young men of Morehouse when he would say:

"Let it be borne in mind that the tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching your goals. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach for.It's not a calamity to die with dreams unfulfilled, but it is a calamity to have no dreams.
It is not a disaster to be unable to capture your ideals, but it is a disaster to have no ideals to capture.
It's not a disgrace to be unable to reach your stars, but it is a disgrace to have no stars to reach for."

What are your dreams? What are your goals? What ideals are you willing to fight for, and are you reaching for your stars? If not, what are you waiting for?

"Chief Executive Officer of Self, You're In Charge"

Think of yourself as the Chief Executive Officer of a company called SELF, Incorporated. You are in charge, but have you decided to take charge? As the CEO, YOU have to identify your dreams, YOU have to determine your goals, and YOU have to develop the action plans to get there, because you're in charge of SELF. You're responsible for surrounding yourself with the right people because you're responsible for increasing shareholder value.
You are a shareholder, your family is a shareholder, and even your place of employment is a shareholder, because they all have a vested interest in you…the CEO of SELF.
So go ahead. Take charge.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Patriot (L.B. Strawn, WWII Vet.)

PATRIOT

Two centuries ago our nation was born---
To fight to the finish our forefathers had sworn,
And now, over many a patriot's grave
We can sing, "Land of the free and home of the brave".

They gave this heritage to everyone,
Using sword and cannon and musket gun;
Marching o'er fields where blood ran red,
Over the bodies of comrades, dead.

In summer's humid and stifling heat--
Mostly forward and seldom retreat.
In dreaded cold of winter's snow;
Always onward to meet the foe.

In hunger, in thirst, with battle wound,
In agonizing strife, with scarcely a sound
Of complaint o'er the lot of a soldier, brave,
Marching onward into many a grave.

Often weary or fevered and ill,
Lack of clothing against winter's chill,
Lack of munitions, with which to fight,
But, fight they did, with all of their might.

Some gave their wealth but gained their fame,
And, with all who fought, gained a name.
"Patriot!" It rings, as it flies through the land.
"Patriot!" Wonderful name, so grand.

That's right!! They gave for you and me;
Died that America might be free.
Let's vow to keep it that way--you and I.
And, for this great land, be willing to die.

"Patriot!!" Are we worthy of the name?
"Patriot!!" Like those of old, are we the same?
Would we uphold their traditions, true?
I know that I would---would you????

By L. B. Strawn
July 4, 1976 WW II Vet

Little Faces (The Hermanator)

Little Faces

As she lay there in her mother's arms,
She was only a few minutes old.
My baby daughter had just had a baby girl,
A precious new member of a great big world.
My baby daughter said, "Would you like to hold her?"
Of course I said yes, as my smile grew bolder.
As I picked her up with a gentle touch,
She was small, so fragile, and yet so much.

She had gone back to sleep after the struggle to start her life.
Baby and mommy were fine, everything was allright.
When I looked at that little face, sent from God above,
It was truly the face of a miracle, and of God's divine love.

For a moment I didn't know who I was or the where,
I could only think of her and so happy to be there.
Born into the world with all the other little faces,
What will we do, to make it a better place?

The Hermanator

Ask in Faith (James 1: 5-6)

Ask In Faith

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,That giveth to all men liberally, and unbraideth not;
And it shall be given him.
But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering."

James 1: 5-6

Believe in Yourself (from "The Wiz")

Believe In Yourself

"Believe there's a reason to be,believe you can make time stand still,
and know from the moment you try,
if you believe, you know you will.

Believe in yourself, right from the start,
believe in the magic, there in your heart,
believe all these things, not because I told you to.
But, believe in yourself, believe in yourself,
believe in yourself, as God believes in you."

From the Broadway Musical, "The Wiz"

An Entrepreneur (Gilder)

An Entrepreneur

Entrepreneur: He who casts aside his assurance of forty-hour weeks, leaves the safe cover of tenure and security…and charges across the perilous fields of change and opportunity. If he succeeds, his profits will come not from what he takes from his fellow citizens, but from the value they freely place on the gift of his imagination.

George Gilder

Freedom (Epictetus)

Freedom

No man is free who is not master of himself.

Epictetus

No Man Is An Island (Whitney and Kramer)

No Man Is An Island

No man is an island,No man stands alone.
Each man's joy is joy to me,
Each man's grief is my own.

We need one another,
So I will defend,
Each man as my brother,
Each man as my friend.

Joan Whitney and Alex Kramer

Success (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Success

To laugh often and much,To win the respect of intelligent people
And the affection of children,
To earn the appreciation of honest critics
And endure the betrayal of false friends,
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others,
To leave the world a bit better,
Whether by a healthy child or a garden patch…
To know that even one life has breathed easier
Because you have lived
This is to have succeeded!

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thursday, January 12, 2012

We Are Troubled on Every Side (2 Cor. Ch 4)

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed;
We are perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken;
Cast down, but not destroyed...

2 Corinthians, Chapter 4

Still I Rise (Maya Angelou)

You may write me down in history With your bitter twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Maya Angelou
(Excerpts from her poem "Still I Rise")
The Completed Collected Poems of Maya Angelou

The Road Is Not Straight (Author Unknown)

"The road to success and happiness is not straight.
There's a curve called failure,

A loop called confusion,

Speed bumps called friends,

Caution lights called family,

Red lights called enemies, and

Jobs that go flat.

But with a spare called determination,

An engine called perseverance,

Insurance called faith, and

A driver called God,

You will make it to a place called

Success and happiness."

Unknown