The Power of Imagination

You may think dreams are for sleeping, that they are mere fantasies we use to amuse ourselves. But what we hold in our imagination grows more powerful every day. The first step in achieving the life we want is to form a clear picture.

Give Possibilities Space to Grow

Our imaginations are free. Where the analytical part of our brains might see only limitations, our imagination sees possibilities. If we allow our imagination to explore, it will paint a vivid picture of the fullest potential we can achieve.

We will see not only what we need, but how to get there. As Gloria Steinem said, "Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning."

Be a Super Achiever

Super achievers have unusual clarity about their purpose, mission, vision, and goals. They do this by applying a key principle of success: See what you want; get what you see.

We recommend that you spend time every day imagining...

Life Satisfaction

How can I get more from my life? It's a common question. You may be surprised to learn the answer. Getting more from life is not about acquiring or achieving. The answer is simpler and available to everyone.

"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never have enough." - Oprah Winfrey

Gratitude Is a Muscle

Even in more challenging times, we have reasons to pause and be grateful. While it might seem like an oversimplification or an easy way out, the active practice of gratitude takes genuine effort. Think of it as a muscle that needs regular exercise.

We can choose to focus only on the problems or we can courageously embrace what is going well.

The Impact of Gratitude

Two recent studies followed people over time to examine the connection between gratitude and life satisfaction. They found that people who practice gratitude felt significantly higher satisfaction with their life. You can learn more...

Finding Significance in the Modern World

In his book "Intentional Living", John C. Maxwell explores the impact of putting people first. He talks about improving one's contribution by shifting focus from success to significance. How do you define significance? What is important to you?

The answer may surprise you. Significance is not about how much money we make or who we have as friends. It's about something much more essential to the survival of the human race.

Quietening the Noise

As Malcom Forbes said, "People who matter are most aware that everyone else does too." The most significant thing we can do is to care about others.

This is not easy in our social media infused world where everyone speaks and few people listen. The noise of self-promotion and opinion sharing can be deafening, but it is up to us to choose what we value. Shifting from preoccupation with ourselves to thinking about others is where compassion begins.

But What Is Compassion?

People sometimes confuse sympathy...

Life Purpose and Goals

The secret to realizing your life's purpose is powerful goals. People who live meaningful lives know what their life's purpose is and they also know how to support that purpose with effective goals.

The two things work together. The clearer our life purpose, the more solid our goals. The better formulated our goals, the stronger our sense of life purpose.

As Jim Rohn says, "If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you."

The Challenge

Setting goals is not as simple as deciding what you want to do. Some goals work better than others and goal setting is a skill. The more we practice, the better we get at setting goals that really work.

No one would argue that goals aren't important. Yet, we do not always know how to make them work. The reasons we may feel unprepared to set goals are complex and depend on the person. We may never have learned how to set powerful goals, or we not have seen the benefits of clear goals modelled in others.

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How to Succeed

None of us achieve success alone. We surround ourselves with inspiring and influential people because they help us learn and grow. They keep us focused and they challenge us to be our best.

Without the help of others, we might get stuck in doing things the same old way and we would miss opportunities. As Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; it's the only thing that ever has."

Look around at the successful business people you know and you will notice that they do not stand alone. They surround themselves with passionate and knowledgeable people who have a clear sense of their life purpose.

Mastermind Groups

Napoleon Hill calls this type of group a mastermind group, which is a great way to think about it because the name reflects the collective thinking power of the people involved. Mastermind groups bring together innovators and people who are fully committed to living their life's purpose.

The...

Who Do You Follow?

In times of change, people look to leaders who are stronger than themselves.

John C. Maxwell calls this the Law of Respect. As he says, "People don't follow others by accident. They follow individuals whose leadership they respect."

You can easily spot true leaders in difficult times. They are the people who bravely put forward fresh ideas and dare to move in a new direction. They might act alone at first, but soon others follow.

How to Gain Respect

In "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership", John C. Maxwell identifies ways in which leaders build respect, but the respect comes first from within through self-knowledge. It is an inside job.

To foster respect, focus on developing these qualities within yourself:

1. Leaders respect others. They do not have to force others to follow them. Instead, they show respect for others and respect comes back to them. As author Bryant H. McGill says, "One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another...

Working Together

None of us are in this alone. We rely on one another to make our way through challenging times. One of the gifts of experiencing a time a great change is that such moments highlight the true value of a strong team.

Who has been on your team in recent months? No doubt the people within your organizational group are part of your team, but your team likely includes other people who are equally important.

Your Inner Circle

A leader's potential is determined by those closest to them. Teams are built on efficiency and mutual support. In the "21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership", John C. Maxwell calls this the Law of the Inner Circle.

The people in your inner circle are a matter of choice. What you put into the world comes back to you. That's why it is worth pausing for a moment and reflecting on who you might be drawing into your inner circle.

What to Look For

As John C. Maxwell suggests, when building your inner circle, it helps to look for:

1. People who have high...

What Is Important to You?

The key to leadership is priorities. The busier a person is, the more they need to understand what is most important. As leaders, we balance what we have to offer the world against what the world most needs at the moment.

Activity does not necessarily lead to accomplishment. Particularly when we are adjusting to change, it is essential that our efforts are directed where they will be most useful.

As motivational speaker Myles Munroe says, "Our life is the sum total of all the decisions we make every day, and those decisions are determined by our priorities."

The Law of Priorities

Many of us have been rethinking our priorities in recent months, which is a good thing. The Law of Priorities in "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership" by John C. Maxwell can help us ensure that our efforts align with what matters the most.

John C. Maxwell gives us three simple questions:

1. What is required? This may seem like an obvious question, but in the rush to completion we...

Staying agile

We have all had to pivot the way we do business in recent months. The name of the game these days is agility. We see how things are going, reassess the market, and try new things.

Offering products and services online

Restrictions on physical get-togethers have forced us to develop new skills that will continue to serve us and our businesses for many years to come. We have all learned more about communicating in a virtual world, and more specifically how to provide business products and services online.

It's about leadership

While some of these skills may be new to us, the driving force that helps us grow is something we have all been doing for a long time… and that is leadership.

For ideas on how to continue as strong leaders in these challenging times, we looked to John C. Maxwell's "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership." In the Law of Process, he describes a five-phase approach for growing as a leader.

1. Admit that you don't know what you don't know.
2. Reflect...

How Can I Become More Productive?

We are all familiar with the standard tips for increasing productivity. Organize your work area, create an agenda for your day, and avoid distractions. These tips are well and good, but they may not get to the heart of the matter.

Productivity is about more than good habits. It comes from a deeper place. Productivity is actually about personality. We all have blind spots and areas where we can grow. We also have invaluable strengths. Being productive is about learning to balance our challenges with our strengths.

Know Both Your Strengths and Your Weaknesses

We all think differently, value different things, and work in our own unique way. In our Understanding Your Wiring to Understand Others assessment profiles, we explore the DISC personality styles and how they effect our daily lives. This gives us insight into our strengths and our weaknesses, and lets us think of ways to balance them.

There are four basic personality styles in the DISC system:...