Wheel of Life Part 1 - Spirituality

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Spirituality

It means so many different things to so many people. Since the creation of the heavens and the earth, mankind has longed for a "spiritual connection" to something they are aware of but cannot see, an unseen force or energy.

When it comes to the Wheel of Life, I believe all other areas are affected by the Spiritual Health of a person. I personally am a man of faith and believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I have a daily routine where I spend time in worship through music, prayer and reading the scriptures just about every morning. Doing this keeps me focused on what is most important in the Christian Walk which are the 2 greatest commandments - "Love the Lord with all my heart, mind, soul and strength, and love my neighbor as myself."

If we are grounded on a daily basis with the One who created us, how can we go wrong? I realize this can be different for everyone but believe the principle to be true for everyone. I can only speak for myself as an example on this and know that when I am disciplined at setting time aside every day, I draw a supernatural strength from God who gives me a peace beyond my own understanding. I feel at peace as opposed to restless and frustrated, am able to handle difficult situations in a more clear-minded, calm manor and my perspective is kept on the purposes of God for my life.

Another key factor in this is when I am scoring an 8-10 in this area, I find if I hit a busy season of life and miss this daily routine more than I"d like to, or my time doing it is cut shorter, its as if I have some reserves built up and am able to push through that season better. If I have been slack in my daily discipline over a long period of time, (which has happened more than I'd like to admit) when a busy or trial-filled season hits me, I am less ready for it and typically do not handle it near as well as I would have if I had been more disciplined in the area of spirituality.

Nonetheless, I encourage anyone to "dive in" deeper on a spiritual level which really helps to balance out the other areas that we will get into. In our upcoming Virtual Mastermind Group on The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, we will be learning how to put together a Personal Growth Plan and how to better ourselves for the betterment of the world around us. Click below to reserve your seat, you will not regret it!

Wheel of Life

Many of us have probably seen the wheel of life like the one in this picture. A "Life Wheel Assessment" is often given at seminars and workshops where we are asked to score each area on a scale of 1-10 - 1 being "Needs Attention" and  10 being "Doing Great in this Area". The importance of scoring high in every area is for us to operate both personally and professionally at our highest level possible in our God-Given Potential. But... we all know that we go through seasons of life where maintaining every area is near impossible. IN the following 11 Blog Posts we will explore ways to maintain each area at a high level and how each area effects the others. This is a great exercise to do at least quarterly, if not monthly to keep life balance in the right perspective.

As we examine each area, the question to ask ourselves is, "Are we flourishing or floundering?" What a great way to get a "30,000 foot view" on our own lives gaining a great perspective of every are of our lives. To reach our full potential and be a positive influence in this world, we must first examine ourselves, not at all in a condemning way, rather in a way that helps us understand where we are strong and focused and where we need to give more attention.

In John Maxwell's book The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, he starts out in Chapter 2 with this:

The Law of Awareness - You Must Know Yourself to Grow Yourself. Then he quotes James Russel Lowell, "No one can produce great things who is not thoroughly sincere in dealing with himself"

I will be facilitating a 7 week, Virtual Mastermind Group on this very book study. I highly recommend committing to this study as you will see amazing positive changes in yourself as you grow together with others desiring the same. ultimately, when you become more self aware and grow yourself you will have greater impact in the world around you both on a personal and professional level. Click on the link below to reserve your seat!

Deep Roots

The way the roots of a tree establish themselves determines many things. Several examples of this are how tall and wide it will grow, how much fruit it will produce and how it will withstand strong winds.

The more a tree grows in height and width the more shade it provides to give relief from the heat of the day and it provides places for birds and other animals to nest.  If a tree is healthy and growing, it will also produce more and more fruit providing an abundant crop of nutritious food. And of course, if a tree has strong, deep roots when the wind blows and the storm comes it will sway and blow in the strong winds but will remain firmly rooted and not topple over.

You can probably see where I am going with this...

How deep are your roots? Are you someone who provides relief for others who are distressed? Are you providing an abundance of nutritious fruit in the form of words and actions that encourage and bless others? When the storm comes you may sway a little or maybe more but can others see that you are firmly rooted?

The only way to establish deep roots is to know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses and to be intentional making consistent efforts on personal growth. Notice the questions above - the purpose for growing yourself is to be a greater benefit to others! Register below for a Mastermind Group where you will experience tremendous growth.

Personal Growth - Where are you?

Where are you when it comes to personal growth? How about the areas of your walk with God, your profession, personal relationships, physical fitness or eating according to a healthy lifestyle? To grow in any of these areas requires a "draw a line in the sand decision" & a greater understanding of who you are as a unique person.

In John Maxwell's book, The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, he starts out with the 1st Law being the Law of Intentionality. In other words, growth just doesn't happen! John goes on to tell us of a time when he was a young leader and he sat down with his mentor. His mentor asked him what his growth plan was. John answered with all kinds of answers and when he was finished his mentor said, You really don't have a personal growth plan, do you? John answered, no I do not. It was at that moment that John became aware that in order to reach goals he had and become the person he wanted to become, he needed to be intentional about putting a personal growth plan in place for himself.

In the next chapter, John goes in to detail about The Law of Awareness. He states, "You must know yourself to grow yourself." He goes on to say, "To grow, you must know yourself: your strengths, weaknesses your interests and opportunities." Here are 10 questions John asks to help a person start the process of growth-

1. Do you like what you are doing?
2. What would you like to do?
3. Can you do what you would like to do?
4. Do you know why you want do what you would like to do?
5. Do you know what to do so you can do what you want to?
6. Do you know people who do what you'd like to do?
7. Should you do what you'd like to do with them?
8. Will you pay the price to do what you want to do?
9. When can you start doing what you'd like to do?
10. What will it be like when you get to do what you'd like to do?

Some of the questions above can seem very simple, but when a person sits down and takes the time to truly reflect on them and themselves, it can become a life-changing moment.

To dig much deeper into this study, and tap into hidden potential in your life, please go to the Upcoming Courses page to join a Virtual Mastermind Group where we will be studying The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth beginning in just a couple of weeks. It will truly be life-changing!

Leadership is Sacrificial

In one of my Mastermind Groups on the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, I asked everyone in the room to take a minute and write down 3 people/leaders in their lives who made the biggest impact on them. I then went around the room, one by one and asked each person to briefly share some of the characteristics of those leaders. Here are the majority of their answers:

• Risk Taker
• Courageous
• Ability to Adapt
• Positive
• Encouraging
• Working Smart vs Working Hard
• Relational
• Leads in Community, Family and Church
• Not Afraid to get Personal
• Believing in People
• Command Presence Stemming from Walking in Moral Authority
• Easily Gets Buy-In from the Team
• Even-Tempered
• Cared for Each Individual Personally
• Protectie Over Team
• Empowering
• Trustworthy
• Genuine/Real
• Relatable

What an amazing list of characteristics. Just about everyone of the traits listed above is on the selfless side of the fence as opposed to the selfish side.

Challenge: Take time to pray for the leadership of our country during this Independence Day Holiday, that our leadership would be selfless and radically change the world and our nation because of it.

Ownership Mentality... Kinda...

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I've heard this question over and over again, "How do I duplicate myself as an owner or leader in an organization?...I need people just like me with my knowledge, dedication and drive!" And I believe this is said with the best intentions but let's dig into this a little-

If you are a business owner or a leader in an organization, especially having experienced or are experiencing overwhelming growth, the above idea most likely resonates with you. The intentions are good but there's a major point being missed in this thought process - YOU CAN'T

That's right, you can't duplicate yourself! First, no 2 people are the same to begin with. We are all created with different personalities, skill sets, life experiences and gifts. Second, not one other person knows and understands the blood, sweat and tears you've put into your business or obtaining your leadership position in the organization you work for. Only you know that, and that is a part of what is at the core of what makes you the owner or the leader.

Let's go into what you can do and look at how you can leverage certain personalities, skill sets and gifts in others to have a strong and healthy business or organization-

1) Stop - Yes, stop and analyze your short term and long term needs and goals daily and make sure you are working toward them one step at a time. John Maxwell is diligent at taking time DAILY for what he calls the rule of 5. Here they are - Read, Think, File, Ask Questions and Write. I'm not saying that this is the right formula for everyone. I am saying this is a great model to build off of to create or reestablish a much needed discipline that will help bring clarity in decision making and true needs.

2) Ideal Team Member - Write down the qualities of the ideal team member for whatever position you need to fill or will be needing to fill. Doing this in advance puts a great filter in place when you are ready to hire and helps to prevent time and energy spent figuring this out along the way as well as hiring the wrong person.

3) Let Go - When you have the right person/s where you need them, make sure to let go of something you have ownership over in your business or organization and let them own that portion of it. An important step in this process which is often overlooked though, is proper training and consistent communication (speaking from experience). So make sure to train them properly letting them know you have an open-door policy for them to come to you at anytime if they need help or don't understand something.

When the above ideas are applied, success and a healthy culture will be born and/or cultivated. So... back to the whole duplicating myself and ownership piece - I believe the word is EMPOWERMENT rather than ownership. Empower key people to do what they do best and watch your business or organization as well as them as an individual grow and thrive!

Team assessment, team building and growth are some of things I focus on in helping my clients achieve their goals and create the culture they desire. Contact me for more information by clicking on the button below. I would love the opportunity to help!

The Marathon...

Anything and everything that is worthwhile is typically not easy to attain. Whatever the venture or goal, if it is worthwhile, will take time, energy, money, hard work and support from others to accomplish. Certain friends of mine have run in 1/2 and full marathons and have even competed in triathlons. I watched them day in and day out, laser focused on their regimented work out, eating and sleep schedules, preparing day in and day out for the big day as well as overwhelming support from their families and friends to encourage them on their journey.

One word comes to mind when I think about this - Discipline. For some discipline comes more natural than for others especially depending on how an individual was raised and the environment they were raised in. Nonetheless, discipline to accomplish whatever goals you set out to do whether athletic, business, personal, spiritual etc., is required and ANYONE can do it.

Here are a few pointers that I have learned through past experiences:

1. The Honeymoon - Anytime I've made the decision to jump into something that was bigger than myself, there is a rush of endorphin's. It is what I call the honeymoon phase, when the experience of this "love and passion" for the JOURNEY I just chose to embark on is fresh, new and exciting. During this time there is a feeling of being unstoppable and the ability to conquer anything that is thrown my way.
2. Reality - It is just a matter of time when thoughts will begin to come into the mind like, "Are you sure you made the right decision?", and "Who do you think you are to do something so significant?". Oftentimes, these thoughts also come in the form of real words spoken by the ones closest to you. This is the phase when what is at the core of what is inside of you begins to be tested in every way.
3. I'm All Alone - This is, in my opinion, the most difficult phase.  Metaphorically, we start at the mountain top and this phase is when we hit the darkest of the deep place of the valley. This is when we realize we've invested everything we have into our love and passion and it "feels" as if no one around understands what we are struggling with, or going through. This is typically the time when it is easy for us to become like a recluse and hide form others, almost falling into a depression. It is VITALLY important at this phase to surround ourselves with people running the same race, for encouragement and support.
4. I'm An Over-Comer - This is the victory phase! This is a time of realization and awareness that you had more in you to give to the world than you ever imagined. This is usually a time of great humility because you know you accomplished goals and dreams that only started out as such. This is the moment you reach that next summit, body sore, tired and worm out, standing on the top of that mountain, hands raised, saying, "I did it!"

Now look to that next mountain top and go! It will not be easy, but will be worth every bit of time, energy and hard work put into it!