Do you ever stop and reflect on your actions? Are you able to step back and honestly reflect on your own behavior? I am not only referring to what you do, but how you show up. How aware are you of the impact your actions and behaviors have on those around you? Do they have a ripple effect on others?
Self-awareness
isn’t just knowing who you are, it is understanding how you show up in the
world. Be curious about yourself. That’s where real change begins.
Have a great week!
I
just have a simple thought for you today. It is an eye-opening thought…
You
become what you scroll. Choose accordingly.
Think
about it.
As we celebrate Independence Day this Friday, take a moment to reflect on the power and responsibility that comes with our freedoms.
We are truly blessed to live
in a country that offers us incredible freedoms. Unfortunately, we often take
these freedoms for granted. We shouldn't. Many countries do not share these
privileges. What we choose to do with our freedom defines who we are.
• The freedom to live fully,
love deeply, and laugh often
• The freedom to work hard and
chase success
• The freedom to challenge
ourselves mentally and physically
• The freedom to fail and recover
• The freedom to choose our
own path, even if we sometimes get it wrong
• The freedom to educate
ourselves
• The freedom to make mistakes
and grow from them
• The freedom to honor and
remember those who protect these freedoms
• The freedom to be a force
for good in the lives of others
• The freedom
to say “I love you” to those who matter most
• The freedom to worship as we
please
Happy 4th of July
and be blessed my friends…
I lost my dad way too early,
Who am I to doubt it was part of God’s plan?
His mother lived to age 98, why couldn’t he?
Who am I to question God’s timing?
He loved my mom and all of us so dearly,
Who am I to ask God why we don’t have him
anymore?
He was married for 50 years, had nine
grandchildren and a great grandchild,
Who am I to not thank God for the time we did
have?
He had wood to carve, golf to play and trips to
take,
Who am I to ask God why not?
He was kind, loved and respected,
Who am I to ask God why him?
For his disease there were no more options,
Who am I to ask God why no cure?
There were things I had not done or said,
Who am I to ask God for more time with him?
I never heard a bad word spoken towards him,
Who am I to ask God why not someone else?
He deserved so much more,
Who am I to question that God knows what he
truly deserved?
I lost my dad far too soon,
Who am I to question God’s plan?
Barry
D. Blanton
In
loving memory of Don Blanton
January
6, 1935 – June 23, 2007
This MMM was originally written
in 2007. I will repeat it as long as I write MMM’s on a Monday near the
anniversary of the passing of my father. Today happens to be the exact
anniversary date.
Do
you give yourself grace? We often talk about kindness, grace, and forgiveness
towards others. There have been several MMMs on those subjects. But, what about
us? Do we give ourselves enough grace?
·
Grace
for being forgetful as we age
·
Grace
for not completing a workout as planned
·
Grace
for tiring out on certain tasks
·
Grace
for running late to an appointment
·
Grace
for making a mistake at work
·
Grace
for overreacting with a child or spouse
I
am not suggesting we get to always make excuses. I am just suggesting we not be
so hard on ourselves. We all have been taught to always be kind and forgiving
to others, to ourselves, not so much. Perhaps, earlier generations did not
realize the importance of that. We will give them grace for that.
Give yourself
some grace today, tomorrow and everyday…
Any worthwhile discussion of leadership will focus on the concept of willing followers. There has been much written about leadership skills, qualities, methods and systems, but the true test of leadership is followers.
“He
who thinks he leads but has no followers is only taking a walk.”
- John Maxwell
Excellent
leaders are marked by willing followers. That does not mean subordinates who
follow out of obligation. True followers are those who follow when they have
the freedom not to. We are all followers in some roles in our lives and leaders
in others. Think about what causes you
to follow certain people. What qualities do they have? Do those same traits show
up in your leadership roles? I don’t know about you, but when I am in a
leadership role, I do not want to be just taking a walk!
There is an old Jerry Jeff
Walker song entitled Too Old to Change. I recall being in my
late twenties and early thirties, thinking that song applied to me.
I had this notion that I was who I was, and was not likely to change much,
people around me just needed to accept that. At that point, my song
title should have been Too Stupid to Change. Maybe it still should
be! We are never too old to change, we are however, often too hardheaded
to change. We do not grow as people if we do not change.
Self-improvement requires change. I know this better now, even if I am still not
very good at it. Life is all about change and how we accept, embrace, and
adapt to it.
Don't be too old to change!
If it weren’t for the brave
men and women of our armed forces, I might not have the freedom to write this
message today. It’s something I try to remember, even though it’s easy to take
for granted. We are incredibly fortunate to live in a country where our liberty
is protected by those who selflessly serve in the U.S. military.
This Memorial Day, I hope the
barbecue is delicious, the fireworks are spectacular, and the sun is shining
wherever you celebrate. But also, let’s take a moment to reflect on, and give
thanks for, the sacrifices that make our freedom possible.
Happy Memorial Day!
Are you becoming the type of
person you want to be? If not, review your current habits. Habits play an
important role in our daily routines, often guiding our actions without us even
realizing it. From brushing our teeth in the morning to checking our phones
before bed, these repeated behaviors help bring structure and efficiency to our
day, or maybe not. Effective habits can help support our goals; ineffective
ones can hold us back. By becoming more aware of our routines, we can make
intentional changes that lead to a healthier and more productive life. You are
your habits!
“Habits are the compound
interest of self-improvement”
- James Clear
Recently, the MMM has
discussed the importance of Habits. In honor of Mother’s Day, below is a
reminder of a habit we should all do weekly if not daily. Call your mom!
If you did not talk to
your mother on Mother’s Day, do it today.
If you have not
recently told your mother that you love her, tell her.
If you have not seen
your mother recently, plan a trip.
If you need to
reconcile with your mother, do it.
If your mother is not
in your life or no longer alive, love someone like a mother.
If you need to forgive
your mother, do it.
If you need to ask your
mother for forgiveness, ask.
If you are a mother,
bless you.
In loving memory of Barbara Ward Taylor
(1940 -2008) - My mother-in-law lost her battle with lung cancer just one week
before Mother’s Day. She was a loving
mother, wife, grandparent, friend and family member. She had a wonderful zest for life and a love
for people.
We take for granted the impact that small habits can have on our lives. It doesn’t matter how successful or unsuccessful you are right now. What matters is whether your habits are putting you on the path towards success.
If you want to predict where you’ll end up in life, just follow the curve of your tiny gains or losses. Those tiny daily choices will compound ten or twenty years down the line. Your outcomes are lagging measures of your habits. Your net worth is a lagging measure of your financial habits. Your weight is a lagging measure of your eating habits. Your knowledge is a lagging measure of your learning habits. To see predictive measures, you must focus on current habits and choices, the little things you do today, tomorrow, and next week. Those things are guiding your trajectory.
Today’s MMM is partially taken from “Atomic Habits” by James Clear.
It is a very simple and interesting thought. If you do not take a shot, you will not score. You must make an attempt in order to give yourself a shot at winning. Said differently, we should not be afraid to try. Why are we so conservative that we never give ourselves a real chance to accomplish something? Oftentimes, I fall prey to this as I tend to be somewhat cautious and conservative. In order to grow, I need to learn to take more shots. I am not only referring to the big decisions in life such as spouses and careers. This certainly applies to those decisions, but this analogy also applies to little things throughout the day. What happens if you take a shot at meeting someone new, changing something in the way you work, or becoming more involved in your community?
Take a shot. Give yourself a chance to score in the game of life!
Revenge can be a very misguided motivator in the business world. Healthy business competition is a good thing. This country was built on it. Revenge, however, is an unhealthy motive in business, and in our personal lives for that matter. Revenge distorts one’s vision and causes us to lose focus. It can lead to actions and decisions that are inconsistent with business goals and values. All business initiatives and decisions should be checked to confirm their alignment with the corporate mission. If they are found to be simply for the sake of revenge, they should be avoided lest they weaken the mission. Don’t let revenge drive your business decisions.
An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.
- Mohandas Gandhi
Are you open minded? I mean really open minded. Are you seriously open to learning another viewpoint? Or, are you steadfast in your opinion and always ready to defend your existing viewpoint? Consider this…
- The single most effective habit is the willingness to change your own mind.
I would like to focus on a key word in that statement, “willingness”. If we start out unwilling to change, it does not matter what we learn. Changing your mind is a powerful concept.
Be willing to change your own mind!
Can you believe the first quarter of 2025 already is done? I cannot. One fourth of the year is finished, complete, in the can. So how is your year going for you?
• What new habits have you created?
• What bad habits have you removed from your life?
• Where do you stand with goals and resolutions you set for the year?
• Whose world is better because you were in their life last quarter?
• How about your business objectives? One quarter through the year, how do revenue, margins and expenses look compared to targets?
Knowing where we are going is essential, but monitoring our progress in getting there is the real key. Give yourself a first quarter check-in!
Have you grown over time? Are you different than you were six months ago, or even a year ago? Are you better or improved? Many of us would answer with a resounding, “Yes!” I believe we improve with age, much like wine. Perhaps we become wiser, calmer, even more generous.
So why do we look at others and judge, or assume that, the person they are today is who they will always be? We do not know who they will become or what they are capable of doing in the future. We also do not know who they may have been in the past. Maybe instead of being skeptical because we do not like what we see, we should have faith, knowing they too will learn and grow in time.
How are you improving over time? Better yet, how much grace are you showing others going through the same growth process?
We live in a constantly changing world. All facets of society are evolving. This is especially true in business. Just consider the speed of change in technology. Here is what you must know in today’s business world.
- If you do not innovate your business, someone else will!
Think about it. Our competitive edge is constantly under attack. Our differentiation is always at risk. Our business model always has room for improvement. Don’t lose your edge, be on the leading edge…
I wrote the below MMM back in 2020 at the beginning of Covid pandemic. Tomorrow marks five years from the date that both the NBA and Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo were shut down. Somewhat of a quarantine would follow. Five years later, it’s remarkable to reflect on how much the world has changed. Pre-pandemic, meetings, family gatherings, and even something as simple as a sneeze or cough were hardly given a second thought. The crisis reshaped nearly every aspect of our daily living, but we are amazing creatures! We have adapted, and in some ways, life is back to normal. In some ways not so much.
What have you learned since the spring of 2020?
2020
Trying Times
These times will test our souls. Our faith will be tested, but it will become our rock. Our resolve will be stretched but it will support us. Our businesses and the economy will be damaged, but they will survive. Our friends and families may be separated, but we will hold them tightly.
Leaders are purveyors of hope. Now is the time for us to step up. Our employees, friends and followers need to see hope in our eyes and positivity in our voices. It will not be easy. They need to hear us say the things above. They need to know there is an end to this and better days will come. They need to know this is survivable. It is time to instill hope. It is time to step up as leaders. It is time for us to pass the test of leadership.
Let’s do this together. Take one day at a time and lead with hope!
Your choices determine your trajectory.
* We are going to have a few weeks on one-thought provoking statements.
How you do anything is how you do everything.
…just think about it.
* We are going to have a few weeks on one line thought provoking statements.
As we celebrate Presidents’ Day, I find myself thinking about the role of the President as a leader. The President of the United States is not only the official head of our nation and commander-in-chief of our military, but is also often called the leader of the free world. These titles carry immense responsibility and power, but a title alone does not make someone a great leader.
True leadership is not merely about holding an esteemed position or title. It is about vision, integrity, and the ability to inspire, influence and guide others. History has shown us that while some presidents, regardless of political affiliation, have exemplified remarkable leadership, others have struggled to move beyond their title. Leadership is not defined by status but by action, character, and the impact one has on others.
Remember that great leaders exist both within and beyond positions of power. Leadership is not about the title. It’s about the ability to lead with wisdom, purpose and clarity.
Happy Presidents’ Day!
A few more things on consistency following up on last week…
• Great outcomes aren’t built on great days, but on consistent ones.
• Consistency compounds. Occasional brilliance fades.
• Throw a whole bucket of water on a rock and nothing happens. Let water drip consistently onto a rock and it creates a hole. Consistency beats intensity!
Once again, Strive to be consistent…
Think about it. There are a lot of people who are temporarily, or occasionally, very intense. But, intensity without consistency does not get the job done. Consistency is easiest accomplished when one is focused. It is easier to be consistent when we are focused, not scattered. Without a focus, everything becomes a distraction. Focus is closely related to consistency.
Focused people eliminate options, not accumulate them. Warren Buffett exemplifies this, he’s made a fortune by carefully selecting a few investments and sticking with them for decades, ignoring thousands of other opportunities.
Strive to be consistent…
We do not have to be right. We must get to the right place.
Think about it. As leaders, we should be striving to get to the right place, not just to be right. There is a right place or solution in all situations, one that serves the organization’s best interests, supports long-term success, and benefits the team. How often do we find ourselves fighting to be right? We often want to be “The” author of the solution. Our being right is not what matters. Finding the right answer is the key to getting to the right.
I am a creature of habit – like many of us humans. I can’t imagine losing my entire home and its contents. I mean I have slept there for 25 years, raised our children there, and created memories there. It holds all our belongings, too much stuff, perhaps, but it is all there.
The devastation of the Los Angeles wildfires is hard to fathom. I can’t imagine the sights along the roadways that I have traveled so many times. I do not know what to think about the ongoing air quality issues. We have a daughter in North Hollywood who I worry about constantly. I can’t imagine the overwhelming task of rebuilding. The loss of life is heartbreaking, but frankly, feels like it could have been even worse.
Check on your friends in Los Angeles. Even if their home is fine, they may not be. They need our support now, next month, and in the years to come!
I just can’t imagine…
We’ve all made mistakes, and we’ll all make some more. The line that separates the best of us from the worst of us is a narrow one.
Your brother, sister, coworker, spouse, child, and friend all would like me to remind you that they each need grace. Just like you need forgiveness, so do they. There comes a time in every relationship when it’s damaging to seek justice, when settling the score only stirs the fire. There comes a time when the best thing you can do is accept your brother and offer them the same grace you’ve been given.
Portions of this MMM have been chosen from The Great House of God.
