It is the journey, not the destination

I want to tell you a secret that I just learned about leadership. It is all about the journey and has nothing to do with the destination. In fact you will never reach your destination, if you think that you have you are incorrect. It is when people believe that they have reached their leadership destination when they fail. Great leaders go to their grave knowing that there was more they could learn and they are okay with it. They are okay with it because they constantly gave their best to the world and took every opportunity to learn.

The great news is that since it is about the journey, you can start anytime that you want, you do not have to wait for anything or anyone to tell you that you are a leader, you just have to take steps to be one. The first step you take is when you become a leader.

Leadership is not one giant step, it is a bunch of tiny steps. Steps that many times you may not even notice. Steps that a majority of the time 99% of the world will never know. However if you choose an action that impacts one persons life in a positive manner, you are a leader.

It is my belief that we have leadership all wrong.We make it about changing the world in one action. We compare ourselves to the ones that have gone out and changed the world and we idolize them for their greatest actions. What we forget far too often are the steps that led up to that moment. No one just happened to show up one day in August to hear a man named Martin Luther King give a speech. He dedicated his life to make that happen and it all started and was built upon tiny steps along the way. 

Take one step today to make the world a better place by having a positive impact on one person's life. This is what leadership is all about.

I cannot leave this post without telling you about an amazing organization that I have been lucky enough to be a part of. This organization is called RYLA. It is a leadership retreat that is led by youth. If you want to see leadership at its best you need to look no further than this group and the ones that came before them. They are driven to go out and change lives in everything they do. I would love for you to attend and have your life changed by their awesome presence. To find out more follow this link: http://greenbayrotary.com/ryla6220/

Here is my source of inspiration: http://www.ted.com/talks/drew_dudley_everyday_leadership

Forgiveness and Forward Progress

I listened to a podcast yesterday that I found to be very informative and had an impact on my life. It was about dealing with fear, guilt and achieving your dreams. One major point is, we have to deal with our fears and forgive ourselves to truly be the best version of ourselves. Here are a few tips that I gained from the podcast, if you want the full version visit here.

In order to move forward in life you must first identify the limiting beliefs that are holding you back. When you think of your dream life, what are the thoughts that stop you from pursuing it. How do they impact you and how do they make you feel? Why do you think that way? What triggers it and how can you stop it. There is a magic here that many of us forget, if it does not work the first time, we can always change it. Limits were made to be broken.

There are so many times I have set goals for myself and I have fallen short, sometimes I have not even started them at all. I used to beat myself up for not meeting them, get in a bad place and the thoughts would just pile on from there. Where did I get, nowhere, how did I feel, like crap. The result of my negative thinking created nothing positive in return, in fact it created everything negative, yet I thought I deserved to feel this way. I took the present over the future.

A majority of the podcast talked about forgiveness but one thing they did not hit on was appreciation. I think appreciation and forgiveness are very closely related. One of my drivers, that the wonderful folks at Pathmakers helped me discover is appreciation. In order to forgive yourself and to forgive others I believe you have to appreciate who you are. See yourself for the person you were born to be and how you can change lives just by being yourself. This does not mean you are settling in fact it is the exact opposite, you are setting yourself up for great success.

From the podcast, I learned how to handle a breakdown. The steps can be seen here

1. Handle a breakdown
1. Identify it
2. Take responsibility
1. Even if it is not your fault 
2. No ego
3. Acknowledge what happened in a positive light
4. See the opportunity it it
5. How are you acting that stops you from achieving your goals
1. What is missing
2. What do you need
3. What needs to be removed
6. Forgive yourself
2. How to spot a breakdown
1. Know the warning signs
2. Get feedback from your friends
3. Do not avoid what you are afraid of

Since this is a new activity for me, I wanted to share with you one of my breakdowns.

I had a goal to start my own business that would help people understand their gifts and lead their life from place of passion, freedom and joy. However I have not done that and I have failed in many steps in that direction.

1. Handle a breakdown
1. Identify it: I did not reach my goal of starting my own business.
2. Take responsibility for it:: I did not follow through on taking the necessary steps to make this happen. I let other things get in the way.
3. Acknowledge what happened in a positive light: While I should have been working on my business, I was able to meet people that changed my life forever. 
4. The opportunity I have is reminding myself of why I want to start my business. I want to help people live the life they have always imagined.
5. How are you acting that stops you from achieving your goals
1. What is missing: I do not think about the future as much as I should. I am missing the self assurance that what I believe and what I can do is enough.. I lack structure or a progress timeline. I do not have the carrot to get me going. The biggest one is the fact that I lack belief in myself to do what I love. I see so many great people out there and I wonder how can I measure up. 
2. What do I need: I need to support myself and restructure my belief system to see that I am enough and I can do what I love. I need structure to help me get to more progress. I need to keep the end in mind.
3. What needs to be removed: Negative and judgmental people, anger, fear, holding grudges, holding on to the past and forgetting my gifts.
6. Forgiveness: At the end of the day I need to forgive myself for what I did not do and where I fell short. If I do not, nothing good will come from it.

What you need to be a leader.tle

Do a quick Google search and find out just how many articles there are about leadership. In my search I found 458 million results. The messages, facts, figures and ideas out there can be pretty confusing, terrifying and down right discouraging. It left me to wonder if I could ever really get there and truly being a leader. Then it hit me.

There is one thing that you need to be a leader. It’s you, your personality, your dreams and your aspirations.

If you are looking for proof, consider what I said before, there are 458 million articles out there alone about leadership. Not to mention all the subsequent topics that goes along with it. Yet so few if any suggest an idea that could change everything, what you need to be a leader is you. How can all of them be right and how can we be everything they tell us to be? The one thing that we can be, yet we are so often discouraged to not be is our self. We are unique, we are special and we all matter.

Leadership needs a redefinition for most of society. It is not leading a group of people with power or by title; it is leading people by being yourself and your own personal journey. Need proof, let me tell you a story about Bo Johnson from Door County in Wisconsin.

Bo inspired people he never met to do more, be more and give more. It was because of his spirit and drive that over $75,000 was raised by a community. He helped lead people of all ages to see the positive in life, love and give back. Bo has touched people to truly look inside them selves and see how much they matter. How much more of a leader can you be? Bo never had a title, was never given the position of leadership but still managed to change the world. Bo never graduated high school; in fact he never lived to graduate high school. Bo had cancer and passed away after a long and courageous fight.

Bo followed his heart, decided to be himself and he was able to change the world. It does not matter what age you are, where you have been or what you have done. You can be a leader by being yourself because you are enough.

What’s wrong with the election? The People

What’s wrong with the election? The People

Forget who won, what legislation passed and which party has the power, there is a problem with the election process and it is not the Electoral College, Advertising or the Politicians themselves, It is the people. We are to blame because we let it happen and point the finger at what needs to be changed. The blame falls on us because of we focus on what divides us rather than what unites us. Blame belongs to us because we for the most part talk more than we listen.

In this country the people have the power, go ahead and say it is the Electoral College and you are right to a point, however we forget that we can change the election process. We the people can change the way that we elect officials. If this is done we allow for a more parties to be in the game and more change to take place. Point the finger at advertising is pointless because we fund these campaigns. We put our hard earned dollars into organizations that fund the mudslinging rhetoric. Lastly we blame the politicians, which is ironic considering we are the ones who put them there.

It is about time we put the United back in United States. In case we have all forgotten we are all in this together. Over this past election cycle I have been threatened to lose friendships over who I vote for, what I believe and where I stand. Families and friends break apart over one issue instead of focusing on what unites them. You can vote for whoever you like but lets get together and go change the world.

When was the last time you actually listened to another person across the aisle? How long ago was it that you did research to find out not what you believe but why you believe it?  We listen to the vile and hate filled rhetoric but do we listen to the people? Do we show the slightest bit of respect and prove that we are united? We have two ears and one mouth for a reason.

In this past election I have been thinking a lot about the complaint that our youth is no longer interested in politics. Can you blame them? We fight and bicker over where our vote will go. Watch disgusting videos pointing out every mistake that the other person has made and all the time we sit back and point the finger at someone else. The fact that the youth is not interested in politics does not bother me but inspires me.

It is not too late, the people still have the power and there is no time to change like the present. While it is true that the people are to blame for this rhetoric we are the ones that can and will change it. We live in the greatest country in the world. If you need any proof take a look at the power of the people to help after Hurricane Sandy. This is the country that America needs to be every day. Go change the world.

Just one drop...

Even the greatest oceans started with just a drop of rain, which is made up of molecules, pretty simple science. The greatest movements have stated with one thought that led to a passion which led to an action, which led to a movement. Our life is made up of years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds. Every action that we take thought that we make and idea we have has the potential to change the world.

The greatest oceans started with just a drop of rain. The ocean is massive body of water going on for miles and reaching miles below the surface. Can one drop really matter? Can one decision we make in our life truly make a difference?

Every action you take may not seem like a lot but it is. The best part, its okay to screw up, its natural it teaches you a lot and it gives you an opportunity to improve. Every action can change the world. My friend Christian Jensen followed his dreams because of a video. The video lasted five minutes, changed his life, he found his passion, he took action and began changing the world. One drop matters. I have been lucky in life to have amazing opportunities, people and events change my life. Rotary Youth Leadership Awards is one of them. One of the biggest gifts I have ever been given is a note, on sticky pad, letting me know the gifts I have given. It was a drop in time for my life but made an impact. One drop matters.

Your one drop creates a ripple; it carries the energy out to the world. Christian has made an amazing impact on me. His passion, dedication and love for what he does has changed my life. Imagine the ripple affect, imagine a child at the age of 13 having chancer, what is the impact he can make? The impact he made is great, his name is Bo Johnson and sadly he passed away on September 28^th 2012 and let me tell you about the impact he has made. He has inspired thousands to love one another, give the gift of themselves and change the world. I have witnessed it first hand. A complete stranger to the family and friend of my self, Brian Gruender dedicated to running 100 miles to honor Bo and the passion, love and lessons he gave to the world. A close friend of family and my good friend Heather Goodwin dedicated to following Brian for the first 50 miles. It started at 9:00 pm and ended at 6:30am the next day. Now how can a child of just 13 years old impact a man who lives over an hour away, who he never met, never knew and never would. He chose to add just a drop to the ocean and watch the ripples create magic.

One drop matters but think what ten drops can do, 100 drops and 1,000 the impact is inspiring, you actions matter. Brian’s journey to honor Bo, started with just one step, a step in the miles he would run to honor Bo and his legacy. Take the first step. The Grand Canyon, one of the greatest wonders of the world was formed by trillions of drops carving through stone. Keep giving you drops, its what will change the world.

Do not get lost in the ocean of life. It is an amazing and fascinating place and at the same time it is easy to feel alone and see you actions as nothing but splash in the pan, but it is so much more. Your actions, thoughts and ideas are what will change the world. The greatest movements, innovations and achievements started with one thought, that led to a passion, which led to action that led to a movement that changed the world. The greatest oceans in the world stated with just a drop of rain

Embrace the spirit of a marathon

I recently had the great opportunity and privilege of being able to run in the Cellcom Green bay marathon. It was amazing for a number of reasons. First and foremost I had the ability to run, others cannot. Second I was able to work with an amazing organization called myTEAM TRIUMPH. They help challenged athletes compete in endurance races by having Angels push them in buggies. Third the atmosphere and spirit of a marathon is amazing.

I have the ability to run, it is a gift. A gift that far too often many of us see as a burden, “I have to run today”, “I need to train today”, “I need to run x miles today”; yet we forget that there are people in this world who cannot even walk. They can barely move themselves. In my book the ability to run is truly a privilege. The speed you go at, does not matter, the distance does not matter, just be happy you can run.

myTEAM TRIUMPH is an organization that is dedicated to helping challenged athletes compete in endurance events. The challenged athletes are called captains; they are the ones in the race, the ones who get the shirts, medal and whose name is behind the time. They are the inspiration   behind every step we take. Angels are the ones who push or pull the captains. It is an honor, privilege and pure motivation to be able to be an angel. I an inspired constantly by the passion, greatness and love these captains live there life with everyday. Thank you to everyone who cheered us one. Thank you for your inspiration and the ability with a phrase to power us through the run. I had the privilege of running with a father who was pushing his daughter the whole way. The words, signs and smiles meant more to us than you can ever know.

Embrace the spirit of a marathon, it is truly amazing. Runners, your dedication to training proves that if you believe, you can do pretty much anything. Getting up for at 7am for a 20 mile run then getting on with your day is fantastic. The sport is addicting and even though running seems like it is a solo sport, we are all in it together. The power and awe of a marathon goes beyond the runners. To the trainers, staff and volunteers who dedicated their time just to ensure we would be okay, thank you. We could not compete without you. Last but not least, lets not forget the fans along the course who cheered us on. Many of them had no one to specific to cheer for, but they choose to stand out in the heat just to cheer random strangers on. They made signs, turned on their hose and handed out water just to see a total stranger succeed in a dream.

What if we lived everyday like that? What if we invested our time, energy and passion into helping people succeed, with nothing but the satisfaction of knowing we helped them succeed. In my opinion, life is not about us, it is about everyone else. How can we live each day to provide inspiration, motivation and dedication that helps people achieve their dreams?

The greatest pleasure in life?

The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do - Walter Bagehot

With all do respect to Walter, I have to say his belief is absolute bull. Since when is the greatest joy we get in our life from showing the people that never believed in us that we can do what we knew all along? More importantly what kind of culture and society does this build? The question you need to ask yourself is, who are you living your life for? Are you living it for the ones who denied you the power to believe in yourself or the ones who stood by you, the ones that are willing to push you along and show you how much they loved you? The very concept of seeking pleasure by showing the non-believers is a slippery slope that can only end in disaster.

This quote instills in us, that if we want to truly be happy we must prove that someone is wrong. It sets us on a path to search and find the ones that do not believe in us and waster our time on them. This takes away from the time we could be spending with those who have supported us all along, degrading the true friends that we have. Instead of spending time with and appreciating the true friends in our lives we try to justify our every move to the ones that do not matter. The fact of the matter is, it does not matter who started it, where it came from or why it started, what matters is it stops, that we choose to change the world.

Our life is full of choices, one of the most important, is who are we living for? We can choose to live for the negative or we can choose to live for the positive. I believe whole-heartedly that if we choose to seek pleasure in proving others wrong, we will never truly be happy and if we choose to live for the positive, nothing will stop us.

It is time that we start living our dreams for the ones that believe in us. These are the people that have always been there for us throughout the journey. What greater joy can you have then showing everyone that believed in you, that they were right?

So here is my challenge, lets start believing in the people we care about. Let’s start helping people achieve their dreams and start to take them seriously. I believe that we all have gifts that will change the world.