YOU NEED ENERGY NOT TIME

Are you feeling pressed for time? 

I normally don't post stuff like this but with the workload today and the need for innovation I felt like the renewal of energy was an important issue.  Take a 20-minute break and watch this TEDx Talk from Tony Schwartz, CEO of The Energy Project. According to Schwartz, refocusing and renewing your energy will help you cope with this “world of infinite demand.”

“We need to learn to manage our energy rather than our time,” he says. “It used to be—until recently, even—that if you needed to get more done, what did you do? You invested more hours. Well that’s fine, except time has a problem, doesn’t it? It’s finite.”

How do you renew your energy?

SEE IT TO BE IT

Your imagination is extremely powerful.

You are a visual being. Choosing the right images in your mind’s eye is important because your life will move in the direction of your most dominant thoughts. The way you see yourself in your mind’s eye, over time, will drop down into your heart and become your reality. If you’ll create a picture in your imagination of you being a successful leader, unstoppable, and relentless, then your life will move in that direction. Every morning, you should wake up and picture yourself succeeding; picture yourself healthy and successful; picture yourself and your family not only being blessed, but being a bigger blessing to others. If you’ll keep the right images in front of you and work your process, you’ll see yourself the way you should. 

FLUSH THE NEGATIVITY

Releasing a negative thought and getting to the next part of your day is a skill that must be developed to be a great leader.  

When you hold on to something you did wrong you then lose focus in the now. A leader must have the mindset of being in the present, being in the now. I often tell colleagues to flush the past, especially the negativity. Just like flushing a toilet. There is not much difference between negativity and the toilet; both need flushing from your mind. Stay present minded. Stay in the now. There is nothing you can do about a negative event. Learn from it and don’t repeat it. This holds true on the field, the court, the hardwood, in the classroom and in life. There are going to be days you make the wrong move, don’t keep it from allowing you to moving forward. Don’t let the mistake you made at the office stop you from your destiny. Don’t let that mistake you made in that relationship stop you from loving others. To be unstoppable you have to continue to move forward. To be relentless you have to stay in the now. Now will always be now. It is constantly moving forward and in the present. There is no now in the past. 

Release and flush the negativity and move toward the next success in your life today. 

DEFY EXPERTS

Did you know that according to all the laws of aerodynamics, a bumblebee should not be able to fly?

Its wingspan is too small for the size of its body. It can’t get enough lift. But here’s the key: Nobody told the bumblebee. It didn’t get the memo. No experts were able to talk it out of flying. The bumblebee felt its wings on its sides and something in its DNA said, “I’m supposed to fly. I’m not made to just crawl around on the ground.” It didn’t read the latest engineering report. It just did what was natural and started flapping its wings and took off into the air. Have you ever had the experts tell you, “You’ll never do well; you’ll never get out of debt; you’ve gone as far as your education allows; this is as good as it gets”? With all due respect, the experts can be wrong. You have a destiny and a purpose filled life. 

You will do what you were created to do in the world. 

BREAK CAMP

Are there some tent stakes in your life that you need to pull up so you can press forward?  

Maybe you’ve stopped in a temporary place, and it’s time to keep going. Maybe you’ve gotten comfortable and decided that your dreams are never going to happen. Your health is never going to improve. I’m asking you to pack up your tent, gather up your stuff and start moving forward. You may have taken a temporary delay, but that’s okay. That didn’t stop your destiny. Today can be your new beginning. God is breathing new life into you. There are greater victories in front of you! Remember, the first place we lose the battle is in our own thinking. If you don’t think you can be successful, then you never will be. If you don’t think you can overcome the past, meet the right person or accomplish your dreams, then you’ll get stuck right where you are. You’ve got to change your thinking. Get rid of a negative, defeated mentality. 

Make room in your thinking for the new thing you are supposed to do, pull up your stakes and move on. 

DON'T BE A MANAGER

Innovate your leadership approach.  Coach and lead…don’t manage.

Here are 5 Key Differences between a Manager/Boss and a Coach/Leader:

• A Leader/Coach spends more time listening and asking questions, while a Boss spends more time speaking and giving directions.
• A Leader/Coach invests time in observing, while a Boss makes quick assumptions.
• A Leader/Coach uncovers issues to get to the root of a problem, while a Boss takes the quickest route to deal with the surface symptoms.
• A Leader/Coach helps Direct Reports accept responsibility, while a Boss assigns blame.
• A Leader/Coach supports employees in developing their plans, while a Boss gives them the plan and tells them to follow it.

We've all experienced variations of Boss vs. Leader types in our working lives. The truth is, it seems easier and more expedient to "boss" than to coach. But research and anecdotal evidence both show that coach/leaders have more engaged employees, and get better results. Do you have more "boss" types or coaches in your organization? Whether you're the head large university department, or just trying to be effective in leading a small school, perhaps it's time to ask yourself - am I more of a boss, or a leader? What would your employees say?

In the Spirit of INNOVATION,

Justin Davis

PROGRAM YOUR MIND

Our minds work a lot like a computer. The way we program our thinking will determine how our lives are going to function.  

You can have the most expensive, powerful computer you can find, but if you load the wrong software, it’s not going to perform at its best. In the same way, many people are not living a successful life not because there is something wrong with them, but because of what has been programmed in their thinking. They start believing the lies, “I’m not talented. I don’t have a good personality. I’ve made too many mistakes. I’ve reached my limits.” Just like a virus can slow down a perfectly good computer, our wrong thinking can keep us from our destiny. If you’re going to live in success, you’ve got to know how to hit the delete button. When that thought comes that says, “You’re just average. You’re ordinary.” Hit delete and say, “I’m a masterpiece. I’m one of a kind.” When you hear, “You’ve seen your best days. It’s all downhill from here.” Hit delete and say, “My future will be brighter than my past.” If you will start hitting the delete button on those negative thoughts, your life will go to a new level, and you’ll experience the destiny you were created for. 

RETOOL YOUR "I AM's"

Have you ever considered the power of the statement, “I am”?  

What follows these two simple words will determine what kind of life you live. “I am blessed. I am strong. I am healthy.” Or, “I am slow. I am unattractive. I am stupid.” The “I am’s” that are coming out of your mouth will bring either success or failure. All through the day the power of “I am” is at work in our minds. Many times we use the power of “I am” against us. We don’t realize how it’s affecting our future. Here’s the principle. What follows the “I am” will always come looking for you. The good news is that you get to choose what follows the “I am.” When you go through the day saying, “I am unstoppable,” you become unstoppable. “I am talented.” Talent comes looking for you. You may not feel up to par but when you say, “I am healthy,” health starts heading your way. “I am strong.” Strength starts tracking you down. You’re inviting that into your life. Get up in the morning and invite good things into your life. Declare “I am relentless. I am strong. I am talented. I am disciplined. I am focused. I am a LEADER. I am an INNOVATOR.” And always make sure the truth follows “I am”! 

COMFORTABLE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE

What innovation really requires is a willingness to be uncomfortable.  

We talk a lot about being comfort being uncomfortable when we think about innovation. To be an innovator, you are going to be uncomfortable quite a lot. You are going to have to do the things that others won’t do. Why won’t others do them? Because they are not comfortable being uncomfortable. People that choose to be average don’t want to sacrifice to be the best. To be unstoppable means you have to put in the hard work, the time, the dedication. Being uncomfortable becomes your new comfort zone. Taking your career to the next level is going to require you to go to the next level too. It will require you to be relentless in your mental conditioning. It doesn’t matter what it is you’re doing. You have to out work your opponent. When they get uncomfortable and quit, you’re just getting started. 

Are you going to innovate today?

YOUR STANDARD

Go ahead and live to your highest standard. 

Even though you may feel you're not fully appreciated for it, do what you know is good and right and valuable.When there’s a job to be done, do more than just getting it done. Do your best.

Perhaps no one else cares, or perhaps they care more than you realize. In any case, what really matters is that you know you are living to your highest standard.

Live to your highest standard, and it will pay off in ways you cannot fully appreciate or anticipate now. Live to your highest standard, and feel the power as it accumulates in the form of confidence, competence, wisdom, patience and true fulfillment.

Listen carefully to what others say, but never let anyone’s shortsightedness bring you down. Find new energy and enthusiasm every day, knowing that you are giving your best to life.

Live to your highest standard, no matter what circumstances you may find yourself in. Live to your highest standard, because deep inside, you know that’s what you really want and what you are meant to do.

CONSTRUCTIVE LOVE

Love is what makes you a good father or son, mother or daughter, boss or employee. It’s bringing out the best in others.  

“Love looks for a way to be constructive.” In other words, love looks for ways to improve someone else’s life. Love brings out the best in other people. Don't just get up in the morning thinking about yourself or how you can make your own life better. Think about how you can make someone else’s life better. Ask yourself, “Who can I encourage today?” “Who can I build up?” You have something to offer those around you that no one else can give. Someone in your life needs your encouragement. Someone in your life needs to know that you believe in them. I believe God will hold us responsible for the people He’s put in our lives. He’s counting on us to bring out the best in our family and friends. Are you improving the lives of those around you? Are you pouring confidence in them? Why don't you ask the Lord to give you creative ways to bring out the best in others? As you sow into the lives of others, God will send people along your path that will build you up so that you can embrace every blessing He has in store for you. 

What is your love doing for others today?