Knowing Yourself

We all appreciate the encouragement of others. It feels good when people send positive attention our way. While getting recognition is certainly an experience to be enjoyed, it is unwise to cater to the expectations of others.

No one in the world knows you better than yourself. Only you can decide what success looks like for you.

Other People’s Opinions

When is the last time you became overly concerned about what someone else thinks of you? You may have started to anticipate their feedback even before they shared what they think.

Whether you are consumed by things that haven’t actually happened, or you are responding to feedback you have actually received, getting wrapped up in other people’s opinions can consume a lot of energy.

None of Your Business

It’s rare these days that I get caught up in these types of thoughts. But if I do, I remember what Jack Canfield said, “What others think about you is none of your business.”

Other...

Why It's Important to Know What You Want

Norman Vincent Peale said, “The great secret of getting what you want from life is to know what you want and believe you can have it.”

This sounds simple and yet having true clarity about what you really want is more rare than you might think. We can be so busy earning a living and nurturing the important relationships in our life that we do not take the time to ask ourselves simple questions. What do I want? What do I need to live a meaningful life?

How to Ask for What You Want

You would be surprised how many people do not ask for what they want because they are afraid of rejection. The worse that can happen is that you get a no. Just because one person says no does not mean everyone will. A person simply needs to keep asking.

If the question you ask continues to receive a no, ask a new question. I learned this lesson from my friend, Jack Canfield, co-author of the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. After they...

Change is the only constant in the business world. From technological advancements to economic shifts and increased competition, the landscape is constantly evolving. That's why adopting a growth mindset is more crucial than ever.

But what does having a growth mindset mean? It's all about embracing continuous learning and development. It's about seeing challenges as opportunities to improve and failures as steppingstones to growth. With a growth mindset, we're wired for progress and expansion, not for stagnation.

As leaders, it's our responsibility to foster a growth mindset within our team. This involves investing in their personal development, encouraging them to take risks and push their boundaries, and providing ample opportunities for learning and growth. By elevating our team's personal growth, we unlock new possibilities for our business or career.

The truth is, achieving goals isn't merely a destination – it's a journey of constant evolution and adaptation to the...

Life can leave us with the impression that responsibility is something given to us. Nothing could be further from the truth. Real responsibility is something we take. You might be given a promotion or an exciting new job in a growth industry, but those are only opportunities. Success is something different and the cost of success is responsibility.

Taking responsibility includes both the good and more challenging moments. It means owning your life, your actions, your mistakes and your growth. The only real power any of us has is the power to be responsible for ourselves.

Ask How, Not Why

When something difficult happens, it's tempting to complain about unfairness. Complaining tends to be all talk and little action and is disempowering. Taking responsibility moves you from victim to leader.

This shift is a matter of attitude and focus. Rather than asking why things happen, we get more leverage out of asking how. This is especially true in moments of failure. When we make a mistake,...

Do you know what it takes to reach your full potential?

Finding your potential involves a unique set of steps that require you to take action. There's no magic pill or one-size-fits-all solution. You have to be willing to put in the work and be open to change.

The key to success lies in asking yourself great self-development questions.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. What is your underlying desire in life?
2. Do you yearn for self-fulfillment? Or is self-development more important to you?
3. Are your efforts designed to make you feel good? Or are they designed to help you become the best you can be?
4. Is your goal to be successful? Or is it to achieve significance?

The answers to these questions are a personal growth journey. As a leader, you have an opportunity to help people grow and reach their full potential. To do this effectively requires that we take personal responsibility for our own growth as well. If we're not growing, we're not reaching our potential.

Personal Growth

John...

Understanding Personality Types

Do you know that understanding different personality types can help you grow as a leader?

Anyone who is in a leadership position knows that leadership requires patience and understanding. This is true whether the person has been a leader for years, or is only beginning to acquire leadership skills. It is also true whether the person is an employee or a business owner.

What is it about leadership that demands so much patience and understanding? The answer is simple: people.

During my training sessions, I emphasize that a great leader takes time to understand every member of their team by spending time with them and learning about their personality type. This requires a lot of patience, time, commitment, and understanding.

In his book, Who Do You Think You Are Anyway? author Dr. Robert A. Rohm tells us that true leaders are not picked, they pick themselves. This makes it all the more important to find a way to work effectively with a variety of...

Unlocking the Secrets to a Successful Tomorrow

Have you ever wondered if what you do today really affects your success tomorrow? If you have a good day, does that make it more likely that the next day will also be good? And anyway, what makes one day good while another is not?

Everyone wants to have a good day, but according to John Maxwell, few of us know what a good day looks like. In his book, "Today Matters", he explains that very few people understand how the way they live today will impact what happens to them tomorrow. Why is that?

Well, there are a lot of misconceptions that can lead us astray. Here are few of the common misconceptions that are outlined in John Maxwell's book:

• We believe success is impossible, so we criticize it.
• We believe successes is mystical, so we search for it.
• We believe success comes from luck, so we hope for it.
• We believe success is productivity, so we work for it.
• We believe success comes from opportunity, so we wait for it.
• We believe success...

No one likes to make a mistake. I know I certainly don’t. But it happens to all of us. Some mistakes are the result of a poor choice.

Other mistakes are just dumb. They happen during a temporary lapse of attention, and afterwards we can see how easily they might have been avoided.

A few years ago in the early weeks of December, I made a dumb mistake. For a moment, I did not pay attention. As a result, a person I value might have felt uncomfortable and just as he was starting a new role.

Lucky for me, the person in question has a great sense of humour.

It was my job to organize a gathering of board members from across Western Canada. We began with a networking dinner, which was to be followed by meetings the next day.

I selected an appropriate restaurant and arranged for the menu in advance.

People arrived in cabs I'd organized. The networking was great, the dinner was delicious, and the atmosphere was fun.

Everyone thanked me as we were heading out the door. I hailed some cabs...