Embracing the Power to Choose

05/10/2012

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Just about everything in life boils down to the choices we make.

Think about your attitude. You get to choose whether to accept or reject someone, whether to get (or stay) angry, whether to be positive or negative. It's your choice.

Think about your role as a leader. You can choose to micromanage everyone else's job, or you can allow others to do what they do best and support them along the way. You can choose to stay focused on the future, or you can get bogged down in fighting yesterday's battles.

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Good Habits are Worth Keeping

04/11/2012

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We tend to think of habits as bad. We want to break them or overcome them. That's what New Year's Resolutions are all about, usually.

Yet, habits can be good. In fact, most successful people have turned their skills into habits. They repeatedly do the things that will make them more productive and more profitable.

We can all develop positive habits. Here are just a few: 

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Create the Change You Want to See in Your Life

04/11/2012

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It is time to shake things up?

I was talking to my wife about her job, and she mentioned she was considering making some changes. She wasn't sure of all of the pros and cons of the changes, but she was giving it some thought. Then she said something that really caught my attention: "I think I'm in a rut and want to shake things up."

I got to thinking, we can fall into ruts all too easily. Someone once said a rut is nothing but a grave with both ends kicked out. 

Ruts lead to all kinds of problems. We lose strength and speed, ideas, momentum, motivation, initiative. Before we know it, we're not just coasting, we're declining. 

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Popular Blog Posts for March

04/01/2012

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Here are the most viewed Open Mic blog posts during the month of March. Not all of these were written during March. If you haven't yet read them, please do, and then let me know what you think.

The Power of Deadlines
The Power of the Boomerang Effect
What's True for You That's Stopping You
Objective over Obstacle
Leadership is Encouragement

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The Myth of the Good Day

03/09/2012

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We're guided by certain beliefs in life that we think are true, but in reality are nothing but myths. They are stories we make up to fit our belief system.

I wrote previously about one such myth, the myth of the bad day. I explained why it makes no sense to believe that certain forces are at work to conspire against us and create a bad day. Yes, certain events that occur may be bad, but the day is not doomed from the start or beyond recovery.

Well, there's a corollary: the myth of the good day. 
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5 Lessons Football Teaches us about Life

02/04/2012

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I played football from 7th grade through four years of Division 3 football at Wheaton College. I like to tell audiences when I speak that I demonstrated Saturday after Saturday why I was not headed to the NFL.

But even though I was not a standout player (how much can you really stand out as an offensive lineman?) I took away five key lessons that have continued to have an impact in my life and career.

1. You need a coach

As much as athletes think it's all about them, a coach is important not only to preparing a team for each game, but also managing the team on game day. You need someone to put the right players on the field, know when to call time outs, know when to "go for it" on fourth down.  
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