Grow by Sharing

One key to your own personal growth and development is to share.  According to Jim Rohn it is the key to making your life unique and worthwhile.  He says, “If you share an idea with ten different people, they get to hear it once, and you get to hear it ten times. So here’s part of self-interest for yourself, getting you even better prepared for the future.  Share ideas.  Share with your family, share with the people around you, share with other employees, share with your colleagues.”

By sharing, two things happen.
1. You add value to yourself.
2. You add value to others.

I have found in my own life that by sharing with others what I am learning, I am actually cementing the truth into my own life.  We learn by repetition.

I have learned that the more I teach it, the more I hear it.  The more I hear it, the more I retain it.  The more I retain it, the more I can apply it.  The more I apply it, the more effective I am.

Jim Rohn also says that sharing makes room for more.  “If the glass is full of water, can it hold any more?  And the answer is yes, if you pour some out.  If you want more, you’ve got to pour out what you’ve got, and then you have the opportunity to receive more.  Now, unlike the glass that remains the same size when you pour some out, it’s not so in the consciousness of human beings.  Your capacity will increase the more you share. You’ll get bigger and bigger and bigger.”

Getting bigger and bigger and bigger is called growth.  And the best part of this is that by sharing what you are learning not only you grow but you are giving others an opportunity to grow as well.

Attitude Makes The Difference

Zig Ziglar constantly teaches that “Attitude makes the difference.”  It really does.  Attitudes are such a difference maker in our lives that Jesus began His most famous sermon by talking about the attitudes we should have.  We know them as the “Beatitudes.”

Most people believe attitudes just happen. They don't. Attitudes are formed by the thoughts we hold in our minds over a period of time.  Negative thoughts, such as doubt, fear, or bitterness, produce a negative attitude thereby producing negative actions which produce negative results.  Positive thoughts produce a positive attitude which produces positive actions thereby producing positive results.

It's not easy to change our negative attitudes.  This is why Paul said in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Paul says we can choose how we think, therefore we can choose our attitude.  Attitude is a choice.  The ability to choose our thoughts and thereby control our attitude is one of our greatest blessings.

How can we change negative thoughts into positive ones, thereby producing a positive attitude?  

First and foremost surround yourself with positive people.  Also read positive, inspirational books, and listen to positive messages.

I love “The Paradoxical Commandments of Leadership” written by Kent M. Keith because they speak of us having a positive attitude in a negative world.  Follow these and you will most certainly stand out.

People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered.

Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.

Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest man with the biggest ideas can be shot down

by the smallest men with the smallest minds.

Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.

Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building can be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

People really need help, but may attack you if you do help them.

Help them anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.

Give the world your best anyway.

Leaders Strive For Excellence

In history, the word "excellence" has been used as a title of honor.  It derives from the word “excel” which means to go beyond average.   

John Gardner said: “The society which scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy: neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water.”

If you think excellence is not that significant, consider this...  If 99.9% is good enough then:

∙ 2 million documents will be lost by the IRS this year.

∙ 22,000 checks will be deducted from wrong bank accounts in the next 60 minutes.

∙ 1,314 telephone calls will be misplaced by telecommunications services every minute.

∙ 12 babies will be given to the wrong parents each day.

∙ 2,488 books will be shipped with the wrong cover on them.

∙ Over 5 ½ million cases of soft drinks will be produced that will be flat.

∙ 20,000 incorrect drug prescriptions will be written in the next 12 months.

How do you become a person of excellence?  First of all you must value excellence. Zig Ziglar said; “Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.”

Valuing excellence means never settling for average.   When we really begin to rise above average and have a desire to be a little bit better, we distinguish ourselves very quickly.

John Maxwell says, excellence can be attained if you...

Care more than others think wise.

Risk more than others think safe.

Dream more than others think practical.

Expect more than others think possible.

Work more than others think necessary.