For as he thinks in his heart, so is he

– Proverbs 23:7

In an early post we talked about the importance about “being transformed by the renewing of your mind.”   That effort is not a “one in a done” exercise. It takes daily commitment.  The key is to eliminate our misbeliefs and unfounded self-limitations is to think the truth.

One of the things that helps me the most is to create a set of “I am” statements about yourself, about your beliefs.  These are affirmations.  Here are a few straight from the Word about you. Scriptural truth — what God thinks about you — is the most powerful truth there is.

• I am a child of God, and He is with me. – Galatians 4:6
• I am a leader of others – 2 Timothy 2:2
• I am a prophetic voice for God – 1 Corinthians 14:3
• I am a temple of the Holy Spirit, and He is in me. – 1 Corinthians 6:19
• I am able share God’s truths with others. – Colossians 1:28-29
• I am able to ask God to direct me. –  Psalm 139:23-24
• I am able to enjoy life and discover peace.
...

Just a few years ago, I sat in an auditorium at the Orlando World Marriott Center and witnessed one of the most profound speeches the world has ever heard.  The orator was a gentleman named Stephon Ferguson. He is a Martin Luther King Jr. impersonator, and in this bright auditorium, Stephon stepped up to the podium as if he was on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.  Instantly he captivated the room, and in that next six minutes, it was if we were transported to 1963. I was moved to tears.

The words of a great leader can inspire us to a renewed vision. When you think about it, MLK’s speech is the perfect example. Take a moment to reflect on what he eloquently shared. The words are eternal.

“Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equ...

I grew up going to church. Every Sunday and frequently on Wednesday it seems my family was always there in the building.  Can I be honest?  Most of the time I didn't want to be there.

I was a fidgety kid.  I remember sitting in the Church pew hearing more prayers than I can count. Some were simple and profound.  Touching and real.  But most were just long drawn out speeches trying to influence God -- and all those listening.  It was a sales pitch usually combined with an alter call.  That was my perception of prayer.

What’s interesting is that despite all my years of going to church and "being" in church, rarely did anyone talk about WHAT prayer really is.  It was if they assumed you just knew.

Sure, we heard the Lord’s prayer, and I was even taught how to pray. That is really important, but what about understanding what prayer really is?  Not necessarily the why - but the what.  Think about it, what is prayer to you?

Is prayer just a wish upon the star mantra?  Is prayer a subtle ...

If you had to pick a favorite month of the year, would November even be in your top 5?

Think about it. Most people would pick April, May, or June.  Then they’ll skip the hot months, and then pick September or October.  That’s their top 5. But November?  It often gets the short end of the stick. At least in the U.S. and Canada.

When you think November…

• You might think the coming cold.
• You might think fall time change and dark afternoons
• You might think about leaves to rake
• You might think about election flyers jamming your mailbox
• You might think about black Friday mayhem, or people not shaving.

But what if November was much more than those things?  What if November was YOUR favorite month?

Think of the magic that happens in November

There’s lots of reason to love it, like the color of the leaves, the beautiful mornings, the electric energy of football, the smell of hot chocolate, the breakout of sweaters, or the recognition of our military with Veteran’s day.    But perha...

My wife and I recently binge watched all 9 episodes of Squid Games over the period of a week. We were introduced to it by our son and daughter-in-law, when we were visiting them in Boston.

The Squid Games offers three choices that I want to share with you that can shape your life and those around you. These are Take Aways that I encourage you to look out for and to use in life and leadership. These are some of redeeming elements from watching the series – to help you and me live with greater focus and passion – and greater success. I’ll do my best to not share any spoilers, but if I do – I will try to warn you first.

Here are the lessons:

#1 Practice Empathy

This Squid Games showed me the side of what life looks like when someone is down and out. It’s a biopic of our world in the midst of covid, and unrest. Each of the Green track suited characters in Squid Games (the players), including maybe even the Pink suited PlayStation / StormTrooper like workers (the referees), are desperat...

Paul and Rick crack open the top books on leadership and life on the Breaking Average Podcast.

For this week's episode the book in the spotlight is "The Charisma Myth" written by Olivia Fox Cabane.   You don't want to mis this podcast. 

I wanted to share some thoughts regarding the topics of obstacles.  I did this a few years back, but recently transcribed the video.

Here's both.

 Here's the transcript for the video above. (sorry for the typos)

--

Hey guys, hope you're doing good.

March the fourth -- fantastic day in my family at least, oldest son's birthday today. So hey, listen, I wanted to throw down some thoughts on walking the dog again, dogs plural. just rode the bike. And I was thinking about obstacles.

How many times have you been stopped by obstacles? I mean, I have 1000s of times. I've had obstacles today. I've let the obstacles rob me of my next steps, to be honest with you. But I've also found ways to leverage and get past it right. You've heard the phrase, the obstacle is the way, here's something that happened to me, I realized I was dealing with some obstacles. And I was actually the obstacles or external obstacles are internal. Okay.

I always make an excuses as to why I wasn't gonna get somet...

One of my favorite movie scenes is this clip from the movie Rudy.  I love how the players and fans rally to influence the coach to put Rudy in the game.  And I love how he leads with heart and tenacity.  It's how we should all live.

If you are a fan of leadership, then you ought to be a fan of football. Seriously!  While football may just be a game to most, there are many parallels to what it takes to live and lead effectively at home and in business;  especially college or playoff football. Football at that level reflects all the critical elements of leadership.  Consider you can find many of John Maxwell's 21 Laws of Leadership exemplified in a top 20 or playoff football team.  You'll see the law of the lid, the law of momentum, the law of teamwork, and so many more.

For many, the best part of football on the calendar is not just the Super Bowl, but college bowl games and the playoffs for the teams trying to go further. Invariably what you find is that the these teams that are c...

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he

– Proverbs 23:7

I've previously shared about the importance of “being transformed by the renewing of your mind.”   This effort is not a “one in a done” exercise. It takes a daily commitment.  The key is to eliminate our misbeliefs and unfounded self-limitations -- and instead think the truth.

One of the things that helps me the most is to create a set of “I am” statements.  These are statements about myself, founded on biblical truths.  These are affirmations.  Here are a few straight from the Word that you can use about you. It's scriptural truth — what God thinks about you — which is the most powerful truth there is.

1. I am a child of God, and He is with me. – Galatians 4:6
2. I am a citizen of heaven - Philippians 3:20
3. I am a leader of others – 2 Timothy 2:2
4. I am a new creation - 2 Corinthians 5:17
5. I am a prophetic voice for God – 1 Corinthians 14:3
6. I am a temple of the Holy Spirit, and He is in me. – 1 Corinthians 6:19
7. I am able shar
...

Heath Ledger, playing the role of the villainous Joker in the Batman series, had a famous line that often causes me to rethink.

Why so Serious?

It’s a great question to ponder. Admittedly, I sometimes get way too serious in my work and in life.  That serious bit, causes me to stress more, live less, and miss out on great experiences and relationships. I often realize later – usually after the moment – that I missed an opportunity to really connect and be present. 

So, what’s the antidote going forward. Well, there’s a short little anagram, which is just a fancy word for acrostic, to home in on embracing fun daily. As you can guess, it spells the word FUN. Each letter means something specific.

Be Focused

Focus – the right focus – will keep you out of trouble. Focus means to be fully present. To be aware of what’s happening in the present. Not the past. Not the future. But right now!

Focus means being attentive and motivated at the same time. To have the right focus ask yoursel...