Create an Environment Where There Is Room to GROW!

Many parents and leaders don't recognize the importance of creating a climate conducive to building potential leaders.
To see the relationship between environment and growth look at nature. One great example is the shark. The reason is that sharks adapt to their environment. If you catch a small shark and confine it, it will stay a size proportionate to the aquarium in which it lives. Sharks can be six inches long yet be fully mature. But if you turn them loose in the ocean, they grow to their normal size.

The same is true of potential leaders. Some are put into an environment when they are still small, and the confining environment ensures that they stay small and under-developed. Only leaders can control the environment. They can be the change agents who create a climate conducive to growth.

The martial arts environment, at least the one that I work in, is designed to grow a leader! To challenge and stretch you to be the leader you have been designed and called to be.

Are you pursuing and creating such an environment?

Live like a Champion & More than a Conqueror.

Attitude makes all the difference...

This past Wednesday I had a 12:52 pm flight from Phila airport to Atlanta Ga.

The day went as follow:

At 8:00am I recieved an email that my flight was rescheduled for 3:25pm. At 1pm I recieve a message that my flight was rescheduled for 8:25pm! Then I recieved a message that it was rescheduled for 4:35pm... then it was rescheduled to 3:20pm...then, at 2:25pm we recieved an announcement that we were to board the plane "now" and get in the "air as soon as possible"!

Needless to say there were many people who were frustrated. Who could blame them. Of course I wanted so much to be one of those frustrated ones. But I was too busy working on my notes for my speech the next day at Fort Mcphearson. My message was to be about living like a champion and more than a conqueror...and living life with the "right" attitude!

With this, I found myself challenged by my own message! It took all my martial art and black belt training & abilities to overcome the desire to complain and rage about how horrible the airlines are at organization and....blah, blah, blah

In martial arts (and in life), the right attitude comes first. The development of a positive attitude is the first conscious step toward becoming an effective black belt leader. Successful leadership cannot be constructed without this crucial building block. Check out some "attitude" truths:

1. Our attitude determines our approach to life.
2. Our attitude determines our relationships with people.
3. Our attitude is often the only difference between success and failure.
4. our attitude at the beginning of a task will affect its outcome more than anything else.
5. our attitude can turn problems into blessings.
6. Our attitude is not automatically good just because we are black belts!

A positive attitude does not happen by accident. It happens on purpose!