Every parent of the forty who were recognized last night can have a bursting heart this morning.  Today, I am also thankful for the diverse talents among the entire group of honorees.

There were doctors, lawyers, military professionals, and authors.  We were introduced to local legislators, musicians, and entrepreneurs.  We met a man who owns a racing team and another who writes a food blog. We heard success stories rooted in a wide variety of pursuits.

Every one of these men and women are deeply involved in their community.  As impressive as their personal resumes are, it was great to see the that they also used their passion, skills and commitment to help the underserved.  Many of the Forty under 40 serve on non-profits boards, mentor youth, advise start-ups, or have founded their own community service organization.  They fight hunger, cancer, and child abuse.  They preserve neighborhoods, cultures, and history.

I come away from these types of events hopeful for our future.  We are lucky to have the honorees’ enthusiasm, energy and smarts to lead us there.

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Personally and professionally, I have grown more through my conversations with Susan than I possibly could have imagined.

Today was no different.  After exchanging hugs and catching up on our children, we started talking about work, life, challenges, and opportunities.  Susan has a knack – no, a skill – for bringing people to a place of clarity.  She always listens carefully, asks the right questions and helps me see the answers that were always there.

One of my many favorite Susan teachings is: You can’t ‘fix’ the past.  It’s over.  It’s done. You can, however, create a new future.  Then, she helps you discover what might be possible for you in that future.

Today, I am thankful for people like Susan, who generously help others find their authentic best selves.

Do you have a “Susan” in your life?  How has that person helped you grow? 

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One of the strategies she shared definitely applies to what we do everyday.

We all have big goals, in both our personal and professional lives. Sometimes, our goals can be so daunting they almost paralyze us. Alison suggested chunking the big goals into manageable increments. She shared this story of her experience as the team neared the mountain’s summit:

On the way up to High Camp, we were at 26,000 feet. This is called the “death zone.” At 26,000 feet, your body is slowly dying. You are taking 5 to 10 breaths for every step. After we made it to High Camp, we headed to the summit at 10:30 pm. We needed to be at 29,300 feet to reach the summit. I got overwhelmed as I did the math of how long it would take to get there by taking a step, 5 to 10 breaths, another step, and so on. I took the strategy of breaking it down into smaller increments. I picked out a rock a few hundred feet in front of me and focused on making it to the rock. Then I would find another goal.

Instead of worrying about going another 3000 feet, she set her sights on the rock a few hundred feet away. Then, perhaps another rock a couple hundred feet ahead. By setting smaller goals aimed at the larger goal, the task seemed more manageable and the goal achievable.

What big goal do you have? If you are sometimes overwhelmed by the magnitude of it, try Alison’s strategy. Set smaller goals, always moving in the right direction. Reach them, create new ones, steadily moving toward the big goal. Soon, like Alison, you’ll reach the summit of your Mount Everest, too.

If you are interested in the rest of Alison’s strategies, click here to read her story.

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

In his latest, Empty Promises, pastor and best-selling author Pete Wilson examines the goals and ideals that many people (myself included) pursue, only to find that they don’t enrich our lives but, instead, often leave us feeling empty.

Through his own real life struggles, examples from people he has counseled over the years, and Biblical references, Wilson helps readers see the often difficult truth about what drives us and why.  He invites us to think differently about why we are drawn to achievement or power.  We learn about the temptation of emphasis on outer beauty or collecting wealth.  Warning: Don’t think this doesn’t apply to you until you read the book.  You might be surprised.

Interestingly enough, Wilson also challenges us to consider whether we are addicted to religion rather than a relationship with God.  He invites us to examine what or who we worship and if that is taking our lives in the direction we really want to go.

The entire book is a gentle challenge to the promises we make to ourselves.  If only ______, then ______.  How many times can we look back and say, yes, that’s exactly the way it worked? Probably not very often.

If only I get that promotion, then my co-workers would respect me more.  If only I had a bigger house with a bigger yard, then my family would be happier.  If only I made more money, then I would be happier.  If only I went to church every week, then God will love me.  If only…then…

Read this book to find out why those promises to ourselves and really empty promises.  You’ll also discover what really can add meaning and joy to your life.  That is not an empty promise.

Order the book HERE on Amazon.com.

(A free copy of this book was made available through the BookSneeze blogger review program, however, the opinions expressed are entirely my own, free of any influence.)

The clip below is just under two minutes, but provokes a meaningful activity to assess your ability to make other people powerful -  known in our leadership model as the “enable others to act” practice. On The Leadership Challenge website, this practice includes this description, “Leaders…build spirited teams.”

I love that description…spirited teams.  Dictionary.com defines spirited as “having or showing mettle, courage, vigor, liveliness, etc.”  Imagine the possibilities if we all built spirited teams!

How can you judge the spirit of your team?  One way is to look in their eyes. 

As you move from desk to desk and speak to your team members today, or perhaps the next time they gather around a table for a team meeting, look into their eyes.

What do you see?

As Zander suggested, if their eyes are not shining, ask yourself, “Who am I being that my team members eyes are not shining?”

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

I’m not sure what drew me to this book when I first saw it.  Perhaps the Swindoll name, but not one of the preacher brothers?  The emphasis on the words “a happy life”?  The relaxed font and background color?

Whatever it was that drew me in, Luci Swindoll’s easy writing style, real life stories, sense of humor, and simple advice for life kept me there!  Inspired by the wisdoms of her mother, Swindoll’s short, two to three page chapters all have five word titles, starting with a verb - prompting action!  From Chapter One, “Start With What you Know,” to the last, “Live An Attitude of Gratitude,” the book is filled with common sense delivered with uncommon ease.

A sense of the book content can be found simply by reviewing a few of the chapter headings: Keep Your Word Every Time, Stay Proactive About Your Health, Write Down The Important Things, Build Yourself A Small Library (one of my faves!), Rise to The Occasion Often, Fight Resentment Before It Festers, Listen With Your Whole Heart. 

I finished the easy read last week while on a flight to Tampa.  The person sitting next to me asked if she could look at the book.  She ended up reading about a third of it.  As we were preparing to deboard at our destination, she reluctantly handed the book back to me, saying that she was going to buy a copy for herself so she could finish it.  That’s two recommendations to read this book – mine and hers!

If you would like a copy for yourself or to give as a gift (perfect for graduations!), order through Amazon, Barnes and Noble or ChristianBook.com.

Note: A copy of this book was provided by Thomas Nelson Publishers through the BookSneeze blogger review program.  Neither the author, publisher, nor anyone else influenced or reviewed the content of this post; the opinion expressed is entirely my own.

Then, while skimming my morning updates, I read a post about International Women’s Day, written by daughter, Heather Whaling, aka @prtini.  Inspiration took over, and here is the result.

Two years ago, I wrote a post called Is International Women’s Day Still A Good Idea? bemoaning the fact that - or at least questioning why – there is still a need for this day.

Today, my daughter’s post, Ladies, Get Our Of Your Own Way, explains why there is.

Today (and every day), I am thankful that Heather Whaling is my daughter.

Heather is a wildly successful entrepreneur, founder and president of Geben Communication.  Her business is growing daily, it seems.  She is an excellent public speaker; she really knows her stuff.  She is an expert writer on all things public relations, especialy in today’s social media world.  She has been published numerous times on well-known industry sites and publications, and her blog is a resource for many.  Heather co-moderates PR2.0 chat on Tuesday nights and frequently speaks to PR classes at local colleges.  She truly is an expert in her field.  She doesn’t just talk about “communicating…connecting“, she lives it.

Heather has a heart for those in need and takes action to help.  She visited Haiti to see firsthand how the Heart of Haiti program is helping local Haitian artisans rise above the earthquake horrors.  When she lived in another state, she served on the board of a battered women’s shelter.  Here locally, she supports The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio.  Over the years, she has offered countless tips and hours of help to various non-profits whose missions she believes in.

As her Mom, all of the above are reasons to be proud of her.  But, she’s much more.  She is joyful, compassionate, and dedicated.  She’s comfortable in nearly any social situation.  Heather is both intelligent and wise.  She loves politics (Election Day is her favorite day of the year!). Heather loves the New York Yankees, red wine, vegetables and off the beaten path restaurants.  And shoes.  She has a strong marriage to a wonderful guy, who is also a successful entrepreneur.  Heather and Mike are a perfect match for each other.  They do not “complete” each other – they support each other’s greatness and give the other the space in which to shine.  Her friends are outstanding people in their own right, and I’m honored to know many of them.

So, why am I blabbering on and on about Heather?  To answer the question in the last line of her post today.

What women in your life will you celebrate today?

Failing to plan is planning to fail. – Anon.

Planning is bringing the future into the present so you can do something about it now. -Alan Lakein

Let our advance worrying become our advance thinking and planning. -Winston Churchill

Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up. – A.A. Milne

Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work. -Peter Drucker

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.

Ellen commented that it is good for the universe to wear clothes with positive words like that.  She asked Jennifer if she ever watched “What The Bleep Do We Know?”

Today, I am thankful for the reminder to focus on possibilities!

In one of my leadership classes at Otterbein University, we watched the documentary, “What The Bleep Do We Know?” as a thought exercise to help us realize the world is filled with unlimited possibilities.  This movie really opened up my world to ontological thinking – essentially, your thoughts focus on what might be possible rather than what is.

The original 108 minute film – released in theaters in February 2004. Starring Marlee Matlin and 14 Scientists and Mystics. Exploring the worlds of Quantum Physics, Neurology, and Molecular Biology in relation to the spheres of Spirituality, Metaphysics and Polish weddings. Part documentary, part drama, part animation, How does it all fit together???

If you haven’t seen this documentary, I encourage you to.  You can read more about it here and then order a copy for yourself here.  (I just did!)  Enjoy discovering what’s possible for you – and, be thankful for it all!

It’s a fairly quick read, but chock full of highlight-worthy tips.  (Follow this link for a free downloadable sample.)  Among the ideas that made me go, “hmmm” is this one, found on page 76:

We naturally tend to think reactively – we respond to questions, problems, and opportunities – but we don’t take the time to think proactively… [So] schedule time to think.

I know what you’re thinking. 

“El, have you seen my calendar?  I’ve got meetings!  I’ve got projects!  I’d like to take lunch once in a while!  And, you want me to schedule time to think? ”

Yes, I do.

Sanborn goes on to explain:

Think about what you’ve accomplished, what you’ve learned from recent successes and setbacks, how you are feeling, the relationships that need your attention, and what your vision is for the future (both personal and professional).

Imagine the possibilities if we actually took the time to reflect.  What have you learned?  What did you learn about your team?  What could you do differently next time?  And, yes, even give yourself a quick pat on the back for something you took on and did well.

Try it.  Schedule 30 minutes a week.  Maybe start for a month.  The commitment, though, is that you will not use that time to catch up on emails or plan your next meeting.  You will simply use that time to think.  Maybe walk across the street to the park or go sit at Panera.  If you have an office, turn off your phones and your computer to help focus.

I have no doubt that it will seem weird at first, but once you really free your mind of all the to-do’s, you might realize that spending some time just thinking can reap great rewards.

Tuesday Tidbits are weekly messages I send to my leadership team. They are generally short & sweet, often focused on leadership or teamwork, always positive and, hopefully, motivational. I hope you also find some meaning in them.